History 222, Hellenistic Greece and Republican Rome

Course Description: Throughout the Hellenistic period (336-31 BCE) of north Africa, the Mediterranean, and Near East people collectively worshipped the cult of powerful individuals, so it seems appropriate to approach this time and place by studying individuals. From Alexander the Great to Gaius Octavius (alias Augustus) we are presented with an astonishing string of megalomaniacal imperialists. It is only in this context that Rome's meteoric rise to prominence becomes comprehensible, and in this context that we can understand the decline of republican values that left autocratic rule of the whole Roman empire in the hands of Alexander's highly self-conscious imitator, Julius Caesar. Therefore this course will concentrate on three topics: the tactics and careers of the most powerful and influential individuals; the biographical historiography arising around them; and the historical forces that led to and sustained such an autocratic period.

Requirements: The following will be required of all students taking the course:

• attend classes with a look of intense intellectual curiosity
• complete all the assigned reading carefully taking notes and thinking about the inherent issues
• read Walbank/Beard and take a test on the basic background
• write out a developed problem with the reading for the day (for discussion days)
• contribute thoughtfully to class discussion
• demonstrate the fruits of reading, thought and discussion in the midterm and final exams
• complete one of the following projects (original work is required here):
  • 10 page research paper.
  • 10 page narrative from an ancient perspective.
  • 5 page critical review of a scholarly book (requires instructor's approval).
  • 5 page critical review of The First Man in Rome (or substantial historical novel approved by the instructor).

Grading:

• Test: 10%
• Class Participation: 20%
• Midterm: 20%
• Project: 30%
• Final: 20%

Schedule:

1. (August 25) Introduction to the Course (Intro Photos).
2. (August 27) Review of Mediterranean Geography (comparative maps) [read Walbank chapters 2 and 3]
3. (August 29) Review of Civilization Before Greece [read Walbank chapters 6, 8 and 11]
4. (September 3) Review Greek History [read Beard chapters 1-3]
5. (September 5) Review of Hellenistic/Roman History [read Beard chapters 4-6]
6. (September 8) Lecture: Philip of Macedon and his Precedents
7. (September 10) Test on Background Information
8. (September 12) Greek Historiography: the tradition of historical self-consciousness from Herodotus to Polybius [read the prefaces to Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon's Cyropaedia, and Polybius here in Box]
9. (September 15) Demosthenes, Isocrates and the Greek Debate on Macedonian imperialism [read Demosthenes' Second Philippic and Isocrates' To Philip here in Box]
10. (September 17) Alexander the Great: consolidation of power [read Plutarch's life of Alexander]
11. (September 19) Alexander the Great: military campaigns [lecture]
12. (September 22) Alexander the Great: tactics [read Engels here in Box]
13. (September 24) Alexander the Great: world "Hellenization" [prepare to discuss the Hellenistic dream of unification (see esp. Walbank pp. 60-78; 209-226 and Plutarch's life of Alexander]
14. (September 26) Alexander the Great: "corruption" and death [read Arrian here in Box]
15. (September 29) Alexander's Followers: Demetrius [read Plutarch's Demetrius]
16. (October 1) Alexander’s Followers: Agis [read Plutarch's Agis]
17. (October 6) Lecture: Ethnicity in the Hellenistic Period
18. (October 8) Antiochus and Conflict with the Jews: read 2 Macabees
19. (October 10) Midterm Exam
21. (October 15) Origins of Rome [read Livy from beginning to the death of Tullus -- pp. 29-69 in the Penguin, and Dionysius Halicarnassus here in Box]
22. (October 17) Lucretia and the Birth of the Republic [read Livy to the end of book one -- pp. 69-104 in the Penguin]
23. (October 20) Camillus and the Second Founding of Rome [read Plutarch's life of Camillus]
24. (October 22) Rome and its early Allies: the Latin Revolt [read Livy 8.1-14 here in Box]
25. (October 24) Lecture: Roman Origins and Myth
26. (October 27) Pyrrhic War [read Livy's epitome 12-14 here in Box and Plutarch's Pyrrhus]
27. (October 29) Marcellus and the Assault of Syracuse [read Plutarch's Marcellus]
28. (October 31) Lecture: Hellenistic Scientific Achievements (photos)
29. (November 3) Flamininus and Roman Greece [read Plutarch's Flamininus]
30. (November 5) The Gracchi, Land Reform, and Violence [read Plutarch's Tiberius Gracchus]
31. (November 7) Lecture: Summary of the Roman Constitution and its Development
32. (November 10) {PROJECT DUE} Lecture: Marius and Military Reform
33. (November 12) Sulla Rebuilds the Republic [read Plutarch's Sulla]
34. (November 14) Lecture: Pompey and Maius Imperium
35. (November 17) Caesar, Dicatator for Life [read Caesar and Suetonius' Suetonius' Life of Caesar ]
36. (November 19) Marc Antony and the Civil War [read Plutarch's Marc Antony]
37. (November 21) Cleopatra and the End of Macedonian Rule in Egypt [read Horace Odes 1.37]
38. (November 24) Lecture: Gaius Octavius and a New Peace (photos)
39. (December 1) The Breakdown of the Roman Republic and dawn of the empire (lecture/discussion)
40. (December 3) Review for Final Exam (optional)
41. (December 5) Study Day (no class)
42. (December 9 ) Final Exam (9 AM)

Texts:

• M. Beard, SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome.
• F.W. Walbank, The Hellenistic World.
• Livy, The Early History of Rome.
• Plutarch, Parallel Lives.
• [recommended: C. Scarre, The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Rome]

Attendance: Since class participation is a significant graded percentage of this course, each class a student misses will detract from this grade. Several absences will not do permanent damage, but more than 8 (out of 42 meetings -- i.e. almost 20%) will be serious.

Artificial Intelligence Assistance Policy: Since the instructor has provided all students access to spiderai.richmond.edu, all students are encouraged to explore how ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini can enhance their learning experience. But to make this process transparent and productive, students should explicitly eludicate, and critique, their experiences using AI within all graded work.

Honor Policy: Like any academic work at UR all work done for this course falls under the honor code. If you have any doubt what constitutes "unauthorized assistance," please come and talk to the instructor before trying it. Generative AI tools are authorized for use in this class for the following activities: generating discussion questions; exploring project topics; and improving writing style. All use of AI tools must be properly cited. Please consult the library resource on how to cite generative AI in one’s work.

N.B. The instructor does not allow make up tests under any circumstances, nor does he accept late work.

last modified 7-22-25