CLA2001 - Greek History: Problems and Sources
2015/6 Module description
| Staff | - Convenor |
|---|---|
| Credit Value | 30 |
| ECTS Value | 15 |
| NQF Level | 5 |
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Co-requisites | None |
| Duration of Module | Term 1: 11 weeks; Term 2: 11 weeks; |
Module description
This module introduces the exciting history of the Greek world from the Archaic period to the rise of Rome. It explores who the ‘Greeks’ were, where they came to settle and what aspects these remarkably diverse settlements had in common. To do so the module introduces you to general themes such as religion and intellectual life. We also examine at warfare, political, social and economic history. These include the major conflicts between Greeks and other Greeks (e.g. the Peloponnesian War), as well as Greeks with non-Greeks, (e.g. the Persian Wars). You likewise look at Alexander and how the successors to Alexander shaped the Mediterranean and Western Asia politically until the conquests of Rome, and culturally long after the last Hellenistic kingdom fell.
Module aims
The module provides an introduction to Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic Greek history. Through a close study of ancient evidence and modern scholarship students will come to understand the limitations of textual evidence, as well as the general themes and problems of the periods and regions covered.
ILO: Module-specific skills
- 1. Possess a detailed knowledge of the history of the Greek world from the Archaic period to the end of the Hellenistic kingdoms and an ability to compare this to Roman history.
- 2. Critically analyse some of the major sources and problems pertaining to the study of these periods
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
- 3. Acquire knowledge of historiographical method and apply this to solve simple historical problems
- 4. Critically analyse, evaluate, synthesise land compare literary and material evidence
ILO: Personal and key skills
- 5. Communicate ideas orally in seminars and in writing thesis-driven essays and exams, thereby demonstrating a capacity to review, assemble, and evaluate ancient and modern evidence.
- 6. To construct and defend arguments (both in written form and orally)
- 7. Manage their time and work to deadlines
Syllabus plan
Indicative topics and themes:
Term 1 explores the general background of the varied cultures and geographies of the ‘Greek’ world and how these fit in their broader Western Asian and Mediterranean contexts. You will explore aspects of Greek political history and traditions surrounding lawgivers, the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars, as well as the hegemonic struggles of the 5th and early 4th centuries BC. You also will be introduced to the incredible variety of Greek settlements from problems surrounding Greek ‘colonisation’ to the dominance of a handful of poleis in the Balkans and Sicily during the Classical Period, especially Athens, Sparta, Thebes, and Syracuse. Special emphasis is also placed on interactions between Greeks and non-Greeks, especially with Persia, Egypt, and Phoenician settlements. We likewise will discuss themes in Greek culture such as religion, theatre and festivals, as well as women, slaves and other muted groups.
Term 2: builds on this foundation and broadly explores the rise and consolidation of Macedonian Hegemony and the ‘Hellenistic’ period that followed the conquests of Philip and Alexander the Great. We will refer back to the general themes and topics examined in term one so as to evaluate aspects of change and continuity, e.g. especially with women and religion. In particular we will examine what became of the Greeks in the Balkans, Sicily and S. Italy, as well as the continued expansion of Greek settlements into Asia. Particular emphasis is placed on the conquests of Alexander, the Wars of the Successors (323-276 BC), as well as the nature of the resulting Hellenistic kingdoms, especially the Ptolemies, the Seleucids, the Antigonids, the Attalids, and Pyrrhus of Epirus, as well as how each ultimately came to confront the rise of Rome.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 52 | 248 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching activity | 44 | Lectures (22 x 2 hours) |
| Scheduled learning and teaching activity | 8 | Seminars (8 x 1 hour) |
| Guided independent study | 248 | Independent study |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1x gobbet/analysis of an ancient text/object | 800 words | 1-4, 6-7 | Written feedback |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | 60 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 40 | 2000 words | 1-6 | Mark and written comments |
| Exam | 60 | 2 hours | 1-6 | Mark and written comments |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay | 1-6 | August ref/def period |
| Exam | Exam | 1-6 | August ref/def period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
1. Indicative Ancient Texts:
Herodotus Histories
Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War
Xenophon Hellenica
Polybius, Histories
Diodorus Siculus, Library of History
Plutarch, Lives
Appian, The Foreign Wars
2. Examples of General Introductions:
J.K. Davies, Democracy and Classical Greece 2nd edition (London, 1993)
A. Erskine (ed), A Companion to the Hellenistic World (Oxford 2003)
S. Hornblower, The Greek World 479-323 BC 3rd edition (London, 2002)
P. Levi, Atlas of the Greek World (Oxford, 1980)
R. Osborne, Greece in the Making 1200-479 BC 2nd Edition (London, 2009)G. Shipley, The Greek World after Alexander 323-30 BC (London, 2000) - to be bought.
F.W. Walbank, The Hellenistic World 2nd edition (London, 1992)
A. Erskine (ed) A Companion to the Hellenistic World (Blackwell, Oxford, 2003).
Module has an active ELE page?
Yes
Available as distance learning?
Yes
Last revision date
02/03/2015
Key words search
Classics, Greek History, Sources
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