ANCIENT HISTORY
(AS) {ANCH}  

L/R 025. (HIST024, NELC101) Ancient Middle Eastern History and Civilization. (A) History & Tradition Sector. All classes. Staff.

A cultural history of Middle Eastern civilization from the invention of writing to the rise of Islam.

L/R 026. (HIST026) Ancient Greece. (A) History & Tradition Sector. All classes. McInerney.

The Greeks enjoy a special place in the construction of western culture and identity, and yet many of us have only the vaguest notion of what their culture was like.  A few Greek myths at bedtime when we are kids, maybe a Greek tragedy like Sophokles' Oidipous when we are at school: these are often the only contact we have with the world of the ancient Mediterranean.  The story of the Greeks, however, deserves a wider audience, because so much of what we esteem in our own culture derives from them: democracy, epic poetry, lyric poetry, tragedy, history writing, philosophy, aesthetic taste, all of these and many other features of cultural life enter the West from Greece. The oracle of Apollo at Delphi had inscribed over the temple, "Know Thyself." For us, that also means knowing the Greeks.  We will cover the period from the Late Bronze Age, c.  1500 BC, down to the time of Philip of Macedon, c.  350 BC, concentrating on the two hundred year interval from 600-400 BC.

L/R 027. (HIST027) Ancient Rome. (B) History & Tradition Sector. All classes. Grey.

The Roman Empire was one of the few great world states-one that unified a large area around the Mediterranean Sea-an area never subsequently united as part of a single state.  Whereas the great achievements of the Greeks were in the realm of ideas and concepts (democracy, philosophy, art, literature, drama) those of the Romans tended to be in the pragmatic spheres of ruling and controlling subject peoples and integrating them under the aegis of an imperial state.  Conquest, warfare, administration, and law making were the great successes of the Roman state.  We will look at this process from its inception and trace the formation of Rome's Mediterranean empire over the last three centuries BC; we shall then consider the social, economic and political consequences of this great achievement, especially the great political transition from the Republic (rule by the Senate) to the Principate (rule by emperors).  We shall also consider limitations to Roman power and various types of challenges, military, cultural, and religious, to the hegemony of the Roman state.  Finally, we shall try to understand the process of the development of a distinctive Roman culture from the emergence new forms of literature, like satire, to the gladiatorial arena as typical elements that contributed to a Roman social order.

145. (CLST145) The Roman Empire. (M) Distribution Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Grey.

"They create a desert and call it peace," wrote Tacitus in describing the response of the conquered to Rome's power, but the Roman Peace also brought with it other, less dramatic changes.  In this class we will concentrate on the experience of Roman culture.  What was it like to be a Greek exslave and millionaire living in Rome in the age of Nero?  How were the Gallic chieftains made into Roman senators?  What was the Roman governor of Asia Minor expected to do when the provincials wanted a new aquaduct?  We will break the Roman Empire down into a series of vignettes, using literature and archaeology to supply us with the material for a fresh look at Roman Society.  What emerges is a culture more diverse, more flexible and more tolerant than is usually recognized.

150. (CLST151, HIST152) Hellenistic History: from Alexander the Great to Cleopatra. (M) Distribution Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. McInerney.

The Hellenistic Age corresponds broadly to the three hundred year period from the career of Alexander the Great (354-324 BC) until the defeat of Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium (31BC).  This was a period during which the world of the Greeks underwent extraordinary and far-reaching changes, as Greek culture was established as far afield as northwestern India, central Asia and Egypt.  This class is about those changes, and attempts to evaluate the nature of Hellenism.

SM 190. (CLST190) Alexander the Great and the Growth of Hellenism. (C) Distribution Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Staff.

By the time he died in 323 BC at the age of 33, Alexander had conquered most of the known world and had transformed forever the shape of politics and culture.  His legacy is an enduring one, since the year of his death marks a transition from the old Greek city state to what has been called a Hellenistic (i.e. hellenized) world in which, arguably, we are still living.  This course will take an interdisciplinary approach to this period by examining its history, social organization and beliefs, literature and art.  We shall also explore the glamorous myths that have surrounded Alexander from his own day to the present.  Our aim will be to separate fact from fiction and to determine the significance of Alexander not only for the fourth century but also for ourselves who have inherited from the world he created certain values and assumptions about politics, art, cultural diversity and diffusion, and the place of human beings in the universe.

195. (CLST195, EALC005) Worlds Apart: Cultural Constructions of "East" & "West". (M) Humanities & Social Science Sector. Class of 2010 & beyond. LaFleur/McInerney.

Multiculturalism increasingly characterizes our political, economic, and personal lives.  This course will focus on real and perceived differences between the so-called "East" and "West".  Taking a case study approach, we shall read and compare literary materials from classical Greece and Rome, a major source of "Western" culture, and Japan, an "Eastern" society.  Through analysis of these texts, we shall explore some of the concepts, values, and myths in terms of how "East" and "West" define themselves and each other: e.g. gender, sexuality, rationality, religion, society, justice, nature, cultural diffusion, work, leisure, life, and death.  Readings will include selections from Greco-Roman and Japanese myths, poetry, drama, essays, history, and philosophy.  Class format will be lecture with opportunity for questions and discussion.  Grading will be based on midterm and final examinations, a short paper, and class participation.  No prerequisites.

SM 312. (CLST312) Writing History in Greece and Rome. (C) Staff.

What constituted history in ancient Greece and Rome?  What claims to knowledge claims to knowledge did history make, and how did these differ from other forms of knowledge?  How did historians envision their task, and how did they go about performing it?  We will read the works of the major Greek and Roman historians in translation in an attempt to answer those questions.  Other issues to consider include the origins and development of historical writing, the place of history within the ancient literary tradition, and the similarities and differences between the ancient and modern practice of history.

SM 314. (CLST314, HIST314) Roman Law and Society. (M) Distribution Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Staff.

Roman magistrates, emperors, jurists, and lawyers developed many of the fundamental legal principles that have remained at the basis of our modern legal systems.  This course will introduce the students to the principal sources of the roman law, to the nature of legal actions and trial procedures (for both civil litigation and criminal prosecution), and also to the main institutions of the legal system.  There will be strong emphasis on the basic principles and norms of the Roman law itself.  The main areas of the civil law that will be dealt with in detail will include the law of persons, succession, obligations (including contracts and damage), delicts and 'crimes'.  The application of the law in social contexts will be studied by the consideration of historically documented cases such as a murder trial, a dispute over a sale, and divorce proceedings.  The analysis of model cases will also be an important part of each student's involvement in the class.

323. (CLST323, HIST334) Greek World After Alexander the Great. (M) McInerney.

SM 376. (CLST376, HIST376) Slavery/Society Ancient Rome. (M) Distribution Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Staff.

This class examines the phenomenon of slavery in Roman society.  A careful reading of primary sources, including many inscriptions dealing with the life and death of slaves will be combined with modern critical readings in order to explore the institution of slavery and to increase our understanding of slavery both to the Roman economy and Roman society.  We will try to determine where the slaves came from, how guaranteeing a slave supply affected Roman policies abroad, and how slaves reached the markets of Rome, Delos, and North Africa.  We will also look at the relationship between slaves and masters in the Roman household.  What tasks did they perform, what treatment could they expect, and how did the presence of a significant portion of the population in servitude affect the social relations governing Roman society.  We will also examine the position of slaves in Roman law and examine changing attitudes towards the rights of slaves.  Finally, using slave narratives from the antebellum south, we will explore the possibility of reconstructing the slave experience in Roman society.

399. Independent Study. (C)

499. Independent Study. (C)

510. (LATN510) Latin Historical Documents. (M) Distribution Course in Hist & Tradition. Class of 2009 & prior only. Staff.

The analysis of non-literary Latin texts from antiquity preserved on various types of permanent media, mainly stone and metal, is the primary concern of the discipline of Latin epigraphy.  Such texts, which have been recovered in hundreds of thousands, constitute one of the most important sources of data for the modern-day historian of Rome.  The student will be introduced to the conventions of editing and reading epigraphical texts, and to the major collections of Latin inscriptions.  The seminar will then concentrate on different types of documents in order to understand their formatting and style, as well as the kinds of historical evidence that can be derived from them.  Public and private inscriptions, from the decrees of emperors and senatorial careers to personal curse tablets and the simple tombstone epitaphs of the urban poor, will be considered as examples of the range of epigraphical texts available to the modern researcher.

SM 512. Methods in Roman History. Staff.

SM 535. (HIST535) Problems in Ancient History. (C) Staff.

A separate topic is offered in either the history of Ancient Near East, Greece or Rome.

SM 601. (AAMW601, CLST601) Archaeology and Greek History. (C) Staff.

SM 602. Athenian Economy. (M) Cohen.

This course will examine the material and social culture of classical Athens. Through a close reading of original sources (primarily court presentation and comic productions) and through the evaluation of modern studies, we will seek to understand the societal,familial, economic, religious and sexual dimensions of the Athenian life, and to evaluate the alleged dictorial dominance of this society by the small minority of male "citizens." The class will deal with such topics as the legal, social and fiancial position of wealthy slaves and business women; the clandestine economy of tax evasion and bank fraud; the political and economic content of male and female prostitution.

        The entire seminar will study certain core materials, and individual students will report on selected subjects.  Admission is open to those with a reading knowledge of ancient Greek and/or some expertise in social science discipline broadly-defined (such as history, gender studies, economics, anthropology or law).

SM 611. (GREK611) Greek Epigraphy. (M) Staff.

An introduction to the principles and practices of Greek Epigraphy.  Study of selected Greek inscriptions.

SM 616. (CLST616) Ancient Economies. (C) Grey.

Scholars have long debated the nature of the ancient economy, the terms in which it can best be approached, and the decision-making processes that underpinned economic behavior in antiquity.  In particular, controversy has surrounded the extent to which the economies of Greco-Roman antiquity can be modeled using contemporary tools of analysis.  In recent scholarship, many of the tenets laid down by Moses Finley in his The Ancient Economy have been re-evaluated, with the result that the field is currently in a state of intellectual ferment.  It is the purpose of this course to explore the terms in which contemporary debates over ancient economic systems are formulated, with reference to a variety of societies and periods, from the palace economies of the Mycenaean period to the system of taxation introduced in the early fourth century by the emperor Diocletian and his colleagues in the Tetrarchy.

SM 620. Power, Money, & Gender in Ancient Athens. (M) Cohen.

This course will examine if and how "power" --- the manifold aspects of control, command and influence in a society --- transcended political arrangements in classical Athens, and manifested social, economic and sexual dimensions.  Through a close reading (in Greek or English, as students prefer) of Athenian court presentations and comic material and through the evaluation of modern studies, we will seek to understand the social, economic, and sexual dimensions of Atheninan life.  The class will deal with such topics as the alleged dictorial dominance of Athenian life.  The class will deal with such topics as the alleged dictorial dominance of Athenian society by the small minority of male "citizens,"; the legal, social and financial position of wealthy slaves and business women; the clandestine economy of tax evasion and bank fraud; the context and functioning of male and female prostitution.  The entire seminar will study certain core materials, and individual participants will report on selected subjects.

645. (ANTH645) Economics and Ancient Trade. (M) Staff.

This course will examine theoretical and impirical frameworks for pre-modern forms of exchange.  We will focus on substantist and formalist economic theories and will consider the archaeological evidence for such phenomena as barter, gift exchange, administered economies, markets, local exchange, and long distance overland and maritime trade.  Our goal is to develop mid-range models for reconstructing ancient economies.  The course will emphasize but not be limited to complex societies of the New and Old World.

SM 721. (AAMW721, ARTH721) Seminar in Greek Architecture. (M) Haselberger.

Topic varies.

999. Independent Study. (C)