ClSt 053 / F06 / Sosin

Humans:	Joshua D. Sosin TA: Rory Cline
Coordinates:	MWF 11:55-12:45; East Duke 204B
Access:	Classical Studies, 229A Allen Bldg. OH Sosin: M 15-17; T 09-10 (and any time I am in my office) OH Cline: M 15-1615, Th 1030-1145, 344D Perkins Ph: 681-2992 \| joshua<DOT>sosin<AT>duke<DOT>edu

Spiel: This course is a survey of Greek history from the Bronze Age to the 4th century B.C. We will focus on primary sources, reading, Homer's Iliad, the histories of Thucydides and Herodotus, and Plato's Republic. I shall lecture Mon. and Wed. Fridays will be a mixed bag (lecture, discussion, images, etc.).

The most important thing you can do to help ensure that you do well in this class is to stay on top of the readings. All of them are highly rewarding, and while none is particularly hard, some are a bit long. If you keep up with the readings and pay attention in lectures and discussions, this course should not be hard.

Week	For Mon.	For Wed.	For Fri.
1	08/28 - Introductions / Models Shape of the Course, Lay of the Land From space \| Fresh Water \| Terracing \| plains and hills \| old press \| old olives \| Rocky coast \| spring color \| spring squall \| autumn wind	08/30 - Bronze Age READ: Ancient Greece ch. 1 READ: Homer, Iliad - Knox Intro Map of Greece (from awmc) Indo-European diaspora / Cherchen mummy / Chinese plaid / again Map of Crete Minoan seal / again / again / again / again \| Snake Goddess / again Linear B / again / again / again / syllabary / Amharic Hom. Il. 1.1-7	09/01 - Oral Poetry Knossos aer. / plan / rendering / area aer. \| Phaistos aer. / plan / court \| Mallia aer. / plan \| Phaistos-Mallia-Kato Zakro aer. Knossos so-called queen's megaron / magazine / stairwell / bull leap \| bee pendant / bull leaping seal / octopus vase \| Agia Triada sarcophagos front / back \| Harvester vase / close / closer / head? Thera (Santorini): aerial / crater / port \| Akrotiri plan / town / with people for scale / again / again / again / again / again / again / again / again / boxing / fishing / flowering / praying? / sailing / again / killing (Min. of Cult. site) \| BBC story on Thera
2	09/04 - Religion and Law READ: Il. bks 1-4 rough outline	09/06 - What's in a Name? READ: Il. 5-8 rough outline	09/08 - Discussion READ: AG ch. 2 Mycenae aer. / plan / rendering / tholos drawing / entrance / lion gate / again / again / walls / daggers / again / close / ivory group / Deathmask of "Agamemnon" / funerary stele / rock crystal / wall painting (Natl Arch Mus) \| Pylos plan \| Tiryns aer. / plan / signet ring \| Vapheio cup / the other \| Pylos in Wonderland handout (of a Duke Homer papyrus) / another Homer papyrus / large Hom. Il. 1.1-7 / Line-end formulas / Alphabet soup Guslar
3	09/11 - Material culture READ: Il. 9-12 Map Gr (awmc) Attica before 800 / 8th c. \| Protogeometric skyphos / early protogeom. / again / again / Attic geom. amphora \| late geom. amph. \| late geom. crater \| dipylon 990 \| dip.804 / detail \| met. for scale \| detail \| detail \| detail \| temple form: Paestum / again \| Hera Samos / Hera Olympia / Pylos plan with megaron \| Lefkandi (Gr. from space) / plan / again / burials / again \| Nichoria plan / aerial	09/13 - Gods and Heroes. READ: Il. 13-16 Dead Sarpedon	09/15 - Discussion READ: AG ch. 3 imagining the past: Helen's happy family (Perseus) / and Paris \| Ajax (with Ath.) vs. Hector (with Ap.) / Menelaus (with Aphr.) vs. Paris (with Art.) / inside with Eos carrying Memnon (P) \| Phoinix and Briseis surrounded by violence (P) \| Taking Briseis and embassy (P) \| Diomedes (with Ath.) vs. Aeneas (with Aphr.) / detail (P) \| Recon bk. 10 (P) \| Hector arming / Priam (P) \| Achilles and Ajax play scrabble (P) / again red, again black (P) / again (P) / again (P) / again, other side (P) Colonization: Nestor cup / close / drawing \| colonization west / east \| Hoplites: Mycenaean warrior vase \| Chigi whole / hoplite / horses / hunt \| Hoplites in action (P) / again (P) / again (P) / again (P) / again (P) Tyranny: Corinth from space / diolkos (dragway) / canal
4	09/18 - Hammering out law. READ: Il. 17-20	09/20 - Cooperative virtue and the polis READ: Il. 21-24 Achilles arms \| Achilles dragging (P) \| ransoming Hector (P) / another (P)	09/22 - Literacy, Lyric, Anti-Epic READ: Lattimore, Greek Lyrics

Week	For Mon.	For Wed.	For Fri.
5	09/25 - Sparta; Change: Gradualism and Breaks READ: AG ch. 4 megaron > Lefkandi > Paestum \| Horse evolution in 1902 Athens \| colonization west / east \| Chigi hoplites \| Panhellenic games \| Nestor cup / close / drawing Map of Greece / of Persia	09/27 - Historia READ: Herodotus bk 1.1-94 rough outline Hdt. 1.1 Acropolis painting \| approach (St) \| frieze from south (St) \|	09/29 - Discussion READ: Hdt. 1.95-216 Median Empire \| Persia under Cyrus / under Darius / Persian Empire / again \|
5	First 3-pager due description
6	10/02 - Religion and Tragedy READ: Hdt. 2.1-115	10/04 - Nomos and Physis READ: Hdt. 2.116-3.60 A Persian (P) / Greek fighting Persian (P) \| An "Ethiopian" (P) \| A Scythian (P) \| Herakles fighting Egyptians / larger Herm (P), side / another (P) / another (P) and phallus	10/06 - Discussion READ: Hdt. 3.61-160 START: AG ch.5 FOR CLASS: unpack a passage from Hdt. (example) Persia under Cyrus / under Darius / Persian Empire \| Memo from Darius: Bisitun cliff / platform / close \| Cyrus' tomb at Pasargadae / again
7	10/09 - FALL BREAK - NO CLASS	10/11 - Colonization and History READ: Hdt. 4 rough outline NOTE: this is a long reading you might choose to skim (not ignore) paragr. 48-58, 94-96, 103-117, 168-187; pay special attn. to 83-93, 118-144, 145-167, 200-205. Thera coloniz. map I read in class: Pindar on Cyrene \| Cyreneans on Cyrene \| Cyrenean grain	10/13 -Tyranny and Democracy FINISH: AG ch.5 Greek Dialects A tyrant's work is never done (Greece): Corinth from space / diolkos (dragway) / canal Tetradrachm \| Tyrannicides / close / guards (P) \| Cleisthenes' divisions map / scheme \| Ostraka \| Kleroterion drawing / top / bottom \| ballots \| Athens Aerial / Plan Persian wars : Marathon / aerial / mound / again \| Trireme / again \| Piraeus / aerial \| Salamis \| Thermopylae \| Xerxes' canal Hdt.: Cleobis and Biton \| Cookin Croesus \| Early electrum (ANS) / Croesid (ANS) / again (ANS) \| Daric (ANS) / again (ANS)
8	10/16 - Midterm Hourly description	10/18 - Birth of Empire READ: AG 6 READ: AG ch. 7, p. 246-50, 255-85 Map \| Tribute List Thuc. I 1.1-2 / recall Hdt. 1.1	10/20 - Power and Preparedness READ: Thuc. bk. 1 Outline
9	10/23 - Reason and Passion READ: Thuc. 2.1-65, 70-79, 86-103 Eat Pizza after class	10/25 - Discourse and Justice READ: Thuc. 3.1-85	10/27 - FOR CLASS: unpack a speech (or part of one, depending on length and difficulty) from Thuc. (example) speeches
10	10/30 - Accident and fear, grasping at history READ: Thuc. 4.1-23, 26-41, 46-48, 58-65, 117-123 READ: Paragraph summaries for all skipped paragraphs	11/01 - Dialogue and Peace READ: Thuc. 5.1-26, 32, 40-50, 76-80, 84-116 READ: Paragraph summaries for all skipped paragraphs wrestling in Peace (P) / again (P) / again (P) / again (P)	11/03 - Religion and knowledge READ: Thuc. 6 all Herm (P) / another (P) / another (P) / another (P) / another / another / in miniature
11	11/06 - New Persia READ: Thuc. 7	11/08 -The 4th Century READ: AG ch. 8, p. 310-28	11/10 - Killing Socrates READ: Plato, Apology (Great Dialogues 423-446)
11	11/06 - New Persia READ: Thuc. 7	11/08 -The 4th Century READ: AG ch. 8, p. 310-28	Second 3-pager due description

Week	For Mon.	For Wed.	For Fri.
12	11/13 - Empire, Confederacy, and Republic READ: Pl. Rep. bks 1-2 outline Bendis relief ca. 400-375 (bm) Coins: manufacture \| Electrum attrib. to Croesus obv : rev (nbe) \| Cyzicus electrum stater ca. 550-480 obv, another, another \| Athens tetradrachm late 6th obv.: rev. (nbe) / ca. 400 obv : rev (nbe) / tetradr. 454-449 both (ans) \| Aegina st. ca. 450-430 both (ans) \| Selinus didrachm ca. 530-520 obv : rev (nbe) \| Thasos stater ca.525-463 obv : rev (nbe) \| Naxos late 6th obv : rev (nbe) \| Poseidonia st. ca. 510 obv (nbe) \| Coins: Metapontum obv ca.520 (nbe) \| Corinth st. ca. 515-450 obv : rev (nbe) \| Acragas didr. ca. 490-480 obv : rev (nbe) \| Syracuse drachma ca. 485-480 obv : rev (nbe) / tetradr. 482 obv : rev (nbe) / tetradr. ca. 415-405 obv : rev (nbe) \| Camarina dr. ca. 415-405 obv : rev (nbe) \| Catana tetradr. ca. 415-410 obv : rev (nbe) \| Gela tetradr. ca. 415-404 obv : rev (nbe) \| Kherei, Lycian dynast stater ca. 410-390 obv : rev (nbe)	11/15 - Literature and Order. READ: Pl. Rep. 3-4 To be stricken: Hell is not scary / Achilles shouldn't cry / Neoptolemus should not sacrifice Polyxena over Achilles' tomb / or Priam / Achilles shouldn't drag Hector's corpse / and he should return the body gifts or no gifts / Avoid emotive poetry by Sappho and Alcaeus / Comedy is bad / This is OK so long as Patroclus does not cry / One should not kill the king (Agamemnon) / Nevermind Styx (the river anyway) / No wild drinking and dancing / seriously (P) / really, none and no drinking till you crawl, or worse (P) / really (P) / really (P) / really (P) / Don't drink too much Eat only roasted meat (P) Also to be stricken: this / this this / this / this / this / this / this / or this \| this is fine (p.202) / this too (except perhaps for the dancing) / but not this / or this	11/17 - Discussion READ: AG ch. 9 READ: Pl. Rep. 5
13	11/20 - Women, Family and the Corruptibility of Reason. READ: Pl. Rep. 6 READ: Lysias 1 houses / urban landscape: Priene / Olynthus / again	11/22 - THANKSGIVING - NO CLASS	11/24 - THANKSGIVING - NO CLASS
14	11/27 - Cave, Gymnasium and the Corruptibility of States READ: Pl. Rep. 7-8	11/29 - Kings, Tyrants, and Religion READ: Pl. Rep. 9-10 BRING to class: handout	12/01 - Field trip: meet in lobby of Perkins library at our normal time. READ: Xenophon, Ways and Means
15	12/04 - Hellenism READ: AG ch. 10-11 NOTE: LECTURE on Greek religion Tu 5 Dec, 5:15pm Rare Book Room, Perkins Library Macedonia: Pella geometric / lion hunt / stag hunt \| Afghanistan: Ai Khanoum map site / digging / theater / palace / palace (bamiyan > gone) / Gandharan / more / more (Socrates) / Delphic maxims \| Turkey: Nemrud Dagh Antiochus / et al. / Herakles \| Syria: Dura / gate / Red Sea crossing Olynthos / Priene / Assos	12/06 - New Sensibility READ: Menander, The Grouch.	Final Exam: Wed., 13 Dec. 7-10pm, same room. Three hours. Closed book. Description TBA (exam schedule).
15	Third 3-pager due description	12/06 - New Sensibility READ: Menander, The Grouch.

Sweat: You can earn a total of 500 points over the semester; they break down as follows:

Participation = 100 points
- Attendance. Regular attendance is essential. Lectures do not review, but complement, the readings.
- Discussion. Your participation in discussions is essential.
- Quizzes. Occasional quizzes, announced or unannounced, will be given; these are designed to let you show that you have done the reading.
Essays = 200 points. Three short essays ("short" does not mean "unimportant"; it means you have to work especially hard to make your argument as sturdy and streamlined as possible):
1. First three-pager, due 09/25 = 60 points
2. Second three-pager, due 11/10 = 70 points
3. Third three-pager, due 12/04 = 70 points
Midterm = 100 points. 10/16. One hour. Closed book.
Final Exam = 100 points. Wed., 13 Dec. 7-10pm, same room. Three hours. Closed book. Description (exam schedule)

Policies: for links to policies, writing tips, etc. see my teaching page.

Duke | Classical Studies | Sosin | ClSt 053

ClSt 053 F06

Greek History

Syllabus