Course Description

The Persian and Peloponnesian wars through selected readings.

Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students are required to direct seminars and do more extensive research papers.

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Athena Title

Herodotus and Thucydides

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Prerequisite

GREK 2001 or GREK 2001W or GREK 2003 or permission of department

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Semester Course Offered

Not offered on a regular basis.

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Grading System

A - F (Traditional)

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Course Objectives

Students will learn to read the ionic prose of Herodotus and the attic prose of Thucydides in the original. The course emphasizes the substance and literary style of these authors while giving the student background on the historical events described by these authors as well as on the ancient historians' approaches to history. Students will engage in critical analysis of semantic, syntactic, grammatical, stylistic, ideological, political, rhetorical, and historical evidence in Herodotus and Thucydides. Students will produce writing appropriate to the subject matters of Greek history and historiography and to the disciplines of classics and ancient history.

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Topical Outline

I. The ancient historians' approaches to history II. Historical background on the Greco-Persian wars III. Selections from Herodotus: book I and passages on the battles of Thermopylae, Salamis, Plataea, Mycale, and Sestos IV. Historical background on Peloponnesian war V. Selections from Thucydides: Book I, Funeral Oration of II, Corcyrean Revolt of IV, etc.

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