Aims

This module aims to introduce you to a broad sweep of Greek history, from the traditional date of the first Olympics (776 BC) until the emergence of the Hellenistic kingdoms following the death of Alexander the Great. Key topics and themes include contact with 'foreign' peoples (Phoenicians, Lydians, Late Period Egypt, and Achaemenid Persia), the emergence and internal workings of the Greek city-state, ancient tyrannies, Spartan society, and Athenian democracy).

You will expand and significantly deepen your understanding of both the nature and internal workings of Greek society, including the experiences of marginalised or disenfranchised groups (women, non-resident aliens, and the enslaved) and the way in which modern attitudes and ideas have impacted the way we think about the past (ancient sexualities, the 'Hoplite Revolution' or questions of Race and identity).

The module will equip you with the knowledge and skills to engage critically with scholarship dealing with historical questions which are of central importance to our wider understanding of that period (e.g. the politics of memory, the so-called Black Athena debate, and the nature of Athenian imperialism).

You will develop your core skills (and confidence) in using and evaluating a wide variety of literary and material evidence to answer historical questions (e.g. epic and lyric poetry, Greek coinage, painted pottery and epigraphy - the study of inscriptions).

The module will provide you with an accessible, exciting, and (at times) highly provocative introduction to the study of both the ancient Greeks and ancient history in general, one that will enable you pursue your interests successfully at Stages 2 or 3 irrespective of any prior knowledge or experience that you might possess. All the material is taught in translation and no prior knowledge of the ancient world is required.

Outline Of Syllabus

This module will provide you with an accessible and wide-ranging introduction to history of the Archaic and Classical Greek world from 776 BC until the Hellenistic period. Key political events in mainland Greece and the Aegean will be set in their wider mediterranean context: a world shaped by mobility, inter-cultural contact and exchange that extended from the Rock of Gibraltar (known in antiquity as the Pillars of Herakles) to (following Alexander's conquests) the White Mountains in what is now Afghanistan.

Topics covered might include: the origins and nature of Greek identity, art and culture; Greek settlement overseas; contact and interaction with non-Greeks; political thought; the origins, development and internal workings of the Greek city state; Greek society (slavery, religious belief, gender and sexuality); the economy; the Persian Wars; the Delian League and the road to empire; Athenian democracy; Sparta; The Peloponnesian War; Athens’ downfall and its immediate aftermath; the causes of Sparta’s defeat and the rise of Thebes; the rise of Macedon under Philip, the conquests and legacy of Alexander the Great, and the age of the Hellenistic kingdoms.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lectures and associated readings will introduce you to key historical topics, themes or debates. Their aim is to provide you with core knowledge and skills and thus a point of departure for further independent study. Your listening, reading and note-taking skills will play a key role in this process. Two one-hour study skills sessions will provide instruction on how to approach the assessment tasks i.e. how to research and write a university-level essay and how to prepare for the exam.

The set tasks and ensuing seminar discussions are an opportunity for you to develop your understanding dynamically, e.g. by familiarising you with the various different forms of primary evidence selected and following the structured routes to a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the topic which will then be further developed and enhanced through discussions during the seminar itself. Active participation in the seminars will enable you to develop your analytical skills, oral communication skills and your ability to work collaboratively as part of a team.

Two hours of the course will be spent either in the Great North Museum or in an object-handling session in order to allow you to study the material evidence first-hand rather than relying on images published in books and articles (e.g. painted vases, silver coinage). The timing of this session will allow us to revisit and significantly deepen your understanding of key topics within the course (e.g. hoplite warfare, the place of women in Greek society, Greek identity).

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The commentary exercise gives you an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to:
1. engage with both a designated piece of primary evidence and modern scholarship in an informed and critical manner;
2. communicate clearly and effectively through written prose using conventions appropriate to the subject;
3. employ primary evidence to support a logical structured and reasoned argument.

The take-home examination tests your acquisition of a clear, general and overall knowledge of the subject plus the ability to think and analyse a problem quickly, to select from and to apply both the general knowledge of aspects of the subject to new questions, problem-solving skills, adaptability, the ability to work unaided and to write clearly and concisely.

The formative assessment (a class test delivered via Canvas) is designed to test your knowledge of Mediterranean geography, key terminology and core concepts (familiarising yourself with these at an early stage will make it far easier to navigate the course as a whole).

Study-abroad, non-Erasmus exchange and Loyola students spending semester 1 only are required to finish their assessment while in Newcastle. Where an exam is present, an alternative form of assessment will be set and where coursework is present, an alternative deadline will be set. Details of the alternative assessment will be provided by the module leader.