Classics/History 221 |
Hellenistic History |
Fall 2011 |
207 481 Main Street |
MWF 11:45-12:35 |
Polybius. The Histories (Oxford 2010)
See also Stanley M. Burstein, The Hellenistic Age from the Battle of Ipsos to the Death of Kleopatra VII (DF235.A1 H43 1985 - in the library but not available online) for translated documents
UVM library has an online subscription to APh. To find it, choose the link Articles & More on the main library page, then the letter A in the alphabet.
There is also a print edition of APh through 2004, shelved in Reference Z7016 .A56. Here are instructions for using the print edition, which for some things (e.g., personal names) is better than the electronic version.
August
29-31 Classical Greece and Hellenistic Greece; Sources
Green PrefaceThe League of Corinth
September
5-9 Greece in the New Age
Hypereides Funeral Oration (Connor)Phocion
Plutarch Life of Phocion
Diodorus 17.48, 62-63, 73 and 18.8-18; Polybius 2. 37-40
Map of Southern GreeceThe Lamian War
Map of Northern GreeceThe Ruler-Cult before and after Alexander
[Thucydides 4.70-74, 78-88, 102-135, 5.1-11 (Brasidas)12 What apotheosis involves, and who believes in it:
Plutarch Life of Alcibiades, Thucydides 5.43-46, 6.15-29, 88-93 (Alcibiades)
Plutarch Life of Lysander (Lysander)]
Green chapter 23
14 Alexander the living god
Alexander the god after death
16 Deifying Ptolemies and Seleucids: Antigonids?
The Successors
Plutarch, Life of Demetrius19 Soap operas and winning strategies:
Green chapters 1-3, 8
21 Seleucids
23 Ptolemies
26 Perdiccas, Eumenes [Plutarch Life of Eumenes], Polyperchon, Cassander, Lysimachus
28 Antigonus One-Eye and Demetrius Poliorcetes
30 No class
Rulers of the three major Hellenistic KingdomsOctober
Green chapters 9-10, 123 Achaeans and Aetolians
Polybius 2.41-46
5 Relations among kingdoms and with other Greeks
7 Balancing leagues and kings: Macedon
Hellenistic kingdomsNew Players
Plutarch Life of Pyrrhus, Lives of Agis and Cleomenes; Polybius 1.1-12, 2.1-12, 41-71, 3.1-7, 3.16-19, 4.16-52, 5.34-39, 5.101-111, 7.9-14, 8.8-12, 15.20, 18.1-15, 18.44-46, 24.11-1310 Pyrrhic victories
Text of Polybius online: Book 7, Book 8, Book 15, Book 18, Book 24Green chapters 14, 16-18, 24
12 Starting the First Punic war: Romans and Mamertines
Map of Southern Italy and Sicily14 Sparta's absolutely last stand
Sparta before and after Theban intervention:17 Illyrian pirates, Demetrius of Pharos, Philip V
19 Pergamene politics, Philip V, Demetrius and Perseus
Succeeding Philip
Third Macedonian war
Rome vs Rhodes
21 VCLA day
Hellenistic Letters and Science
Green chapters 4-6, 11, 13, 15 (and 26-28)24 The Library at Alexandria
[Epicurus; Callimachus, Theocritus, Apollonius]
26 Epic
Geography
28 Science and machinery; engineering
Astronomy and astrology
31 Magic
Green chapter 33November
Polybius 31.11-15; Livy 33.45-49, 34.60-62, 35.12-51, 39.51-52, 45.1-12 (see above for links to Polybius and Livy online)2 Freedom as propaganda: Antiochus III and the Aetolians
Green chapters 25, 29-30
4 Where does one draw the line?
Fighting over and in Palestine
Growth of Roman Power in Asia Minor7 146: Carthage and Corinth
Extant fragments of Polybius books 36, 38, and 39 (see above for link to Polybius online); Appian Punic Wars 67-1369 Bactrian kings
Green chapter 19Social Structures
Also read some of Frank Lee Holt, Thundering Zeus: the Making of Hellenistic Bactria (this is available as an electronic book through Bailey/Howe Library)
Theocritus Idylls 15, 17; Apollonius Argonautica 3.1-15811 Social and economic life
Green chapters 21, 22
M. Grant From Alexander to Cleopatra 194-213
14 Utopias
Political and Other Philosophies
Polybius 6; Cicero Scipio's Dream16 Constitutions and mixed constitutions
Green chapters 34-36
18 Epicurus and his school
28 Stoicism: Zeno and early Stoicism
Stoicism for Republican Rome
30 The Academy
December
The Freedom of the Greeks
Green chapter 312 Rome and Pergamon
Appian Mithradatic Wars 10-63Rome and the Ptolemies
Green chapter 375 Ptolemy Auletes
7 Cleopatra VII
Every member of the class must complete all readings for each week with the exception of those in square brackets; those and other assignments in both ancient and modern authors will be the responsibility of individuals, according to their interests. Each student will contribute special expertise (a brief oral presentation, with handouts if appropriate) to at least three seminar sessions. Please volunteer as early as possible.
Requirements of the course:
30% Minimum preparation for each class (= all
readings listed above); includes attendance
30% Three special topics for seminar sessions
in addition to the synopsis of an article on magic
15% One short (5-10 pages) written analysis of an
ancient source (narrative history, biography, other literature,
inscriptions or other material remains), due by 28 November at beginning
of class (11:45 a.m.)
25% One final research project of the student's
choice, due by 15 December 3:00 p.m.
Note: all materials for the class, including bibliographies for class presentations, are due by 15 December, but may be submitted earlier.
Also Note: penalty for late papers (the written analysis due 28 November and the research project due 15 December) is calculated as follows: five percentage points per day, including both weekend days and 28 November after 11:45 for the historiographical essay and 15 December after 3:00 for the research project.
Office: 481 Main Street, Room 301
Office hours: 9:30-10:30 MWF
Telephone: 656-4607 (office) e-mail
Last updated: 2 November 2011 Send Comments to: Barbara Saylor Rodgers Copyright © 2011 Barbara Saylor Rodgers All Rights Reserved. |