The democratic Athens of the 5th century BC has seemed to many the high point of Greek history, a period in which Athens became both one of the world's first democratic states and the most powerful state in the Greek world. It was also a time of a tremendous flowering in art and literature.  This course will centre around a reading of Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War, one of the greatest historical works ever written.  Thucydides describes Athens’ acquisition of its empire, followed by the descent of the Greek world into a long, destructive, brutalising war between Athens and Sparta.  The course will also examine Athenian social and cultural history, using inscriptions, works by Euripides and Aristophanes, and law-court speeches.

Course Outline

Greek states and society

The classical Athenian democracy

The Athenian empire

Greek warfare, society and culture

Thucydides and the Peloponnesian War

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Read ancient sources critically.
2. Research and write about ancient Athens, democracy and the Empire.
3. Construct and criticise arguments.
4. Effectively present material orally and in writing.
5. Understand the ways other societies differ from our own.

Source exercise (10%) [Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3]
Tutorial participation(10%) [Learning Outcomes 1, 3, 4,5]
Group presentation and reference sheet (museum) (10%) [Learning Outcomes 2, 4, 5]
One 1,500 word essay (30%) [Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
One three-hour exam in the examination period (40%) [Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

The course consists of one 1–hour lecture, one 2–hour tutorial, and seven hours of associated study time per week.

None

Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War (edition to be announced).

JACT, The world of Athens: an introduction to classical Athenian culture (2nd. ed., revised by R. Osborne: Cambridge, CUP, 2008) [recommended book]

Recommended preliminary reading: S.B. Pomeroy, S.M. Burstein, W. Donlan and J.T. Roberts, Ancient Greece: a political, social, and cultural history (3rd ed.: New York, Oxford University Press, 2011)

Course information, further reading and lecture recordings will be provided on Wattle.