ARAS 227 - The Ancient Greek World in 12 Objects

CR: 3
Who were the Greeks? Is there such a thing as pan-Hellenic identity? How is history created? This interdisciplinary course tackles such questions by examining multiples lines of evidence that shed light upon our perceptions of both Athens and the city-states surrounding it. Rather than focusing on more traditional political histories that privilege politico-military maneuvers, this course re-contextualizes major conflicts by focusing on themes related to daily life in the Archaic and Classical periods. Covering the period between 1200 BCE and 323 BCE, spanning the period of Mycenaean kings to the death of Alexander the Great, we will explore the ways in which Greeks defined their cultural identities, investigating the types of information that are made accessible by the integration of material and visual evidence, which highlight aspects of human experiences that are not attainable through the exploration of texts alone. Offered alternate years. III.O, V.1, V.2