The following are available at the campus bookstore. If you wish to use other translations or books in electronic format you may do so.

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1 HRS 213: Ancient Greek Culture Dr. Nystrom Spring 2016 Tuesdays 5:30-8:20 Sequoia 128 CONTACT INFORMATION Office: 2011 Mendocino Office Phone: Office Hours: T 5-5:30 and 8:20-8:50; MW 1:00-2:00 COURSE DESCRIPTION A graduate-level survey of the culture of Greek culture in the Classical and Hellenistic periods. Emphasis on history, social and private life, poetry, philosophy, religion, drama, mythology, art and architecture. YOUR RESPONSIBILITY The success of a seminar course like this one depends upon the participation of every student. You are responsible for attending all class sessions, mastering all assigned readings, making insightful and productive contributions to class discussions, and submitting assignments on time. The material we ll be exploring in this course is exciting stuff! You re going to learn a lot and we ll all have a great time as long as everyone does his/her part. TEXTS The following are available at the campus bookstore. If you wish to use other translations or books in electronic format you may do so. C. Freeman, The Greek Achievement (Penguin) Homer, Odyssey (trans. R. Fitzgerald; Farrar, Straus, Giroux) Hesiod, Theogony and Works and Days (trans. M.L. West; Oxford) Aeschylus, The Oresteian Trilogy (trans. Philip Vellacott; Penguin) J. Mikalson, Ancient Greek Religion (Blackwell) In addition to the texts listed above, there are Supplementary Readings (SR) posted on the HRS 213 SacCT website. You are responsible for bringing the appropriate supplementary readings to each of our weekly class sessions. You may bring printed hard copies to class or access them using a laptop or some other electronic device. Every student should have his/her own copy of every text. Bringing the appropriate texts to class is a factor in class participation.

2 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS The Discussion Questions that appear below in connection with each week s assigned readings are designed to draw your attention to important questions and issues associated with the readings. The Discussion Questions are a good guide to what is most important about each of the assigned readings. COURSE REQUIREMENTS Regular attendance and productive contribution to class discussions: 25 points Five 1-2 page response papers: 25 points (5 points each) One page research paper/interpretive essay: 50 points There may be occasions on which I will divide the class into small groups responsible for leading class discussions on specific topics the following week. This will be counted as part of your performance in regular attendance and productive contribution to class discussions. The same goes for your brief presentation of your research paper/interpretive essay at the end of the semester. RESPONSE PAPERS The five Response Papers are 1-2 page, double-spaced responses to assigned readings. Although the response papers are informal (i.e., they can be speculative and might contain a few grammatical or spelling errors), they must be clearly written, demonstrate real familiarity with the texts, and give evidence that you have put considerable thought into them. It is your responsibility to refer frequently to the syllabus in order to determine when Response Papers are due. RESEARCH PAPER/INTERPRETIVE ESSAY You may write a paper on any topic that relates directly to the course. You might want to write a research paper in which you make extensive use of primary and secondary sources to investigate some topic that interests you (e.g., non-greek influences on Greek sculpture, the development of Athenian democracy, ways of interpreting Greek myths). On the other hand, you might want to write an interpretive essay in which your focus is not so much on research as it is on a more penetrating analysis of assigned readings than we have time to do in class (e.g., moral lessons in Homer s Odyssey, how the Oresteia reflects fifth century BCE social realities, Hesiod s views on humanity). It is important to choose a paper project that can be completed successfully in a single semester and for which you have the necessary skills. Choose a paper topic that will allow you to acquire breadth of knowledge. In-depth probing of narrow issues is more appropriate for Ph.D. dissertations. The semester moves along quickly, so it s important to find a topic quickly especially since your proposal for a topic and source materials is due at our fourth class meeting.

3 To get started in your thinking about possible topics, browse through this syllabus. Check out the readings, subjects, questions, and issues that will make up the stuff of our class discussions. You can also ask me for help. I will be happy to sit down and brainstorm with you. Make sure you choose a topic that really interests you. Be sure you have the linguistic and research skills required for your topic. Papers must be pages in length and written in 12-point Time or Times New Roman with one-inch margins all around. Quotations of more than three lines should be single-spaced and slightly indented. Your name and title should appear on a separate page stapled to the front of your paper. In formatting notes, you may use any of the commonly accepted styles (MLA, Chicago, etc.). Papers must be written in clear, easy-to-understand English and free from errors in spelling and grammar. Your reasoning must be clear, mature, and based on solid foundations. You must good use of good sources. You may use web-based sources, but these must be respectable and scholarly. When I read your paper, I ll visit the websites you ve used in order to determine whether they are up-to-standard. Be sure to give proper credit to those whose work you use in your paper. I make frequent use of various search engines when I suspect plagiarism. I assign a grade of zero to any paper with even a single plagiarized clause. The Research Paper/Interpretive Essay is due in my office by noon on Tuesday, May 17. SCHEDULE OF TOPICS, READINGS, AND ASSIGNMENTS January 26: Introduction Introduction to course. February 2: History through the Archaic Age; Sparta Freeman, chapters 1-5 The Spartan Constitution and Society (SR) Spartan War Songs (SR) Women in Sparta (SR) Solon s Abolition of Debts (SR) Portrait of a Tyrant (SR)

4 Discussion Questions: Come to class prepared to discuss the following issues and questions. You ll find most of the Freeman What was Romanticism? When was the Romantic era? Why were intellectuals in the Romantic era so interested in ancient Greece? Why was there a kind of disillusionment with classical Greece in the early twentieth century? Who were the Minoans and what do we know about their culture? Who were the Mycenaeans and what do we know about their culture? What does Freeman say about the qualities of the Greek hero in Homer s time? Why did Greek cities found colonies? What was the geographical scope of Greek colonization? What are the definitions of: polis, ethnos, nomoi, kratos, demos, stasis, hoplon, hoplite, phalanx, and phratry (all features of Archaic Greece) What meaning did the Greeks attach to the word tyrant? The Spartan Constitution and Society (SR) Who was Lycurgus? What kind of society did he create (according to the Spartans)? What do you find most interesting/confusing about Spartan society? Spartan War Songs (SR) Why does Tyrtaeus think that dying young can be a good thing for a man? Women in Sparta (SR) How would you describe Plutarch s estimation of the reforms of Lycurgus relating to women in Spartan society? Portrait of a Tyrant (SR) What qualities does Aristotle associate with tyrants? Solon s Abolition of Debts (SR) Who was Solon? What did he accomplish? What is the significance of his emphasis on eunomia?

5 February 9: The Fifth Century BCE Freeman, chapters 9-11 Xerxes Invades Greece (SR) The Melian Dialogue (SR) Pericles Funeral Oration (SR) The Ecclesia in Action (SR) Discussion Questions: Come to class prepared to discuss the following issues and questions. You ll find most of the Freeman According to Freeman, what kinds of moral values/lessons did the Greeks see in the Persian Wars? What meaning did the Greeks attach to the word barbarian? Why did the Greeks think of the Persians as barbarians? Why does Freeman entitle chapter 9 of his book Creating the Barbarian? Freeman says the process of defining the barbarian begins in Aeschylus play The Persians, written in 472 BCE. What does he mean? Xerxes Invades Greece (SR) Freeman also sees defining the barbarian in this passage from Herodotus History of the Persian Wars. Where? Why? Freeman Where did democracy first appear in Greece? How widespread was democracy in Greece? Who was Cleisthenes? How did he contribute to the development of democracy in Athens? Who was Pericles? What is his significance in the history of Athens? What were the major branches of Athenian government and how did they function? What were the causes of the Peloponnesian War? What was the Delian League and how did the Athenians use it to create an Athenian Empire? The Melian Dialogue (SR) What does this passage from Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War tell us about the nature of Athenian imperialism?

6 Freeman What were the consequences of the Peloponnesian War? February 16: Social and Private Life Reading Response Paper due Proposals for research papers/interpretive essays due. Your proposal should consist of a paragraph in which you describe your subject and how you will approach it and a list of primary and secondary sources you intend to use. Freeman, chapter 14 Justifying Slavery (SR) Husbands, Wives, and the Household (SR) Advice to Newlyweds (SR) Hipparchia of Maroneia A Cynic Philosopher (SR) Aspasia of Miletus (SR) Discussion Questions: Come to class prepared to discuss the following issues and questions. You ll find most of the What does Xenophon tell us about the duties of husbands and wives in his Oeconomicus? What makes a good marriage as far as Plutarch is concerned in Advice to Newlyweds (SR) How does Aristotle justify slavery in his Politics? February 23: Homer, Odyssey Reading Response Paper due Homer, Odyssey

7 Discussion Questions: Come to class prepared to discuss the following issues and questions. You ll find most of the What makes Odysseus a hero? Is he a hero throughout the entire story? What qualities cause him to fail? What qualities allow him to succeed? What does the Odyssey tell us about the gods? How do the gods compare with the God of Judaism/Christianity/Islam? What does the Odyssey tell us about the afterlife? What is it like? In what way can the Odyssey be understood as an expression of humanism? What lessons do you think Homer is trying to convey in the Odyssey? March 1: Mythology Reading Response Paper due Hesiod, Theogony and Works and Days Discussion Questions: Come to class prepared to discuss the following issues and questions. You ll find most of the What is the meaning of the word myth? What meaning do most people attach to the word myth? What does theogony mean? What does cosmogony mean? What does cosmology mean? Theogony Who are the Muses? Why do you think Hesiod s account of the beginning of the world begins with Chaos, Gaia, Tartarus, and Eros? Who are the Titans? What are they like? Why does Gaia welcome the castration of Ouranos? Why does Hesiod say that the Furies arise from the phallic blood of Ouranos? In other words, why does this explanation of their origin make sense?

8 Why does it make sense for Aphrodite to appear before Zeus and the other Olympians? Does it make sense that Aphrodite s birth occurs within an act of violence? How does Hesiod describe the birth of Athena? Why does this make sense? What is the significance of Hesiod s story about Gaia and Typhoeus (= Typhon)? Works and Days Who is Prometheus? What are the two things he does to upset Zeus? What are the characteristics of Hesiod s Ages of Gold, Silver, Bronze, Heroes, and Iron? What is the message of the story of Deucalion s Flood? What is the significance of the Graiai and Gorgons in the story of Perseus? March 8: Art and Architecture No readings or discussion questions. March 15: Religion Mikalson, chapter 1-4, 7 (section on the afterlife only) Euhemerus of Messene and the Human Origins of the Gods (SR) The Sanctuary of Asclepius at Epidaurus (SR) The Cures of Asclepius at Epidaurus (SR) Discussion Questions: What was the function of the altar in an ancient Greek sanctuary? What was a temenos? What does Mikalson tell us about priests and priestesses. What was worship in ancient Greek religion? What was the rationale for sacrifice? How was sacrifice performed? What were chthonic and ouranic gods? Why and how were heroes worshiped? What are cult myths? What function did they serve? What was the cult myth of Demeter Eleusinia and the Eleusinian Mysteries? According to Mikalson, what do we know about the Eleusinian Mysteries? What was the cult myth of Dionysus Cadmeios of Thebes? What was the cult myth of Apollo Pythios at Delphi?

9 Week 9 (March 22) Spring Break March 29: Philosophy Reading Response Paper due Socrates on Trial (SR) Socrates on Civic Obligations (SR) The Death of Socrates (SR) The Allegory of the Cave (SR) The Dualism of Body and Soul (SR) The Megalopsychos (SR) Discussion Questions: Come to class prepared to discuss the following issues and questions. You ll find much of the Socrates on Trial (SR) Why does Socrates speak of himself as a gadfly and Athens as a horse? Why does Socrates think a life without self-examination is unworthy of a human being? What points does Socrates want to make to his accusers? Socrates on Civic Obligations (SR) What is the argument Socrates makes? Early in Plato s Crito, Crito tries to shame Socrates into escaping from prison. How? Why does Socrates argue that the opinion of the many is not worth his attention? Why does Socrates think it would be wrong for him to escape from prison? The Death of Socrates (SR) Why is Socrates unafraid to die. What does Socrates say about his body and soul?

10 The Allegory of the Cave (SR) What is the point of this allegory? What sort of person does Socrates think would be an ideal ruler? The Dualism of Body and Soul (SR) Socrates and Simmias of Thebes agree that philosophers do not care much for bodily pleasures? Why? What do Socrates and Simmias of Thebes agree on concerning the roles of body and soul in the acquisition of truth? Why does Socrates look forward to death? The Megalopsychos (SR) What qualities does Aristotle associate with the megalopsychos? How do these qualities fit with Aristotle s emphasis on the virtue of moderation? April 5: Introduction to Greek Drama; Aeschylus Agamemnon No readings or discussion questions. April 12: Drama Reading Response Paper due Aeschylus, Agamemnon, Libation Bearers, and Eumenides Discussion Questions: Come to class prepared to discuss the following issues and questions. You ll find much of the Agamemnon Why is the watchman so worried at the beginning of the play? How would you characterize Clytemnestra s reception of Agamemnon when he returns to Argos?

11 What is the significance of Agememnon walking upon the robes Clytemnestra spreads beside his chariot? Who is Cassandra and what information does she reveal when she arrives in Argos? Does Cassandra s description of Apollo surprise you? What points does Aegisthus make in his speech at the end of the play? Do you think Aeschylus wants us to believe that Agamemnon deserves to die? Libation Bearers What does Electra have in common with the women who make up the Chorus? Why does Orestes believe he must murder his mother? What do you think of the scene in which Orestes confronts and kills Clytemnestra? Does Orestes think he has a right to kill Clytemnestra? Eumenides Who are the Furies? April 19: Historiography, Athletics, Poetry Praise for a Wrestler (SR) For the Greater Glory of Zeus The Ancient Olympics (SR) Herodotus, The Persian Wars (SR) Discussion Questions: Come to class prepared to discuss the following issues and questions. You ll find much of the Herodotus, The Persian Wars (SR) What are Xerxes motives for invading Greece? What is the significance of the passage in which Xerxes punishes the Hellespont? How does Demaratus describe the Greeks, and especially the Spartans? Why are the Persians able to defeat the Greeks at Thermopylae? Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War (SR) What does Thucydides say about his historiographical method?

12 April 26: Hellenistic Culture Alexander and Oecumene (SR) Diogenes the Cynic and the Simple Life (SR) Epicurus Letter to Menoeceus (SR) Stoic Pantheism Cleanthes Hymn to Zeus (SR) Discussion Questions: Come to class prepared to discuss the following issues and questions. You ll find much of the Alexander and Oecumene (SR) Why does Plutarch think Alexander was a great teacher/philosopher? What is Oecumene? Diogenes the Cynic and the Simple Life (SR) What qualities does Diogenes Laertius assign to Diogenes? Epicurus Letter to Menoeceus (SR) What does Epicurus say about the gods? What are Epicurus views on death? What does Epicurus say about happiness and pleasure? Stoic Pantheism Cleanthes Hymn to Zeus (SR) What important points does Cleanthes make in his hymn? May 3: Student Presentations May 10: Student Presentations May 17: Research Paper/Interpretive Essay due in my office by noon.

13 SUGGESTED SOURCES FOR RESEARCH PAPER/INTERPRETIVE ESSAY: Art and Architecture J. Boardman, Greek Sculpture: The Classical Period (1985) I. Jenkins, I. Kerslake, and D. Hubbard, The Parthenon Sculptures in the British Museum (2007) J.J. Pollitt, Art and Experience in Classical Greece (1972) S. Woodford, The Art of Greece and Rome (1982) J. Boardman, Greek Art (1973) T.H. Carpenter, Art and Myth in Ancient Greece (1991) R.M. Cook, Greek Painted Pottery (1972) G.M.A Richter, A Handbook of Greek Art (1975) M. Robertson, A History of Greek Art (1975) R. Hampe and E. Simon, The Birth of Greek Art: From the Mycenaean to the Archaic Period (1981) J.M. Hurwit, The Art and Culture of Early Greece, BC (1985) R. Osborne, Archaic and Classical Greek Art (1998) M. Beard, The Parthenon (2002) J. Niels, The Parthenon Frieze (2001) B. Ashmole, Architect and Sculptor in Classical Greece (1972) J. Boardman and D. Finn, The Parthenon and its Sculptures (1985) F. Brommer, The Sculptures of the Parthenon (1979) J.J. Coulton, Greek Architects at Work: Problems of Structure and Design (1977) C. Bérard, The City of Images: Iconocraphy and Society in Ancient Greece (1989) J. Camp, The Athenian Agora (1986) B.S. Ridgway, Fifth Century Styles in Greek Sculpture (1981) C.M. Robertson, A History of Greek Art (1975) A. Stewart, Greek Sculpture (1990) History R. Castleden, The Mycenaeans (2005) W.G. Forrest, A History of Sparta, BC (1969) R. Lane Fox, The Classical World: An Epic History of Greece and Rome (2007) L. Schofield, The Mycenaeans (2007) A. Andrews, Greek Society (1975) J.K. Davies, Democracy and Classical Greece (1980) A.H.M. Jones, Athenian Democracy (1957) O. Murray, Early Greece (1980) F.W. Wallbank, The Hellenistic World (1979) O. Dickinson, The Aegean Bronze Age (1994) R.K. Sinclair, Democracy and Participation in Athens (1988) A. Andrews, The Greek Tyrants (1956) P. Green, The Greco-Persian Wars (1996) D. Stockton, The Classical Athenian Democracy (1990)

14 M. Whitby (ed.), Sparta (2002) J.M. Dunn, Setting the People Free: The Story of Democracy (2005) S. Hornblower, The Greek World BC (2002) R. Meiggs, The Athenian Empire (1972) Drama D.J. Conacher, Euripidean Drama: Myth, Theme, and Structure (1967) M. Baldock, Greek Tragedy: An Introduction (1989) K.J. Dover, Aristophanic Comedy (1972) R.L. Hunter, The New Comedy of Greece and Rome (1985) O. Taplin, Greek Tragedy in Action (1978) A. Lesky, Greek Tragedy (1978) E. Csapo and W.J. Slater, The Context of Ancient Drama (1995) K. McLeish, The Theatre of Aristophanes (1972) F.H. Sandbach, The Comic Theatre of Greece and Rome (1977) R. Scodel, Sophocles (1984) A.M. Bowie, Aristophanes: Myth, Ritual, and Comedy (1993) S. Goldhill, Reading Greek Tragedy (1986) Morals and Values A. Adkins, Moral Values and Political Behaviour n Ancient Greece (1972) M. Blundell, Helping Friends and Harming Enemies: A Study in Sophocles and Greek Ethics (1989) D. Cohen, Law, Violence and Community in Classical Athens (1994) W. Donlan, The Aristocratic Ideal and Selected Papers (1999) K.J. Dover, Greek Popular Morality (1974) M.I. Finley, The World of Odysseus (1977) N.R.E. Fisher, Social Values in Classical Athens (1976) N.R.E. Fisher, Hybris: A Study in the Values of Honour and Shame in Ancient Greece (1992) D. Konstan, The Emotions of the Ancient Greeks: Studies in Aristotle and Classical Literature (2006) M. Nussbaum, The Fragility of Goodness (1986) H. van Wees, Status Warriors (1992) B. Williams, Shame and Necessity (1993) E.M. Hall, Inventing the Barbarian: Greek Self-Definition through Tragedy (1989) Mythology R.G.A Buxton, The Complete World of Greek Mythology (2004) S.A. Kershaw, A Brief Guide to the Greek Myths (2007) D. Bellingham, An Introduction to Greek Mythology (1989) A. Cameron and A. Kuhrt (eds.), Images of Women in Antiquity (1993) K. Dowden, The Uses of Greek Mythology (1992) J.P. Vernant, Myth and Thought among the Greeks (1983)

15 Poetry G.S. Kirk, The Songs of Homer (1965) J. Griffin, Homer on Life and Death (1980) R. Lamberton, Hesiod (1988) R. Rutherford, Homer (1996) D.A. Campbell, The Golden Lyre: The Themes of the Greek Lyric Poets (1983) P.E. Easterling and B.M.W. Knox (eds.), Early Greek Poetry (1989) M.L. West, Greek Lyric Poetry (1993) Religion W. Burkert, Greek Religion: Archaic and Classical (1985) P.E. Easterling and J.V. Muir (eds.), Greek Religion and Society (1985) L.B. Zaidman and P. S. Pantel, Religion in the Ancient Greek City (1992) J. Bremmer, Greek Religion (1999) M. Detienne and G. Sissa, The Daily Life of the Greek Gods (2000) M.W. Dickie, Magic and Magicians in the Greco-Roman World (2001) M. Dillon, Girls and Women in Classical Greek Religion (2002) F. Graf, Magic in the Ancient World (1998) R. Parker, Polytheism and Society at Athens (2005) S. Pulleyn, Prayer in Greek Religion (1997) Social and Private Life J.N. Davidson, The Greeks and Greek Love: A Radical Appraisal of Homosexuality in Ancient Greece (2007) W.K. Lacey, The Family in Ancient Greece (1968) D. Phillips and D. Pritchard (eds.), Sport and Festival in the Ancient Greek World (2003) N.R.E. Fisher, Slavery in Classical Greece (1993) F.A.G. Beck, Greek Education, BC (1964) D. Cohen, Law, Sexuality, and Society: The Enforcement of Morals in Classical Athens (1991) J. Davidson, Courtesans and Fishcakes: The Consuming Passions of Classical Athens (1997) Y. Garlan, Slavery in Ancient Greece (1988) P. Garnsey, Food and Society in Classical Antiquity (1999) R. Garland, The Greek Way of Death (1985) D.C. Kurtz and J. Boardman, Greek Burial Customs (1971) D.G. Kyle, Athletics in Ancient Athens (1987) P. Liddel, Civil Obligation and and Individual Liberty in Ancient Athens (2007) E. Reeder (ed.), Pandora: Women in Classical Athens (1995) D. Konstan, Friendship in the Classical World (1996) L. Rubinstein, Adoption in Fourth Century Athens (1993)

16 Philosophy G.B Kerferd, The Sophistic Movement (1981) F.M Cornford, Before and After Socrates (1932) G.C. Field, Plato and his Contemporaries (1948) W.K.C. Guthrie, A History of Greek Philosophy (1962-9) E. Hussey, The Presocratics (1972) T. Irwin, Classical Thought (1989) R.D. McKirahan, Philosophy Before Socrates: An Introduction with Texts and (1994) J. Barnes, Early Greek Philosophy (1987) Commentary