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Fall 2015-Spring 2016:  Ancient Greece 1 & 2

The study of ancient Greek history is hobbled by the fact that almost everything in the Greek "historical record" (what we have long thought that we "know") comes from Athenian or pro-Athenian sources -- the other guys just didn't write down very much.  But there is mounting archaeological and extra-Greek written evidence (Egyptian, Hittite) that fills in some of the gaps about Greek history, culture, art, architecture, philosophy, and contact with the outside world.

Ancient Greece 1 course starts with the geography and prehistory of the Balkan Peninsula, then goes through predecessor cultures (Minoan -- c 2000-1500 BC and Mycenaean -- c. 1500-1200 BC), Heroic Age Greece, the "Dark Age" (c 1200-800 BC), revival and remaking of Greek civilization, the Archaic Period (c. 800-479 BC)and city-states, early 5th Century BC competition between Athens and Sparta, and the grand Greek alliance that confronted and defeated the Achaemenid Empire of Persia (modern day Iran) in the Greco-Persian Wars (492-449 BC).

Ancient Greece 2 continues the history of Ancient Greece and covers the Athenian "Golden Age" that followed the Greco-Persian wars, carries through the Peloponnesian War and its aftermath, then the rise of Macedonian power (Philip II of Macedon and his son, Alexander III, "The Great") and the Hellenization of the the known (Western) world.

Textbooks:  None are needed.  There are no hard copies of the handouts for this course.  Course handouts are available for each lesson on the Internet, and readings links are available here.
Unlike in earlier courses, the material is linked in separate sections for each lecture.

Follow this link to access images and slide lecture outlines.

If you feel you must have hard copy books for the course, the following are available from internet booksellers: