Introduction: a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

  1. What to expect from the course?
  2. Leading Ideas ...painting in broad strokes.
    1. What does it mean to speak of self-government? of citizenship? Elections are everywhere; does that mean there is self government everywhere? If all decide, how do individuals cope with a dominant majority? Why is so much national treasure spent on elections?
    2. Natural forces...what are they? and how can they be controlled? What assumptions do we make about the way nature operates? How do religion and science interact?
    3. Role of toleration, of public discussion, shared responsibility.
  3. Features in the Greek world:
    1. Polis:
      1. Urban and rural components defined by geography.
      2. The characteristic form of life, the goal of which was not only to live (defense of life and property) but to live well (fulfillment of human potential).
      3. Citizenship: in these city-states there was a balance between privilege and responsibility; sovereignty of law.
      4. Freedom. Differs from modern notion in that freedom (eleutheria) does not generally refer to the freedom of the individual to act, but rather to participate in communal decisions and ultimately to be ready to die for the state (citizenship). Greek writers were more concerned about 'freedom' as the ability of a community to live under its own laws (autonomia) and not pay taxes to outsiders.
      5. Much of Greek political history in this course concerns the conflict between city-states and the competition for control of scarce resources. The 'tragedy' of Greek history is that despite their impressive cultural unity and achievement, the Greeks failed to produce a viable political union. We will explore the reasons for this phenomenon in the latter part of the course.
    2. Culture and the Greek contribution; classicism:
      1. important to remember that the Greeks are one branch of a large Indo-European language group that expanded in many different directions during the 2nd millennium BC. Those who settled in areas that already had an advanced urban culture developed rapidly and exceeded the level of their predecessors (both in Greece and in India); in other areas where the culture (i.e., urban culture) was of a lower order, no progress was made for many centuries (e.g., northern Europe). Implications??
      2. Legacy of this period is profound: virtually all intellectual and artistic endeavors practiced in the modern and esp in the western world were literally 'founded' during this period (notable exceptions being economics and engineering). "Classicism" then is a term that,
        1. when applied to art and literature generally, means clarity, elegance, symmetry, and repose; produced by attention to traditional forms. It is sometimes synonymous with excellence or artistic quality of high distinction. More precisely, the term refers to the admiration and imitation of Greek and Roman literature, art, and architecture. art of classicism typically seeks to be formal, restrained, and Apollonian (nothing in excess) rather than Dionysiac (excess).
        2. but it also refers to a 'product' (painting, music, novel, film, etc.) that continues to resonant outside its own cultural milieu. In Paris; Bavaria, Washington
    3. Rationalism and non-theological speculation. Even rationalists remained religious. But also historicism: looking at the past critically; that we can learn and profit from the study of history. These ideas were expressed not only in the historical and philosophical works of the period, but especially in the great literary and theatrical achievements of the 5th and 4th centuries, BC. Defining ideas were publicly discussed in the literature of the classical period. Note that 'method of demonstration' is a critical component in the discussion: 'to discuss' means to analyze coherently
      1. Is slavery wrong? against nature? Yet the Greeks did own slaves.
      2. What is the ultimate source of law? human or divine? Yet the Greeks did worship the gods.
      3. How can the rule of law be established to supplant blood feud and family loyalty? Should the family be abolished in favor of the state?
      4. Is civil disobedience sometimes right?
      5. What is the proper relationship between the sexes?
      6. What justifies one state ruling other states?
      7. What is the role of of heredity and education / culture in the formation of character?
    4. This course covers the period when speculation and achievement in these areas was particularly creative; it was also a period in which there Greek states and citizens enjoyed a comparatively high level of personal and collective freedom. It is noteworthy that when that freedom came to an end, the period of creativity also ended.
  4. Books and readings
    1. Basic philosophy of instructor: a B- is for reasonable knowledge of the 'narrative' and some evidence; and A- for those who know the evidentiary basis of that narrative, that is, who can use the evidence to support a coherent, historical argument.
    2. The textbook (AG) is relatively straightforward and was selected because it incorporates some of the relevant evidence, both written and monumental, into the narrative. Most of the evidence will, however, be found in ACG and various internet readings. Note the structure of ESHAG. Readings assigned by section unless otherwise noted. Note too that some of the authors central to this course, Homer, Herodotus, etc., have not been specifically ordered. Any edition will suffice for our purposes (new and used available widely), also the library or following the links on the course outline to web based readings. Save to disk and print and leisure, or read on monitor. The atlas provides supplementary information focusing on visual representation
    3. Reading is not evenly distributed.
    4. Grading (midterm = 15%; final = 50%; project = 25%; participation = 10%)
      1. Examinations
        1. Midterm: three essays questions will be circulated a week before the exam, on day of exam, one will be selected by a drawing. More later.
        2. Final: similar, but with four questions, one of which may be taken from those not used at midterm.
      2. Project. Schedule for and contents of discussed below.
  5. Time and Place (an Aegean timeline)
    1. Periods (this is a relative not an absolute chronology)
      Period Approximate Dates Major Features
      Bronze Age
      1800 - 1000 B.C.
      		 Knossos, Mycenae, Troy
      "Dark Age"
      1000 - 800
      		Dorian Invasion
      Archaic Period
      800 - 485
      		 Polis, colonization
      Classical
      485 - 399
      		 "golden age"
      Post Classical
      399 - 350
      		 Failure of Sparta and Thebes
    2. Regions and major cities (see map on p. xviii-xix of ACG)
  6. Physical World of Aegean: Strong similarities between all lands bordering Mediterranean.
    1. Mediterranean
      1. Generally connects rather than divides;
      2. Numerous islands encourage sea faring; one is rarely (esp. in Aegean) out of sight of land.
      3. Little travel by sea in winter; need then for secure beaches and harbors.
      4. Fishing (processed dried fish) a major source of protein.
    2. Climate
      1. Dry summers, moist (but not wet) winters, strong winds from north with occasional cold periods and little fog.
      2. Clarity of light much appreciated by artistic and 'sun' set, though industrialization has taken its toll.
      3. Vegetation and food production:
        1. Evergreens (pines) and perennial shrubs, oaks at higher elevations. Wood a critical natural resource especially for maritime states like Athens.
        2. Cereal production (barley and millet, not wheat) only in alluvial valleys, conflict between pastoral and agrarian populations/economic systems a major problem. Otherwise: cultivation of olive, fig and vine (deep roots), no citrus fruit. Sheep, pig, ox and goat; the role of the olive. More urbanized Greek states, like Athens, had to import grain and most metals; and to export high quality olive oil, ceramics, and manufactured goods.
      4. but some serious technological limitations
    3. Landscape:
      1. Geologically late mountain development (tertiary age), with sharp rugged sides. View from Delphi. Water in aquifers is substantial.
      2. Relative isolation of alluvial valleys within mountain ranges discouraged communications by land and encouraged the formation of city-states. Conditions favoring city-state development.
      3. Significance of the isthmus: dominates all considerations. the diolkos and now canal.
    4. Natural resources: Those cities with major deposits became the major players in the political history. Resource map
      1. Iron deposits near Sparta, but otherwise very little, silver in Attica, copper in Central Greece --Sparta, Athens and Thebes.
      2. Critical to Greece were the deposits of silver and gold in the Strymon Valley, the wood of Thrace and the fish of the Black Sea.
    5. Economic reality: population constantly pushing against the upper limits of production. The Maltusian Moment.

Some questions to consider:

Presentation by Gaby Thompson on how to do a module: one experience.

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