Ancient History Modules

Autumn and Spring Semesters

Introduction to Ancient Greek History HS3101

Semester: Autumn and Spring
Length: Two semesters
Credits: 20

This double module provides an introduction to the major issues, historical sources and methods involved in studying the political, social and cultural history of the ancient Greek states. It will focus on the Archaic period (eighth to sixth centuries BC) - the time of Homer and the formation of the city-states - and the Classical period (fifth and fourth centuries BC), looking at the wars between the Greeks and the Persians and the struggle between Athens and Sparta for domination over the Greek world, at the society and culture of Athens, the world's first democracy, and finally at the rise to dominance of Macedon under Philip II and his son Alexander the Great.

Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars

Assessment:
Examination:50%
Coursework: 50%

Introduction to Roman History HS3102

Semester: Autumn and Spring
Length: Two semesters
Credits: 20

This double module provides an introduction to the major issues, historical sources
and methods involved in studying the political, social and religious history of Rome.
In particular, there will be an emphasis on change and development in the Roman
Republic, Augustus' establishment of the Principate, and the early Roman empire; and
the period from c. AD 284 -476, at the time of the recovery of the Roman Empire under
Diocletian, and the gradual acceptance of Christianity as the dominant religion
begun by Constantine, a period which looks forward to the development of medieval
Europe.

Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars

Assessment:
Coursework: 100%

Expansion and Conflict in the Greek Polis HS3314

Semester: Autumn and Spring
Length: Two semesters
Credits: 30

From the seventh century BC onwards Greek society and politics underwent rapid and
remarkable transformations, including the rise of the city-state, early settlement
overseas, military developments and the emergence of tyrants, and the beginnings of
democracy at Athens and elsewhere. These developments led to an increasing self-aware
ness and the growth of Pan-Hellenic identity, as the Greeks came into contact with
foreign cultures and engaged in decisive conflicts with the Persian Empire. The
dramatic success of the Greek states in the Persian Wars led to the development of
competing claims to the leadership of Greece by Athens and Sparta. The rising power
of the Athenian Empire was finally checked by the long and destructive ‘Peloponnesian
War’ (431–404 BC). This module examines all these processes with a particular attention
to the sources of the period, above all the Histories of the two greatest Greek
historians, Herodotus and Thucydides.

Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars

Assessment
Coursework: 50%
Examination: 50%

Roman Imperial History 31 BC - AD 138    HS3317

Semester: Autumn and Spring
Length: Two semesters
Credits: 30

The Principate created by Augustus ended the civil wars of the late Republic, and
ushered in a new monarchical form of government that is often considered to have
reached its apogee in the reign of Trajan and Hadrian. This module uses historical
writings and contemporary documents and monuments to examine the course of the
Julio-Claudian and Flavian dynasties and their successors, and how under their
control the Empire experienced a period of relative peace and prosperity. It
considers the main developments and events of the period in Rome and the provinces,
and charts the increasing importance of Rome’s provinces, both socially and
politically. In addition, the module examines the images and ideologies of imperial
government created at Rome, and the extent to which this government was accepted or
rejected in the provinces.

Teaching Methods:
30 lectures
6 seminars

Assessments
Coursework: 50%
Examination: 50%

The Later Roman Empire AD 284 - 602 HS3318

Semester: Autumn and Spring
Length: Two semesters
Credits: 30

The history of the later Roman empire is marked by rapid and dramatic change: the
revolution in the position of Christianity in the empire, from persecuted cult to
state religion; the German ‘invasions’ of the fourth and fifth centuries, and the
establishment of Germanic kingdoms within the territory of the Roman empire; the
decline of Rome, but the emergence of vibrant new power centres, such as
Constantinople; the splitting of the empire into two halves (East and West), and the
collapse of the latter. The period has traditionally been characterised as ‘the
decline and fall of the Roman empire’, but this module reflects and considers the
more recent view that the period was one of transformation, witnessing the
metamorphosis of the world of antiquity into the medieval world. As well as
considering the political, social and cultural transformations of the period the
module also devotes attention to the famous architects of change, such as
Constantine the Great, Attila the Hun, and Justinian I. The module draws on, and
discusses the nature of, the rich source material for the period: classicising
histories, church histories, chronicles, court panegyrics and polemics, letter
collections, legislation, inscriptions, art, and archaeology.

Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars

Assessment:
Examination: 50%
Coursework: 50%

Autumn Semester

Gods and the Polis: Athenian Festivals HS3330

Semester: Autumn
Length: One semester
Credits: 10

The religious festivals and rituals of each classical city-state reflected the
general Greek religious system of practices and beliefs, while helping to define
and reinforce the social and political identities of each state and of smaller
social groups within it. The module concentrates on the analysis of the festivals,
cults and beliefs of Athens, one of the most powerful and influential of the states,
and the one for which there is the most evidence, literary, documentary and
archaeological.

Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars

Assessment:
Essay: 50%
Examination: 50%

Latin Historical Texts HS3343

Semester: Autumn
Length: One semester
Credits: 10

Students will study one or more Latin texts, historical or epigraphic. Texts might
include e.g. Livy, Virgil, Catullus, Tacitus, Pliny Letters, Cicero, and selected
inscriptions. Texts will be studied for both grammatical structure, and their
importance as historical evidence. Classes will involve translation and grammatical
comment, as well as discussion of the historical context and significance of the
text.

Teaching methods:
Lectures
Seminars

Assessment:
Examination: 100%

Greek Historical Texts HS3345

Semester: Autumn
Length: One semester
Credits: 10

Students will study one or more Greek texts, historical and epigraphic. Texts might
include Herodotus, Thucydides, Euripides, Aristophanes, Xenophon, Arrian or Plutarch,
and selected inscriptions. Texts will be studied for both grammatical structure, and
their importance as historical evidence. Classes will involve translation and
grammatical comment, as well as discussion of the historical context and
significance of the text. In 2011–12 HS3345 will focus on inscriptions.

Teaching methods:
Lectures
Seminars

Assessment:
Examination: 100%

Advanced Greek Historical Texts HS3347

Semester: Autumn
Length: One semester
Credits: 10

This is an advanced level module in reading Greek inscriptions, which builds on work
done in HS3345/6 Greek Historical Texts. Emphasis is on historical analysis and
interpretation of the texts, as well as on developing language skills. Texts studied
will normally be relevant to one or more other ancient history modules on which
participating students are enrolled.

Teaching methods:
Lectures
Seminars

Assessment:
Examination: 100%

Reading Latin 1 HS3421

Semester: Autumn
Length: One semester
Credits: 20

An introduction to the Latin language, involving the reading of relatively simple
Latin texts. This module introduces students to Latin grammar, and provides the
basis for further study in HS3322 Reading Latin 2.

Teaching methods:
Lectures

Assessments
Written exercises: 50%
Examination: 50%

Reading Greek 1 HS3423

Semester: Autumn
Length: One semester
Credits: 20

An introduction to the Greek language, involving the reading of simple Hellenistic
and Classical Greek texts.

Teaching methods
Lectures
Seminars

Assessment:
Coursework: 100%

Army and Society: Homer to Alexander HS4351

Semester: Autumn
Length: One semester
Credits: 10

Warfare was part of normal life for almost all ancient Greeks, and military
developments often had the most profound political and social effects. This module
examines the military, social, economic and cultural aspects of ancient Greek
warfare, and focuses on changes in the modes of combat — from Homeric, to hoplite
warfare, to the Macedonian phalanx — and on the impact of war on the economy and
society of Greece.

Teaching methods:
Lectures
Seminars

Assessment:
Essay: 40%
Examination: 60%

Life in Ancient Rome HS4358

Semester: Autumn
Length: One semester
Credits: 10

This module studies what it was like to live in Rome in the late Republic and early
Empire, for both rich and poor. The module covers how the city was administered,
‘Bread and Circuses’, the various forms of leisure activity and more ‘down to earth’
subjects such as the quality of housing, the water supply and other urban amenities.
Students will be encouraged to study the importance of social institutions in public
and private life, and the changes that occurred from Republic to Empire.

Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars

Assessment:
Essay: 40%
Examination: 60%

Spring Semester

Reading Latin 2 HS3322

Semester: Spring
Length: One semester
Credits: 20

Further study of the Latin language, building upon the work of HS3421 Reading Latin
1, and involving the reading of more advanced Latin texts.

Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars

Assessment:
Coursework: 50%
Examination: 50%

Reading Greek 2 HS3324

Semester: Spring
Length: One semester
Credits: 20

Further study of the Greek language, involving the reading understanding of more
advanced Hellenistic and Classical Greek texts.

Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars

Assessment:
Coursework: 50%
Examination: 50%

Roman Religion HS3331

Semester: Spring
Length: One semester
Credits: 10

Roman religious rituals appear utterly traditional, yet were in fact subject to
constant change and development, to influence from the Greek world, and to control
by the state. The module studies the religion in Rome and Italy from the regal
period to the death of Augustus. Principal topics of study include the main features
of religious beliefs and practices as they originated and as they developed during
the period when Rome became a major world power, and how Rome reacted to contacts
with other religious systems.

Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars

Assessment:
Coursework: 50%
Examination: 50%

Latin Historical texts HS3344

Semester: Spring
Length: One semester
Credits: 10

Students will study one or more Latin texts, historical or epigraphic. Texts might
include e.g. Livy, Virgil, Catullus, Tacitus, Pliny Letters, Cicero, and selected
inscriptions. Texts will be studied for both grammatical structure, and their
importance as historical evidence. Classes will involve translation and grammatical
comment, as well as discussion of the historical context and significance of the
text.

Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars

Assessment:
Examination: 100%

Greek Historical Texts HS3346

Semester: Spring
Length: One semester
Credits: 10

Students will study one or more Greek texts, historical and epigraphic. Texts might
include Herodotus, Thucydides, Euripides, Aristophanes, Xenophon, Arrian or Plutarch,
and selected inscriptions. Texts will be studied for both grammatical structure, and
their importance as historical evidence. Classes will involve translation and
grammatical comment, as well as discussion of the historical context and
significance of the text. In 2011–12 HS3346 will focus on a literary text.

Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars

Assessment:
Examination: 100%

Athens in the Age of Demosthenes and Lykourgos HS3371

Semester: Spring
Length: One semester
Credits: 10

On the accession of Philip II to the Macedonian throne in 359 Athens was one of the
most powerful cities in Greece and confident leader of an alliance of Aegean states.
By 321 the Greek world had been transformed by the military and political successes
of Philip and his son, Alexander the Great. For Athens, military defeat at the battle
of Chaironeia in 338 was followed by loss of empire, erosion of freedom and
eventually, in 322, the installation of a Macedonian garrison and the extinction of
democracy. Athens is by far the best documented ancient Greek city and the
documentation of this period is especially rich thanks to an abundance of two types
of contemporary source: speeches made in the lawcourts and the Assembly; and
inscriptions. This module will explore the history of Athens c. 350–321 via study of
about 10 speeches delivered during this period (by, or attributed to, Isocrates,
Demosthenes, Aeschines, Lykourgos, Dinarchos or Hypereides); and of a translated
selection of inscribed Athenian laws and decrees. The general subject will be Athens’
response to the growing power of Macedon. Specific topics and themes will vary.

Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars
Directed reading

Assessment:
Coursework: 50%
Examination: 50%

Houses in Roman Italy HS4363

Semester: Spring
Length: One semester
Credits: 10

This module is an introduction to the study of ancient houses, focusing on Roman
Italy in the late Republic and early Principate (second century BC to second century
AD). The Roman house was not just a family home: it was also a political power-base,
a theatre for social climbing, and a place of business. The module looks at
well-preserved examples of Roman housing, such as those at Pompeii and Ostia, and
literary sources which illuminate the role of the house in Roman family, social and
political life. Major themes include: methods of understanding and interpreting
houses; concepts of public and private space; ways of ‘reading’ decoration and
architectural forms; Roman debates about luxury and propriety; the economic role of
the house; the development of Imperial palaces.

Teaching Methods:
Lectures
Seminars

Assessment:
Coursework: 50%
Examination: 50%