From this week on, we'll mostly be pursuing a chronological approach and examining specific campaigns and battles for which we have ancient narratives. We will take an excursus or two along the way as time permits (certainly one on fortifications and seigecraft), and you'll be reading about many general issues in your textbooks. But most of our class sessions will be spent looking at the narrative of Greek military events.

Much of our work will be the reconstruction of specific battles. When you read battle descriptions, you should start making a habit of trying to work out, in your mind or on paper, exactly what you think happened in the course of the battle. As you'll see, it's often difficult to understand from an ancient author exactly what happened, so we'll be trying to put together as coherent a picture as possible in class. Your contributions will be welcomed.

Another thing to watch out for from this point on is how hoplites are described as fighting. We've discussed the defensive advantages of the hoplite phalanx, but we haven't said much about how exactly it works offensively. As you read battle narratives, look for information that might illuminate this issue.

This week we'll start examining the first military encounters for which we have relatively abundant and precise information: the wars between Persia and Greece. We'll look very carefull at the Battle of Marathon on Monday, on Wednesday we'll talk about Thermopylae and say a few things about naval warfare, and on Friday we'll talk about Artemesium and Salamis. Next week we'll wrap up our discussion of the Persian Wars, and have our first exam on Friday 2/27.

1. Required reading:

Over the course of the week, you should read Sage pp. 94-107.

This week's assignments from Herodotus are long, but I've made suggestions on where to focus; read as much of the rest as you can, but it's primarily for context. Also, before you read the required Herodotus, you might want to go through the recommended reading in Burn or the relevant sections of another Greek history text; it should ease your progress quite a bit.

For Monday, please read Hdt. VI.43-VII.1, paying special attention to the account of the battle of Marathon (VI.102-120). Consult pp. 5-6 of the course reader for maps.

For Wednesday, read Hdt. VII.2-239. That's a big long passage: you can pass over most of it quickly, but concentrate on VII.138-239, and especially the account of Thermopylae itself (VII.198-239). Consult the map on p. 6 of the course reader. Also have a look at the illustrations of Greek warships on pp. 129-132 of the course reader.

For Friday, read Hdt. VIII.1-112, paying special attention to VIII.1-20 and VIII.74-96. Also consult the maps on p. 7 of the course reader, and read the 'Decree of Themistocles' on p. 9.

2. Recommended reading:

Burn pp. 160-192. You'd be well served reading this, or the appropriate sections of another Greek history text, before attempting to plunge in to Herodotus with no background.

3. Suggestions for further study:

The bibliography on the Persian Wars is extensive. See the full class bibliography or consult me for suggestions on particular topics.