This course will explore the phenomenon of warfare in ancient Greece, from the earliest times to the conquest of the Greek world by the Romans. Our objectives will be a general examination of various aspects of warfare (including arms and armor, tactics, fortifications, artillery, and naval power) and its role in Greek society and culture, and a detailed study of most of the important battles and campaigns in ancient Greek history. Our aim will be to examine carefully the ancient sources – literary, archaeological, epigraphical and topographical – in order to shed as much light as possible on warfare in the ancient Greek world.

Texts

Burn, A. R. The Penguin History of Greece (recommended)
Hanson, V. D. The Western Way of War
Herodotus, The Histories (available on-line)
Lloyd, J. G. Alexander the Great: Selections from Arrian
Sage, M. Warfare in Ancient Greece: A Sourcebook (Routledge)
Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War (available on-line)

Course Packet, available at Abel's Copies (715 W 23rd St.)

Additional texts will be placed on reserve in PCL.

Course Requirements

Although there is no specific attendance requirement, regular attendance is essential: a considerable amount of material (especially visual) will be presented in class that is not in the readings. Preparation is equally important: reading assignments should be completed before the class session for which they are assigned. Students should be prepared not only to read and listen but to think about the material.

Grades will be based on two in-class examinations (20% each), two short written exercises (15% each), and a final exam (30%). Students maintain an average of 90 or above on all work through the second exam may choose to substitute a research paper for the final exam, on a topic to be chosen in consultation with the instructor.

Course Schedule

The class web site will be the primary venue for the distribution of course materials. Study guides will be posted periodically, which will include reading assignments and suggested approaches to the material. Lecture notes and visual materials will also be posted to the web site, along with links to relevant on-line resources. Printouts of the study guides will be made available to those without convenient access to the world-wide web.

A few important dates to make note of: the in-class exams are tentatively scheduled for Friday, February 27 and Wednesday, April 8. The final examination is scheduled for Saturday, May 16, at 2:00.

Electronic Resources

Students are encouraged to take advantage of a number of electronic resources pertinent to this class, beginning with the course web site.

All students who use electronic mail should subscribe to the class e-mail discussion list. The list will provide a forum for discussion outside of class hours, and students are encouraged to contribute any questions, comments, or observations. If you do not have an e-mail account, you can find out how to get one here.

Many of the ancient texts relevant to the class, and a wide range of visual data on the ancient world, are available on the world-wide web. Consult the links page for places to start. The study guides and lecture outlines will provide more specific links as they arise.

Scholastic Dishonesty

Students should feel free to discuss course materials and collaborate in studying and class preparation. However, all written work submitted (i.e., the written exercises and the exams) should represent the work of the author alone. Any cases of scholastic dishonesty will be dealt with according to University policies. For further information, consult the instructor or the relevant sections of the General Information volume of the University Catalogue.

Academic Disabilities

I will make myself available to discuss appropriate academic accommodations that you may require as a student with a disability. Before course accommodations will be made, students may be required to provide documentation to the Office of the Dean of Students - Services for Students with Disabilities.