This seminar-style course introduces students to a problem or theme that is explored through ancient historical texts as well as archaeological evidence. Readings and studies of this material evidence provide the subject upon which a series of writing assignments will focus. AHMA R1B is the second seminar in the University’s required R&C sequence; its aim is to introduce students to college-level research and writing by focusing on a problem or theme related to a specific department’s field of inquiry

In this course, we will read four ancient historians on four major military conflicts that greatly influenced ancient Mediterranean history: the Persian Wars, 490-479 BCE; the Peloponnesian War, 431-404 BCE; the Second Punic War, 218-201 BCE; and Germanicus’ campaign into Germania, 14-16 CE. Our literary sources for these conflicts – Herodotus, Thucydides, Livy, and Tacitus – elevated great generals and warriors, and they oriented their historical narratives around these individuals. However, Ancient Greeks, Romans, and modern readers all have different ideas about what being a warrior really means. Over the course of the semester, we will read these authors with a critical eye. Through close readings and careful discussions of the archaeological evidence, we will investigate how war and the people who fought in those wars impacted our ancient sources and ancient history more generally. As we read excerpts from each of these ancient historians, we will learn how modern scholars think and write about ancient history. Students will write four papers: one short diagnostic essay, two themed essays, and one longer final essay. Students are also required to submit a revision of their second paper and an annotated bibliography before the final essay. This process will involve peer review, instructor feedback, and draft revisions. The instructor will teach students how to craft thesis statements; construct persuasive arguments about ancient texts and modern scholarship; use the library catalog, specialist databases, and other online sources; and cite their sources using the Chicago Manual of Style. There are no prerequisites for this course. The course may be especially attractive to students contemplating a major in Ancient Greek and Roman Studies (formerly Classics), Anthropology, History, or Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures (formerly Near Eastern Studies), but it is open to all.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills