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Ancient Greece: History and Archaeology (ANCW20022)
Undergraduate level 2Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
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Semester 1
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The subject concentrates on mainland Greece and the Mediterranean from the Bronze Age to the end of the Classical Period, examining what we know about the history and archaeology of these fascinating periods of ancient Greek history. The main emphases will be on the rise and fall of Bronze Age civilisations such as the Minoans and Mycenaeans, the Archaic and Classical periods of Ancient Greek history from ‘Homer' to the conquests of Alexander the Great, the political, socio-economic and cultural changes within Greek Civilization, and the noteworthy developments in material culture in the light of archaeological evidence. The emergence of the polis system, debates on political systems such as democracy, oligarchy and tyranny, the critical role of religion, the interaction with non-Greeks and the resulting efflorescence of the Greek literary and philosophical tradition will be examined. The art and archaeology of the Greeks in the wider Mediterranean region will also be studied. Furthermore, the political and military history of Archaic and Classical Greece, as well as the extraordinary advances in Greek science, literature and philosophy during the same periods will be explored. There is detailed examination of modern scholarship on ethnicity, politics, warfare, colonisation, migration and acculturation.
Intended learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this subject should:
- Possess knowledge of the material culture of Greece and the Mediterranean world from the Bronze Age to the Classical Period
- Possess knowledge of major developments in Greek history from the Minoan/Mycenaean period to the conquests of Alexander the Great
- Be able to analyse and distinguish the complexities of the historical and archaeological evidence of the different periods
- Be able to apply current scholarly methodologies to the analysis of such key topics as religion, social complexity, ethnicity, etc.
Last updated: 9 February 2025