Classics 301: Herodotus and the Tragedians Fall 2012 Section 1

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1 Classics 301: Herodotus and the Tragedians Fall 2012 Section 1 Meetings: 2:00 to 3:15 PM, Bolton B60 Final Exam: 12:30 to 2:30 PM, Tuesday, Dec. 18, Bolton B60. Text: 1. Herodotus, The Landmark Herodotus, Ed. Robert Strassler. 2. Sophocles, Oedipus Rex, tr. Mulroy, University of Wisconsin Press. 3. Sophocles, Antigone, tr. Mulroy (to be placed on D2L course site). 4. Sophocles, Women of Trachis, tr. Williams and Dickerson, Oxford. Instructor: David Mulroy, Professor of Classics, Department of Foreign Languages and Linguistics. Office: Curtin Hall 803. Office hours: MW 2:00 to 3:00 PM and by appointment. Phone: < dmulroy@uwm.edu>. Objectives: the main purpose of this course is to give students the opportunity to gain a familiarity with and appreciation of Herodotus history and a selection of ancient Greek tragedies. The manner in which they will be studied is that of a great books discussion group. The goal of each class is for all members of the class to participate in a conversation about the assigned reading. From September until mid-november, we will read selected passages from Herodotus Histories. Then we will read three tragedies by Herodotus contemporary Sophocles: Oedipus Rex, Antigone, and Women of Trachis. Grading policy. Grades will be based on 100 points, as follows. 27 points, up to one each for daily quizzes. Quizzes will be graded on a 10-point scale. 10 = one full point; 9 =.9 point, etc. In taking daily quizzes students may consult notes on the reading that they themselves have made. Students may make up quizzes missed because of absence from class. 25 points for attendance, one point for attending each class from beginning to end and participating in class discussion. Since there are 28 class meetings, students may miss up to three classes without penalty or earn three extra-credit points for perfect attendance. Missed classes cannot be made up. There is a three-point penalty for unexcused early departures from class. 8 points for factual midterm. On October 18, you ll be given a selection of the names of important persons, places, and battles from Herodotus text and asked to explain their significance. The names will be selected at random from a longer list available on D2L. 19 points for a research paper assessing the probable truthfulness a particular assertion or account in Herodotus, distributed as follows: 3 points (conference), 4 points (draft due Wednesday, October 19 with one week grace period, 1000

2 word minimum), 12 points (final version, 2,500 words minimum, due Friday, Nov. 30 with one week grace period). 13 points for factual portion of the final exam. Same as the midterm except that the names will include those taken from the Greek tragedies read in class as well as Herodotus narrative. 8 points for a subjective essay. A 1,000-word minimum personal-response essay. What is the most significant theme or lesson that you have taken away from your readings in Herodotus? Which specific passages illustrate it and how? Would you say that it embodies a universal truth or is it an expression of values or ideas that are unique to the ancient Greek world. Does this same lesson or theme appear in the tragedies that we have read? If so, which specific passages illustrate it and how? These essays may be written during the final exam or prepared ahead of time and handed in at the time of the final. Addendum (required by new university policy). Federal guidelines now require that syllabi describe the amount of time needed for students to complete courses successfully. According to these guidelines, a one-credit course should require 48 hours of work per semester; a three-credit course (like Classics 301) should require 142 hours. Although the amount of time needed for effective study and the completion of homework assignments varies greatly from student to student, this course is designed with the 142-hour guideline in mind. The following describes the amount of time that the average student will probably have to devote to the course to earn an A or B: 42 hours of class meetings; 81 hours of homework and class preparation (three hours for each of 27 regular classes); 4 hours of preparation for midterm test; 10 hours for term paper; 4 hours of preparation for final test; 2 hours for final exam; 143 hours total. University policies governing students with disabilities, religious holidays, military service, incompletes, discriminatory conduct (e.g. sexual harassment), academic misconduct, complaint procedures, grade appeals, and final exams can be found by following the links at

3 Reading Assignments Classics : Herodotus and Tragedy Fall 2012 Herodotus subject is the war between Greece and Persia. In fact, this war consisted of two sets of conflicts. First was the Persians assault on the city of Athens, which came to grief at the battle of Marathon in 490 B.C.; second, their attempt to subjugate all of Greece, which ended in losses at the battles of Salamis and Plataea in 480 B.C. In reading Herodotus history, it is important to recall that the early Greeks did not have one unified government. They were divided into many independent city-states or poleis (singular polis). Athens and Sparta were the most famous. Others of importance in Herodotus narrative include Argos, in the vicinity of ancient Mycenae, Corinth on the south end of the isthmus, and Delphi, on Mt. Parnassus, the site of the famous oracle of Delphi. The Greeks were a tribal people, divided into groups and subgroups according to supposed ancestors, religious rites, and dialect differences. The two largest tribes were the Dorians, whose most important city was Sparta, and the Ionians, who included the Athenians. During the archaic period (800 to 500 B.C.), new Greek poleis were established all around the Mediterranean. If an event is set in a Greek city, it is important to note whether that city is on the mainland of Greece, an Aegean island, present-day Turkey, Sicily, or Southern Italy. All of those locations are equally possible. In Herodotus history, Greek cities on the west coast of present-day Turkey are especially important because they first came into conflict with the Persians. In ancient Greek geography, this area was known as Asia. The richest Greek cities in Asia were Ionian. In fact, the area in which they were established was known as Ionia. The richest Ionian city in Asia was Miletus. In Book One, Herodotus proposes to explain the background of the war between Greece and Persia and the general hostility between east and west. Rather than focusing first on either the Greeks themselves or on Persia, he begins with the history of Lydia, a kingdom in central Turkey. Herodotus discusses Lydia for two reasons. They were the first easterners ever to attack Greek poleis. And they were a buffer between the Greeks and the Persians. When the Persians conquered Lydia, direct contact between Greece and Persia became inevitable. Lydia was an ancient kingdom whose capital was the city of Sardis. According to Herodotus, it was ruled for centuries by kings descended from Heracles. The last descendant of Heracles to rule Lydia was named Kandaules. He was assassinated by his bodyguard Gyges. The latter then launched a great dynasty that raised Lydia to new heights of wealth and power. The approximate dates of his reign are 678 to 652 B.C. 1. Thursday, September 6:

4 Read sections : the assassination of Kandaules. Skip sections These sections explain that Gyges dynasty lasted for five generations including his own. He and his successors carried on desultory warfare against the Greeks on the coast, capturing a couple of poleis, but eventually making peace with Miletus. In the course of telling us how the peace between Lydia and Miletus came to pass, Herodotus engages in one of his most famous digressions. According to him, Periandros, the tyrant or strongman of Corinth, helped his counterpart in Miletus persuade the Lydians to make peace. Since Herodotus has mentioned Periandros, he tells about an interesting thing that once happened in his court. He then describes the early years of the reign of Croesus, the next and last king of Lydia. Read sections : the story of Arion and Croesus early years. 2. Tuesday, September 11 Read sections in which Herodotus continues the story of Croesus reign. Croesus got the idea of trying to conquer Persia, but he wanted to make certain that the gods will support his undertaking. Skip sections At this point, Herodotus digresses to describe contemporaneous events in Athens and Sparta. The connection is that Croesus was seeking an alliance with the most powerful of Greek city states and eventually concluded one with Sparta. He then launched his invasion of Persia despite some good advice (see 1.71). In another digression, we learn that Croesus attack on Persia was motivated partially by the fact that Cyrus, the king of the Persians, had overthrown his own grandfather, Astyages, who was a friend of the Lydians. We will get to the story of Cyrus and Astyages in the next reading. Herodotus now describes how Croesus invasion of Persia led to his own capital of Sardis being placed under siege. Read sections in which we learn how Croesus invaded Persia but ended up on the defensive. Skip sections explaining why the Spartans could not help Sardis. Read sections 1.84 to 92 describing the fall of Sardis and a conversation between Croesus and the oracle of Delphi. 3. Thursday, September 13 Skip sections : a description of Lydian culture; an account of the rise of the Medes and Persians, related tribes who rose to power in Mesopotamia at this time. At first, the Medes were more powerful than the Persians and seem to have held them in a kind of servitude, like the Spartans with the Helots. The first great Median dynasty started around 700 B.C. The fourth and final representative of this dynasty was Astyages ( ).

5 Read to 141, an account of the rise of Cyrus, who overthrew his grandfather, Astyages, and of Persian customs 4. Tuesday, September 18 Skip sections , Herodotus mainly describes the Persian subjugation of the Greek cities in Asia, which happened in the years 546/545 B.C. It was Harpagus, not Cyrus himself, who led the victorious Persian armies. Afterwards, Cyrus turned his attention to the great city of Babylon. Read sections to 216, how Cyrus conquered Babylon but was defeated and killed in turn by Tomyris, Queen of the Massagetae. 5. Thursday, September 20 When Cyrus died, he was succeeded by his son, Cambyses, who immediately began preparations to add Egypt to the Persian empire. Herodotus second book is devoted to a description of the previous history and culture of Egypt. Skip sections Here Herodotus discusses the geography and some of the customs of the Egyptians. He explains that Egypt has been created by the Nile's alluvial deposits and speculates on the cause of its annual floods. Read sections 2.65 to 2.76 on the Egyptians treatment of animals. Herodotus turns next to the history of Egypt, transmitting anecdotes about a selection of kings from Min (c B.C.) to Amasis ( ), who provoked Cambyses' invasion. The stories are more entertaining than historically informative. (Rhampsinitus is probably modeled on Rameses II.) Read , Pheros blindness, King Proteus and Helen of Troy, and the story of Rhampsinitus and the clever thief. 6. Tuesday, September 25 Read to 163, 169, According to Herodotus, Amasis, a commoner by birth, was the last great king of Egypt. These sections tell how he gained and used power. Read also , on how Cambyses made war on Amasis and his son, conquered Egypt, and lost his mind. 7. Thursday, September 27

6 Read 3.39 to 43 and skip ahead to 120 to 125 for the story of Polykrates, the tyrant of the island of Samos, a friend and ally of Amasis. Skip sections on conflicts between Samos and Sparta. Read , the death of Cambyses, the brief rule of Pseudo-Smerdis, and the rise of Darius. 8. Tuesday, October 2 Skip sections , a geographical description of the Persian empire under Darius. Read , which describes curiosities from the far corners of the Perisan empire and concludes with the story of Intaphernes. Skip sections 120 to 125 on the fall of Polykrates, which were read last time and which recount the end of Oroetes life, a story about a Greek physician who planted the idea of invading Greece in Darius mind, and the troubled history of Samos post- Polykrates. Read on how Babylon revolted and was re-subjugated by Darius. Read on the early myths and history of Scythia. 9. Thursday, October 4 Skip 4-13 to 145, which contain a lengthy description of Scythia s geography and culture and of the Persians futile attempt to conquer its nomadic people. You may be interested in sections 74-75, which reveal that Scythians were heavy users of marijuana. Sections 130 to 144 are also noteworthy because they describe Darius withdrawal from Scythia and a famous incident in which the Ionians guarding the bridge over the Danube passed on the opportunity to destroy it, thus stranding the Persians in Scythia and ending the power. The person who argued against destroying the bridge most powerfully was Histiaios, the Greek tyrant of Miletus and the man behind the Ionian revolt. Skip , the history of Cyrene, the Greek polis in northern Africa, and the geography of Libya. Skip 5.1 to 22, the conquest of Thrace and a probe into Macedonia by Darius general Megabyzus. Despite the Persians failure to conquer Scythia, their power is growing and getting closer to Greece. Read 5.23 to 5.38 very carefully. This describes the beginning of the Ionian Revolt, the first stage of the Persian Wars. It is only six pages long, but the story it tells is complicated and subtle. View it as a special challenge to gain a thorough understanding

7 of the chain of cause and effect that led Histiaios, former tyrant of Miletus, and his sonin-law Aristagoras to rebel against Persia. Skip sections 5.39 to 96, which describe Aristagoras attempt to make alliances with the Spartans and the Athenians. He fails at Sparta, but the Athenians agree to help. Herodotus includes accounts of contemporaneous political events in Sparta and Athens. Read 5.50 to 5.54 in which Aristagoras fails to persuade King Kleomenes of Sparta to aid his rebellion and Herodotus digresses to describe Persia s royal road. 10. Tuesday, October 9 Read 5.55 to 5.66 and 5.69 to 5.78 very carefully. This is a description of the beginning of Athenian democracy with the expulsion of the Peisistratid tyranny from Athens and the adoption of Kleisthenes constitutional reforms. Like the description of the beginning of the Ionian revolt, it is short but complicated and important. Read 5.97 and 99 to 101, the Ionian attack on Sardis and Athens withdrawal from the revolt. 11. Thursday, October 11 Skip , the Persian counterattack defeats Greeks rebels in Cyprus and elsewhere. Rejected by his fellow Milesians, Histiaios gathers a small fleet in the northern Aegean. Read , the battle of Lade and the Fall of Miletus (494 B.C.), which marks the end of the Ionian revolt. Skip , events in Samos. Read 6.26 to 32, the death of Histiaios. 12. Tuesday, October 16 Skip : Persian activities in the Hellespont, the history of the Thracian Chesonese, the Persian Mardonios subjugates Macedonia, but loses his fleet rounding Mount Athos, digression on clashes between Athens and Aegina and internal Spartan politics (the expulsion of King Demaratos on the grounds of illegitimacy and the madness of King Kleomenes). Read : the Battle of Marathon plus the rise of Alcmeonid clan, and Militiades demise. 13. Thursday, October 18: midterm 14. Tuesday October 23

8 Skip history of the island of Lemnos. Read 7.1 to 44 Xerxes launches his invasion of Greece. 15. Thursday, October 25 Read and Xerxes reaches Greece. Skip intervening sections 61 to 99, a catalog of Persian forces. 16. Tuesday, October 30 Skip and , Greek and Persian fleets face each other near Aretmisium Skip intervening sections 153 to 171, which explain why Sicily, Corcyra, and Crete did n Read 196 to 239: Thermopylae! 17. Thursday, November 1 Skip The Battle of Artemisium. After an indecisive battle with losses on both sides, the Greeks decided to withdraw south to the island of Salamis. Skip The Persians are driven out of Delphi by superhuman powers. Read Battle of Salamis. 18. Tuesday, November 6 Read to 8.110: Xerxes leaves Greece, leaving Mardonios behind to finish the job. Skip to 144. Xerxes return to Greece; the Athenians reject Persian offers of alliance. Read Both sides move into position at Plataea after skirmishes in the area. 19. Thursday, November 8 Read : The Battle of Plataea 20. Tuesday, November 13 Read : The Battle of Mycale and post-war incidents. 21. Thursday, November 15

9 Read Sophocles Oedipus Rex first third. 22. Tuesday, November 20 Read Sophocles Oedipus Rex second third. 23. Tuesday, November 27 Read Sophocles Oedipus Rex last third 24. Thursday, November 29 Read Sophocles Antigone first half. 25. Tuesday, December 4 Read Sophocles Antigone second half. 26. Thursday, December 6 Read Sophocles Women of Trachis first half 27. Tuesday, December 11 Read Sophocles Women of Trachis second half.

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