GREEK 101 – Herodotus
|
Radcliffe G. Edmonds
III Office: Thomas 245 Office Phone: 526-5046 redmonds@brynmawr.edu |
Dalton 6 MWF 12:00-1:00 Office Hours: MWF 10:00-11:00 or by appointment |
Required Texts:
Selections
from Herodotus – edited by Amy Barbour
Suggested Texts:
Herodotus
Book I – Bryn Mawr Text and commentary
Herodotus,
History, trans. Grene
Course Description:
Greek
101 introduces the student to one of the greatest prose authors of ancient
Greece, the historian, Herodotus.
The "Father of History", as Herodotus is sometimes called,
wrote one of the earliest lengthy prose texts extant in Greek literature in the
Ionian dialect of Greek. His historie or inquiry into the events surrounding the
invasions by the Persian empire against the Greek city-states set the precedent
for all subsequent historical writings, although his aims and methods have
always remained controversial (as the sneers of his near contemporary,
Thucydides, attest). The "Father
of Lies", as he is also sometimes known, wove into his history a number of
fabulous and entertaining anecdotes and tales. Although these stories have often been dismissed as
meaningless digressions or credulous traveler's tales, each story is neatly crafted
within the larger framework of the work, not only providing interesting
diversions for the reader but linking together many of Herodotus' themes and
ideas within the work. Herodotus
remains the primary (and often only) source for much information about the
culture and history of Greece and the other societies around the Mediterranean
basin in the Archaic period.
Course Requirements:
Class participation:
Participation,
of course, includes attendance, since you cannot participate if you are not in
class. If, for some reason, you
cannot attend class, please inform me in advance. In each class session, we will translate aloud from the
portions of the text assigned for the week. Please be prepared to translate any of the readings
specified in the previous class session.
If, for some reason, you cannot prepare for class, please attend anyway
- you will be better prepared for the next class.
We
will also spend time discussing the characters and ideas that animate these
texts, since Herodotus is not merely a prose stylist, but an engaging storyteller
and a thoughtful historian. We
will occasionally look at some secondary reading on the section of text covered
in the classes for the week. For
each reading, one student will be responsible for introducing and starting
discussion on the material, but every student is expected to contribute
intelligently to the discussion.
The readings will be available on blackboard, and they can also be
reached by link from the on-line version of the syllabus at: http://www.brynmawr.edu/classics/redmonds/grek10106.html.
Writing Assignments:
Two
short writing assignments will be assigned for the class. The first assignment will be an
analysis of one of the traditional mythic stories Herodotus recounts in the
course of his history, providing the background of the story as well as the
ways in which it fits into Herodotus' larger narrative of the Persian War. The second assignment will take the
form of a textual and historical commentary on a short passage. Students are encouraged to submit draft
versions for comment before turning them in for a grade.
Quizzes:
There
will be a short (10 minute) quiz every Monday on the material covered in the
previous week. One quiz may be
missed without penalty, but there are no make-up quizzes. If no quiz is missed, the lowest quiz
grade may be dropped. The quizzes
are intended to ensure that you keep up with the readings and give you further
practice to build your Greek syntax and vocabulary.
Exams:
There
will be a mid-term and a final for this class on all the materials covered to
that date in class. The Midterm
will be in class on the Friday following the Autumn break. The Final Exam will be self-scheduled
during the Exam period.
Grade Distribution:
Class Participation 15%
Written Assignments 10%
Quizzes 40%
Midterm Exam 15%
Final Exam 20%
Week I:
Introduction
to Herodotus – Barbour pp. 2-7
Introduction
to the Ionian dialect – Barbour pp. 8-46
Review
of grammar and syntax
Herodotus
Book I – Barbour, pp. 49-51 (Introduction and prelude)
Secondary
Reading: Herodotus Book I in
English
Week II:
Review
of grammar and syntax
Review
of Ionian dialect
Herodotus
Book I – Barbour, pp. 51-55 (Gyges)
Secondary
Reading: More on Gyges (Plato, Tragedy, Archilochus), Herodotus Books II-III in
English
Week III:
Herodotus
Book I – Barbour, pp. 55-58 (Arion, Croesus & Solon)
Secondary
Reading: Munson,
"The Celebratory Purpose of Herodotus"
Week IV:
Herodotus
Book I – Barbour, pp. 58-61 (Croesus & Solon)
Secondary
Reading: Hartog,
"Myth into Logos: The Case of Croesus"
Week V:
Herodotus
Book I – Barbour, pp. 61-66 (Croesus)
Secondary
Reading: Konstan,
"The Stories in Herodotus' Histories: Book I"
Week VI:
Herodotus
Book I – Barbour, pp. 66-71 (Croesus & Peisistratus)
Secondary Reading: Herodotus Books
IV-V in English
First Assignment Due
Week VII: No Class!
– Autumn Break
Week VIII:
Herodotus
Book I – Barbour, pp. 71-75 (Lacedaimonians)
Review
Secondary
Reading: Marincola,
"Herodotus"
Midterm
Exam
Week IX:
Herodotus
Book I – Barbour, pp. 75-80 (Downfall of Croesus)
Secondary
Reading: Fehling,
"The Art of Herodotus and the Margins of the World"
Week X:
Herodotus
Book I – Barbour, pp. 80-88 (Cyrus)
Secondary
Reading: Rank, "The Myth of
the Birth of the Hero" (part I
& part II)
Week XI:
Herodotus
Book I – II - Barbour, pp.
88-99 (Cyrus, Cambyses & Egypt)
Secondary
Reading: Redfield,
"Herodotus the Tourist"
Week XII:
Herodotus
Book III – Barbour, pp. 118-127 (Polycrates & Smerdis)
Secondary Reading: Plutarch, On
the Malice of Herodotus
Thanksgiving
- no class Friday
Week XIII:
Herodotus
Book III – Barbour, pp. 127-135 (Darius)
Secondary Reading: Darius
monument, Herodotus Books VI-VII in English
Week XIV:
Herodotus
Book VII-VIII – Barbour, pp. 174-178, 196-204 (Salamis)
Secondary
Reading: Aeschylus, Simonides, Herodotus Books VIII-IX in English
Commentary
Assignment Due
Week XV:
Conclusions
Review