00996 - Greek History

Academic Year 2021/2022

  • Moduli: Lucia Criscuolo (Modulo 1) Alice Bencivenni (Modulo 2)
  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures (Modulo 1) Traditional lectures (Modulo 2)
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Humanities (cod. 8850)

Learning outcomes

After completing the course students will achieve a critical awareness in the field of historical knowledge and specifically in the area of Greek History. They are able to use the basic tools for research; also they acquire the critical knowledge of the issues and the most important problems related to Greek history from its origins to the Hellenistic age and reading documents and sources.

Course contents

1. Sources, methods and tools for the study of Greek history.

2. Themes and prominent figures of Greek history through the analysis of selected and translated sources pertaining to the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic periods.

3. Specific topic: the laws of Solon and the constitution of the Athenians.

The program will include the knowledge, acquired through the students' independent study, of the key events in Greek history, from its origins to the first century BC, focusing on the evidence for the reconstruction of these events. The program lastly requires a reading on the institutional, political, social, and cultural aspects of the Archaic, Classical or Hellenistic periods.

Readings/Bibliography

Students are required to study:

1. D. Musti, Storia greca. Linee di sviluppo dall'età micenea all'età romana, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1990 (second edition and following reprints).

2. M. Bettalli (a cura di), Introduzione alla storiografia greca, Carocci, Roma 2009 (second edition and following reprints) or 2021 (third edition).

3. A book chosen among the followings:

  • P. Carlier, Omero e la storia, Italian edition by S. De Vido and L. Mondin, Carocci, Roma 2014;
  • D. Musti, Demokratìa. Origini di un’idea, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1995 (and following reprints);
  • F. Muccioli, Le orecchie lunghe di Alessandro Magno. Satira del potere nel mondo greco (IV-I secolo a.C.), Carocci, Roma 2018;
  • M. Mari (a cura di), L'età ellenistica. Società, politica, cultura, Carocci, Roma 2019.

4. Selected and translated sources supplied during lectures; students enrolled in the bachelor degree of Humanities, curriculum classico, will study some of these sources in Ancient Greek (cf. virtuale.unibo.it).

 

Students who will not attend lessons are required to study:

  1. D. Musti, Storia greca. Linee di sviluppo dall'età micenea all'età romana, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1990 (second edition and following reprints).
  2. M. Bettalli (a cura di), Introduzione alla storiografia greca, Carocci, Roma 2009 (second edition and following reprints).
  3. A book chosen among the followings:
    • P. Carlier, Omero e la storia, Carocci, Roma 2014;
    • D. Musti, Demokratìa. Origini di un’idea, Laterza, Roma-Bari 1995 (e successive ristampe);
    • F. Muccioli, Le orecchie lunghe di Alessandro Magno. Satira del potere nel mondo greco (IV-I secolo a.C.), Carocci, Roma 2018.
  4. Selected sources for non-attending students; students enrolled in the bachelor degree of Humanities, curriculum classico, will study some of these sources in Ancient Greek (cf. virtuale.unibo.it).
  5. Two among the following sources, Italian text (Aristotle and a Life by Plutarch OR two Lives by Plutarch): 
  • Aristotele, Costituzione degli Ateniesi (choosing preferably an annotated edition: A. Santoni, Cappelli, Bologna 1999 or P.J. Rhodes, Mondadori-Valla, Milano 2016);
  • Life by Plutarch choosing among Licurgo, Solone, Temistocle, Cimone, Lisandro, Alessandro, Demetrio, Eumene, Agide e Cleomene, Arato (Mondadori-Valla or BUR).

 

Bibliographic resources are available at the DiSCi Library of Ancient History (Bologna, via Zamboni 38).

Teaching methods

The course consists mainly in lectures. During these lectures several textual sources will be read (in the original language, Greek and Latin, and in Italian, English or French translation): students will take part in lessons and practice studying ancient sources and solving related problems.

Assessment methods

Oral examination (in a single exam session) will test the knowledge of the course contents (individual study texts and sources). It will take place in two steps:

  1. at least 3 questions concerning the events of the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic periods;
  2. at least 2 questions concerning Greek historiography, selected book and sources analysed during the course; for non-attending students, at least 2 questions concerning Greek historiography, selected book, sources for non-attending students and full version sources.

 

If the student achieves a complete and detailed vision of the topics discussed in class and required for the discipline, provides an effective critical commentary, shows mastery of expression and of the specific language, he obtains excellence in the evaluation (28-30L).

Those students who demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of the main topics of the subject, basic analytical ability and ability to synthesize, and a correct command of the language, will be given a good mark (25-27).

Those students who demonstrate a mnemonic (and/or non-exhaustive) knowledge of the subject with a more superficial analytical ability and ability to synthesize, a correct command of the language but not always appropriate, will be given a satisfactory mark (22-24).

A superficial knowledge and understanding of the material, a scarce analytical and expressive ability that is not always appropriate will be rewarded with a ‘pass’ mark (18-21).

A student will be deemed to have failed the exam if he displays significant errors in his understanding and failure to grasp the overall outlines of the subject, together with a poor command of the appropriate terminology (< 18).

Teaching tools

Original sources will be displayed during lectures.

Sources to be read (including the selection that students of the bachelor degree of Humanities, curriculum classico, will study in Ancient Greek) will be supplied online during the course (virtuale.unibo.it).

Sources to be read for non-attending students (including the selection that students of the bachelor degree of Humanities, curriculum classico, will study in Ancient Greek) will be supplied online at the end of the course (virtuale.unibo.it).

 

Office hours

See the website of Alice Bencivenni

See the website of Lucia Criscuolo

SDGs

Quality education

This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.