28277 - Archaic and Classical Greek History (1) (LM)

Academic Year 2023/2024

Learning outcomes

At the end of the module the student has appropriate training to scientific research in the field of Greek history. He has critical knowledge of Greek history, from its origins to the 4th century BC.He knows how to use the methods and tools of historical research and he can perform a specific search in the study area.

Course contents

Analysis of the following theme:

The Peloponnesian War: an analysis of the events and political dynamics of the progressive decline of Athens (from the prodromes to 411)

This is, as is well known, a crucial and faceted theme of Greek history, on which the bibliography is extremely extensive (and the expression is an understatement). The course aims at an detailed analysis not only of the main political and military dynamics of the years in question, but also of the cultural frameworks, the prosopographical aspects of the leaders, and the 'forms of discourse' within Athens, and between Athens and its interlocutors.

To this end, the teacher, in addition to an accurate investigation of Thucydides' work, will illustrate during the course some of the main lines of research that have produced fundamental works on the period in question.

A basic knowledge of the Greek language, in order to read directly literary texts and other sources, is strongly recommended; nevertheless, it is not strictly required for the attendance of the classes.

 

Readings/Bibliography

 

Attending students

The teacher will present the most important publications on the topic during the course.

The texts in Greek, accompanied by translation, will be available on "Virtuale" by the teacher,

It is also expected the reading of the following contributions:

1) C. Bearzot, Come si abbatte una democrazia. Tecniche di colpo di stato nell’Atene antica, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2013, 25-81.
2) From M. Bettalli e M. Giangiulio (a cura di), Atene, vivere in una città antica, Roma, Carocci 2023, one of the following papers: a) M. Giangiulio, La comunità politica all’opera: i demi, l’Assemblea, e “il Consiglio estratto a sorte”, pp. 19-35; b) M. Bettalli, Atene: la democrazia va alla guerra, pp. 39-63;
3) one of the following papers: a) M. E. De Luna, Dai luoghi alla stasis e viceversa. Considerazioni su un passo di Aristotele. «Rivista Storica dell’Antichità», 2020, 50, pp. 7 - 25; b) M. E. De Luna, La virtù di Lisandro e le sue emozioni. Un ambiguo paradigma. Riflessioni aristoteliche e plutarchee, «Rationes Rerum », 2022, 20, pp. 1 - 26
4) U. Fantasia, Corcira, 427-425 a.C: anatomia di una stasis, in C.Bearzot-F.Landucci (cure.), "Partiti" e fazioni nell'esperienza politica greca, Milano 2008, pp.167-201

5) G. Proietti, Fare i conti con la guerra. Forme del discorso civico ad Atene nel V secolo (con uno sguardo all'età contemporanea, in E. Franchi - G. Proietti (eds.), Conflict in Communities. Forward-looking Memories in Classical Athens, Trento 2017, pp. 69-108

6) S. Ferrucci, Democrazia, Roma 2022, pp. 45-96 OR G. Mosconi, Democrazia e buon governo, Milano 2021, capp. 1 e 3. 

 

For the historical background they must read:

- L. Breglia-F. Guizzi-F. Raviola, Storia greca, EdiSES, Napoli 2015 or M. Bettalli, Storia greca, Carocci, Roma 2013, or M. Giangiulio, Introduzione alla storia greca, Bologna 2021;

Non-attending students will follow the following programme: in addition to the readings indicated above, the following texts (to be read in full):

-V. Azoulay, Pericle. La democrazia ateniese alla prova di un grand’uomo, Einaudi, Torino
2017
-U. Fantasia, La guerra del Peloponneso, Roma, Carocci 2012
-D. Musti, Demokratía. Origini di un’idea, Bari 1997
-D. Ross, Violent democracy, Cambridge, Cambridge university press, 2004
- M. Simonton, Stability and Violence in Classical Greek, Classical Antiquity 36, 2017, pp. 52– 103.

 



Teaching methods

The course is mainly taught through lectures, with discussions on the sources and the teaching material.

Assessment methods


Students who attend at least 75% of the lessons are considered to be attending.

The exam is oral. The knowledge of the course content will be tested (lectures and suggested texts reading).

If the student achieves a complete 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, both written and oral, he obtains very good or excellence in the evaluation (28-30L).

Average marks (satisfactory-good) will be awarded to a student who has memorized the main points of the material and is able to summarise them satisfactorily and provide an effective critical commentary, while failing to display a complete command of the appropriate terminology or contents (22-27).

An incomplete command of contents and/or inappropriate language and terminology, albeit in a context of minimal knowledge of the course material, will lead to 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).

Students enrolled in the course as part of an Integrated Course (I.C.) are required to pass the oral examination of the two parts – Archaic and Classical+Hellenistic History – in the same date (the final grade will result from the arithmetic average of the marks obtained in the two parts).

 

 

Teaching tools

The sources and the teaching material will be available on Virtuale (the download is required: on the exam day, students have to bring with them the printed copy of the examined sources)

Office hours

See the website of Maria Elena De Luna

SDGs

Quality education Reduced inequalities Peace, justice and strong institutions

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