00996 - Greek History (A-L)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be broadly familiar with the development of Greek history, using the basic interpretive categories towards critical analysis of issues pertaining to the Greek world and working from historical and documentary sources read in the original and in translation. Students will have a good knowledge of the main themes, events and phenomena of Greek history in a broader context. They will possess precise spatio-temporal coordinates and know the main tools of information, research and updating. They will read works by historians in at least one language other than Italian and be able to speak in the appropriate technical terminology.

Course contents

• Sources, methods and tools for the study of Greek history (approximately 20 hours).
• Analysis of selected and translated historical and documentary sources pertaining to the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic periods, exploring themes and prominent figures of Greek history, and an in-depth study of the political and military activities of the Spartan Lysander (approximately 40 hours).

The programme will include knowledge acquired through independent study of key events in Greek history from its origins to the 1st century BC, with a focus on evidence for reconstructing these events.

Readings/Bibliography

Preliminary reading: all students are recommended to read the first volume of their high school history handbook BEFORE the course starts, to refresh their memory of the key events in Greek history and make it easier to follow the lectures.

Attending students are required to study the following:

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. Giangiulio (ed.), Introduzione alla storia greca, Il Mulino, Bologna 2021, chapters XII-XV, pages 159-208. 

3. M. Bettalli (a cura di), Introduzione alla storiografia greca, terza edizione, Carocci, Roma 2021, capitoli 2-9, pp. 23-184.

4. Selected and translated sources supplied during lectures (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. Giangiulio (ed.), Introduzione alla storia greca, Il Mulino, Bologna 2021, chapters XII-XV, pages 159-208.

3. M. Bettalli (a cura di), Introduzione alla storiografia greca, terza edizione, Carocci, Roma 2021, capitoli 2-9, pp. 23-184. 

4. Selected sources for non-attending students (cf. virtuale.unibo.it).

5. Reading (in Italian translation) and commentary on: Aristotele, Costituzione degli Ateniesi (choosing preferably an annotated edition: A. Santoni, Cappelli, Bologna 1999 or P.J. Rhodes, Mondadori-Valla, Milano 2016).

6. Reading (in Italian translation) and commentary on: Plutarco, Lisandro (choosing among the available Italian editions).

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

Teaching methods

Lessons are held exclusively in person and are not recorded.

This course is reserved for students whose surname begins with a letter between A and L.

The course consists mainly of lectures. During these, several textual sources will be read in the original languages of Greek and Latin, as well as in Italian, English or French translation. Students will participate in lessons and practise studying ancient sources and solving related problems.

Students with no prior knowledge of Greek or Latin are welcome to attend. Students wishing to specialise in ancient studies should be aware that they must acquire competence in these ancient languages as soon as possible.

Ancient Greek literacy courses are offered at FICLIT: please see https://corsi.unibo.it/laurea/lettere/greco-zero-alfabetizzazione-al-greco-antico.

Assessment methods

The oral examination, which will take place in a single session, will test your knowledge of the course content, including the individual study texts and sources. This will take place in two stages during the same exam session:

• at least three questions will be asked about the events of the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic periods (Readings/Bibliography 1 and 2);
• at least two questions will be asked about ancient historiography and the sources analysed during the course (Readings/Bibliography 3 and 4); for non-attending students, at least two questions will be asked about ancient historiography and the sources (Readings/Bibliography 3, 4, 5 and 6).

There are eleven examination sessions during the academic year: the first six are held once a month from January to June, the seventh is held in September or October, the eighth is held in December, and the last three are held once a month from January to March.

Students who demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the topics discussed in class and required for the discipline, provide an effective critical commentary and show mastery of expression and the specific language will obtain an excellent evaluation (28–30 L).

Students who demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of the main topics of the subject, basic analytical ability, the ability to synthesise information and a correct command of the language will be given a good mark (25–27).

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

Superficial knowledge and understanding of the material and scarce analytical and expressive ability will result in a pass mark (18–21).

A student will fail the exam if they display significant errors in their understanding, fail to grasp the overall outlines of the subject and demonstrate a poor command of the appropriate terminology (under 18).

Teaching tools

The original sources will be displayed during the lectures.

The sources that students are required to read will be made available online during the course (virtuale.unibo.it).

Sources for non-attending students will also be made available online at the end of the course.

Ancient Greek literacy courses are offered at FICLIT: please see https://corsi.unibo.it/laurea/lettere/greco-zero-alfabetizzazione-al-greco-antico.

 

Students with learning disorders and/or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible [https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students] as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Office hours

See the website of Alice Bencivenni