28278 - Hellenistic History (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student will be able to know in depth the Hellenistic history. He will know the most up-to-date tendencies of scholarship and he will be able to approach the main problems concerning the historical development of Greek world from the death of Alexander the Great onwards, with special attention to the intercultural relations. He will able to use different sources.

Course contents

Students who want to attend the course must have already a minimal knowledge of Greek history, namely the Hellenistic period (from 323 to 30 BC). In case they do not have such an experience, they must be prepared to get it during the course. The ancient texts will be read in the original language and translated into Italian, and this means that, although not compulsory, the knowledge of Greek and Latin is a useful requirement.

The content of the course will be:

1. Introduction: general history of the period and of the studies on it. Sources; interdisciplinary and pluridisciplinary aspects of Hellenistic history.

2. Social conflicts and 'tyrants' in the Hellenistic period. The evolution and transformation of a key-word in ancient Greek political language. This part of the course is consistent with the topics to be covered in the course on Archaic and Classical Greek History taught by Professor Maria Elena De Luna. Students may, however, choose to attend only one part of the course (6 CFU), as in previous years.

Readings/Bibliography

1. For general knowledge of the Hellenistic history: chapters X-XII of D. Musti, Storia greca. Linee di sviluppo dall'età micenea all'età romana, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 1990 (second edition) and later editions. For specific topics or events dealt with in the student's paper, the use of the following volumes is recommended: A. Chaniotis, Età di conquiste. Il mondo greco da Alessandro ad Adriano, Hoepli, Milano 2019; M. Mari (ed.), L'età ellenistica. Società, politica, cultura, Roma, Carocci, 2019; F. Muccioli, Storia dell’Ellenismo, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2019.

Attending students should also study:

2. Ancient sources discussed during lectures, which will be available on virtuale.unibo.it.

3. J. Ma, Polis. A New History of the Ancient Greek City-State from the Early Iron Age to the End of Antiquity, Princeton-Oxford 2024, pp. 203-228.

4. Two essays chosen among the following ones:

E. Lévy, La tyrannie et son vocabulaire chez Polybe, "Ktema" 21 (1996), pp. 43-54;

M. Faraguna, Un filosofo al potere? Demetrio Falereo tra democrazia e tirannide, "Mediterraneo antico" 19 (2016), pp. 35-64;

H. Börm, Stasis in post-Classical Greece: the discourse of civil strife in the Hellenistic world, in H. Börm-N. Luraghi (a cura di), The Polis in the Hellenistic World, Stuttgart 2018, pp. 53-83;

J. Thornton, Equilibrio e conflitti, norma e anomalie. Qualche considerazione su Polis di John Ma, "Romana Res Publica" 5 (2026), pp. 133-146.

5. One chapter chosen among chapters 4, 5 and 6 of D.A. Teegarden, Death to Tyrants! Ancient Greek Democracy and the Struggle against Tyranny, Princeton 2014.

6. Students are also expected to write a paper on a subject approved by the teacher.

For students who do not attend the lessons, points 1, 3, 5 and 6 of the above programme remain valid; as for point 2, the students will read (in translation), Plutarch's Life of Aratus, in the edition ed. by B. Scardigli, Plutarco. Vite di Arato e Artaserse, Milano, BUR, 2020, and the introductory essay by F. Muccioli; as for point 4, they will read all four essays cited above.

Teaching methods

Students are invited to discuss and to take part in the lessons, both for the general introduction and the analysis of the texts. There will be a training in finding the literary and documentary sources related to the problem discussed in the course, in collecting the modern bibliography, in using the digital tools available for the study of ancient history, in mastering a correct and clear technical language.

A basic knowledge of ancient Greek and Latin is recommended but not compulsory. Students who have never studied Greek and Latin can apply to the Dept. of Classics for the admission to the elementary courses in these languages.

Assessment methods

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

To give the exam students have to write a short paper on a subject preferably related to the topics discussed during the course. The paper must be presented at least 10 days before the oral exam. This paper will be discussed during the exam (along with the texts and bibliography indicated above). The informed and responsible use of generative A.I. tools for the drafting of the essay is permitted and encouraged, in accordance with the University’s policy (https://www.unibo.it/it/ateneo/statuto-norme-strategie-bilanci/intelligenza-artificiale). Should such tools be used, students are required to include in their essay a section of analysis and critical reflection; detailed guidance on this will be provided during the course and will be made available on Virtuale.

The exam is oral. All students will be asked at least 3 questions, one on the reading texts and 2 on the texts and issues dealt at classes. In particular, the ability to illustrate in a clear and competent way the methodologies applied to the analysis of the texts examined in the course of the lectures or possibly studied independently by students will be tested.

Students who show a mature understanding of the topics covered in class and/or of the bibliography indicated and the ability to use them critically, expounding them correctly and with correct terminology, will be evaluated at the maximum; a mnemonic knowledge of the subject (especially translations of the texts), counterbalanced by general analytical and framing skills, and a correct but not always appropriate language, will lead to a good evaluation; minimal knowledge of the subject, some gaps in content and/or inappropriate language will receive grades that do not exceed sufficiency; serious or extensive gaps in the knowledge of texts and/or bibliography, inappropriate language, inability to correctly frame the topics covered, and no skills in reading and commenting upon the texts do not allow to pass.

Punctuality to the exams is recommended. Please remind that no students are allowed to give exams out of the public lists.

IMPORTANT: This 6 CFU course can be chosen as a part of the 12 CFU Integrated Course “Greek History (C.I.) (LM)". If the student has chosen the Integrated Course (12 CFU) in his/her study plan, the exam must be taken in the same day, and the single, final mark is given by the two teachers, according to the assessment of both proofs. To pass the exam, both parts must be evaluated positively; if the result is insufficient in even one of the two, the exam as a whole is considered failed. The final grade will be communicated to students only after both parts have been completed. The final grade does not necessarily correspond to the arithmetic mean of the partial results, but is the product of an overall assessment agreed upon by the two teachers, based on a comparison between the two parts of the exam.

During the academic year, there will be exams every month from January to June (the dates of these exams will be indicated in due time in Almaesami), then one in October and one in December.

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is necessary to contact the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en ) with ample time in advance: the office will propose some adjustments, which must in any case be submitted 15 days in advance to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of these in relation to the teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

All texts commented and discussed with the students during the course will be available on virtuale.unibo.it, and all texts will be shown in the critical edition and, if necessary, a digital image will be provided.

Office hours

See the website of Manuela Mari