Introduction

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Introduction.

We shall be reading Book 1 of the Histories of Herodotus. He was born in the 480's and died in the 420's B.C. He came from Halicarnassus, a city on the south-west coast of modern Turkey. His city was part of the Persian Empire, so he was familiar with both the Persian and Greek worlds. He spend much of his life travelling around the eastern Mediterranean and western Asia, and his Histories record what he learned from local informants. Herodotus is remarkably open-minded, and his work was naturally used by Michael Ondaatje throughout his novel, The English Patient. Just like the hero of that novel, Herodotus belonged to no country but found himself caught up in a war between two worlds. He was, of course, on the side of the Greeks, but his real love was for the land and people of Asia and Europe, and this comes out most strongly in the first part of his work (Books 1-6) where he describes them with admirable impartiality.

On Thursdays, we shall discuss works written by modern experts on Herodotus and his world. We shall look at the west Asian cultures he describes (Frye, Roux, Waterhouse), and his own qualities as a historian (Gould, Momigliano, Romm).

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Requirements

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Weekly Assignment for Greek 203 Students

This course combines Greek 203 and Greek 303. We meet four times a week.
Students from both levels will meet together on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to read from the Histories of Herodotus.
The Greek 203 students alone will attend the first half-hour of the Thursday class, during which we shall review Greek grammar. During the second part of the class, we shall discuss a particular article on the world of Herodotus. This part of the class will be led by a Greek 303 student.

Requirements and Grading for Greek 203 Students.

Weekly Assignment for Greek 303 Students

This course combines Greek 203 and Greek 303. We meet four times a week.
Students from both levels will meet together on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to read from the Histories of Herodotus.
The Greek 303 students will not attend the first half-hour of the Thursday class. Both the Greek 203 and the Greek 303 students will attend the second part of the Thursday class, during which we shall discuss a particular article on the world of Herodotus. This part of the class will be led by a Greek 303 student.

Requirements and Grading for Greek 303 Students.

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Books, Time-Table

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Required Texts.
 

Click here for list of required texts.
 

Time-Table for Greek 203 / 303.
 

Click here for Time-Table.
 

Discussion Classes.
 

Click here for Assigned Readings.

Other information on the web about Herodotus.
 

Click here.

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Grammar, Hours

Review of Greek Grammar

Click here for review-sheets of Greek grammar.

Office Hours, Phone.

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