Module CLAS3551: Greeks and Persians (c 560 - 336 BC)

Department: Classics and Ancient History

CLAS3551: Greeks and Persians (c 560 - 336 BC)

Prerequisites

• CLAS 2301 Archaic Greece C800 - 479 BC or CLAS 2671 Athens, Sparta and the Greek World: From the Persian War to the Battle of Mantin or CLAS 2681 History of the Hellenistic Age

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To build on students' previous work in Greek history by making a detailed study of an interesting and important topic on the basis of the ancient evidence.

Content

• The module studies the history of the Persian Kingdom from the rise of Cyrus II (c. 560) to the beginning of the Macedonian / Greek invasion which led to the overthrow of the Persians (336), and of the contacts between the Persians and the Greeks, who particularly after the early fifth century provide most of our evidence for the Persians. This involves not only political and military history but also the cultural interaction of the Persians and the Greeks.
• The main topics covered are:
• 1. The rise of Persia and Cyrus' conquest of Asia Minor,
• 2. Cambyses and the conquest of Egypt,
• 3. Darius' accession and the organisation of the empire,
• 4. Darius' Scythian expedition,
• 5. The Ionian Revolt,
• 6. The Persian–Greek war of 490,
• 7. The Persian–Greek war of 480–479,
• 8. Persia, Athens and Sparta, 478–404,
• 9. From the end of the Peloponnesian War to the King's Peace, 404–386,
• 10. Cyprus, Egypt and the Satraps' Revolt, 386–359,
• 11. Artaxerxes III and his successors, 359–336.

Learning Outcomes

• At the end of the course students should have a good knowledge and understanding of a major topic in ancient Greek and near-eastern history based on the ancient evidence and modern interpretations of it.

• Students will have developed the skills relevant to the evaluation and deployment of textual and other forms of evidence, and of the interpretations of the evidence by modern scholars; and by studying peoples remote but not unbridgeably remote from our own world they will have enhanced their understanding of how people think and act in different circumstances, and with what results. By writing essays and participating in seminars they will have enhanced their skills in the written and oral presentation of evidence, facts, hypotheses and arguments.

• The skills required for the successful completion of the course are transferable to any field which demands critical understanding of evidence, the construction of arguments to interpret and deploy it, and an understanding of the reasons for and the results of people's actions. The course also requires the effective use of library resources, and skill in the presentation of material.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• There will be a weekly class of 1½ hours which will combine elements of lecture (especially towards the beginning of the year), in which the teacher will present material and discuss its significance and interpretation, and of seminar (especially later in the year), in which the students after due preparation will present material and discuss the material presented by others. As part of their preparation each student will write three formative essays in the course of the year. Assessment will be by a 3-hour written examination paper, in which the students will be required to comment on extracts from the sources and to write essays on larger questions.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

3 essays (on different topics, at different times in the year, for different students), written in connection with the weekly classes. No collections.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University