Introduction to the Ancient World

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Identify and evaluate different historical interpretations of the Ancient World
• Understand the significance of the Ancient World for subsequent periods of history
• Assess potential contributing factors to change within the Ancient World (social, political, cultural and religious)
• Analyse diverse forms of interaction between different societies
• Express familiarity with and interpret critically a variety of primary sources from the Ancient World
• Compare the characteristics of key periods within the Ancient World

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Organise and structure material to write and present confidently
• Use a range of perspectives in problem-solving
• Participate actively in group discussions and debate
• Communicate a coherent and convincing argument in both oral and written formats
• Critically analyse a diverse range of source material

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• The relationships between the Graeco-Roman world and other contemporary societies (e.g. Jews, Christians, Egyptians, Persians, Arabs, Celts, etc)
• The relationship between textual and material evidence
• Key characteristics of Bronze Aegean, Greek, Roman and Byzantine societies
• The latest research on the history of diverse contexts and societies in the Ancient World
• The chronology, history and societies of the Ancient World from Dark Age Greece to the emergence of Islam
• Debates on the factors that affected political, social and ideological developments in the Ancient World

An indicative list of the topics covered in the module includes:

1. Minoan/Mycenaean to Dark Age Greece

2. Classical Greece

3. Hellenistic world

4. Greece and its Neighbours

5. Republican Rome

6. Roman Empire

7. Rome and its Neighbours

8. Constantine and the fall of Rome

9. Byzantium and the rise of Islam

10. The reception of the Ancient World (including a visit to the British Museum)

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods include:

• One-hour lectures. The lectures will provide you with general knowledge and understanding about chronology, events, societies and key concepts. The lectures will also provide an introduction and context for interpreting the set texts, which will be discussed and debated in detail in the accompanying seminars.
• One-hour seminars. Seminars will focus on detailed reading and analysis of primary sources, along with major questions of debate in scholarship. Discussion in seminars will help you to develop your ideas on a topic, to analyse a range of source material and to articulate a critical argument. Such discussions will also allow you to reflect on the historiography and on broader attitudes towards the period in question.
• Opportunity for individual consultations with seminar tutors and feedback on assignments Learning activities include:
• Preparatory reading before each seminar
• Participation in group and seminar discussion
• Independent reading of the sources provided and of related secondary works
• Preparing and delivering presentations in seminars
• Independent research of additional information and source materials

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Elsner, J (1996). Art and Text in Roman Culture. Cambridge: CUP.

Champion, C.B., (ed.) (2004). Roman Imperialism: Readings and Sources. Oxford: Blackwell.

Wells, C (1992). The Roman Empire. London: Fontana.

Marincola, J (1997). Authority and Tradition in Ancient Historiography. Cambridge: CUP.

Crawford, M (1992). The Roman Republic. London: Fontana.

Cameron, A (1993). The Mediterranean world in late antiquity, AD 395-600. London: Routledge.

Rohrbacher, D (2002). The historians of late antiquity. London: Routledge.

Goodman, M (1997). The Roman World 44 BC - AD 180. London: Routledge.

Mitchell, M.M and F.M. Young (eds) (2006). The Cambridge History of Christianity, vol. 1: Origins to Constantine. Cambridge: CUP.

Gill, C (1995). Greek Thought. Greece and Rome New Surveys in the Classics. Oxford: OUP.

Erskine, A., (ed) (2003). A Companion to the Hellenistic World. Oxford: Blackwell.

Cornell, T.J (1995). The Beginnings of Rome. London: Routledge.

Walbank, F.W (1992). The Hellenistic World. London: Fontana.

Hornblower, S (2002). The Greek World 479-323 BC. London: Methuen.

Cameron, A (1993). The Later Roman Empire. London: Fontana.

Beard, M., J. North and S. Price (1998). Religions of Rome. Vol. 1, A history. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Price, S. and P. Thonemann (2011). The Birth of Classical Europe: A History from Troy to Augustine. New York: Penguin.

Shipley, G (2000). The Greek World after Alexander 323-30 BC. London: Routledge.

Kraus, C.S. and A.J. Woodman (1997). Latin Historians. Cambridge: CUP.

Brown, P (1993). The making of late antiquity. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.

Kleiner, D (1992). Roman Sculpture. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External