Section A is an image-based response.

Assignment Instructions

Section A is an image-based response.

Section B is a commentary and

Section C contains essay questions.

Section A: Discuss Below Image. Please keep your answers concise.

Suggested word limit: 500 words

a) Who are the two figures depicted by these statues? Briefly discuss their significance in Athenian political history.

Section B: Discuss. Please keep your answers concise.

Suggested word limit: 500 words

Thus far it was a matter of mere robbery on both sides. But after this (the Persians say) the Greeks were greatly to blame; for they invaded Asia before the Persians attacked Europe. We think, say they, that it is wrong to carry women off: but to be zealous to avenge the rape is foolish: wise men take no account of such things: for plainly the women would never have been carried away, had not they themselves wished it. We of Asia regarded the rape of our women not at all; but the Greeks, all for the sake of a Lacedaemonian woman, mustered a great host, came to Asia, and destroyed the power of Priam. Ever since then we have regarded Greeks as our enemies. The Persians claim Asia for their own, and the foreign nations that dwell in it; Europe and the Greek race they hold to be separate from them.

Such is the Persian account of the matter: in their opinion, it was the taking of Troy which began their feud with the Greeks. But the Phoenicians do not tell the same story about Io as the Persians. They say that they did not carry her off to Egypt by force: she had intercourse in Argos with the captain of the ship: then, perceiving herself to be with child, she was ashamed that her parents should know it, and so, lest they should discover her condition, she sailed away with the Phoenicians of her own accord.

Herodotus, Histories, 1.4-5

Section C: Select any TWO (2) essay questions.

Suggested word limit: 800-1,000 words per question.

Do you think Herodotus deserves the title of Father of History? Justify your view with reference to specific passages from his work.

What is the significance of the battle of Salamis for the city of Athens? How did it change the Athenians perception of themselves and their position in Greece?

Greek History

Annotated Bibliography

A Ancient Authors

Arrian, The Anabasis of Alexander

Herodotus, The Histories

Plutarch, Parallel Lives

Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War

Xenophon, Anabasis

B General Works about Greek History

Boardman, J., J. Griffin, O. Murray (eds.) (1988)Greece and the Hellenistic World. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.

A landmark exploration of classical Greece and the Hellenistic age. An old textbook but still useful.

Cartledge, P. (2002) The Cambridge Illustrated History of Ancient Greece. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

A useful introduction to ancient Greek history with good illustrations.

Hornblower, S. (2011)The Greek World 479323 BC(4th edition). London and New York: Routledge.

A useful introduction to Greek history in the fifth and fourth centuries BCE down to the death of Alexander the Great.

Kinzl, K. H. (ed.) (2006) A Companion to the Classical Greek World. Malden MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

A useful edited collection of essays covering classical Greece (478-323 BCE) from a variety of angles, including chapters on warfare, women, religion, government and many more.

Renshaw, J. (2008) In Search of the Greeks. London: Bristol Classical Press.

A useful introduction to Greek society that draws extensively on the ancient sources.

Rhodes, P. J. (2006)A History of the Classical Greek World: 478323 B.C. Malden, Mass: Wiley-Blackwell.

A more challenging introduction to Greek history in the fifth and fourth centuries BCE with extensive references to our ancient sources. Recommended as supplementary reading only.

C Themes in Greek History

The Persian Wars

Bridges, E., E. Hall, and Rhodes, P.J. (eds.) (2007) Cultural Responses to the Persian Wars: Antiquity to the Third Millennium. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

This edited collection explores the impact of the Persian Wars in ancient Greece and in later centuries including the modern world.

Cartledge, P. (2013) After Thermopylae: The Oath of Plataea and the End of the Graeco-Persian Wars. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.

This monograph examines the commemoration, and legacy of the battle of Plataea. It challenges Herodotus account and his mythmaking.

De Souza, P. (2003) The Greek and Persian Wars, 499-386 BC. New York: Routledge.

A useful exploration of the ongoing conflict between the Greek city states and the Persian Empire also addresses the question of Herodotus reliability as a source.

Green, P. (1996) The Greco-Persian Wars. Berkeley: University of California Press.

An older but still useful study of the Persian Wars.

Mikalson, J. D. (2003) Herodotus and Religion in the Persian Wars. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

This monograph demonstrates the important role that religion played in the Herodotus account of the Persian Wars.

The Peloponnesian War

Cawkell, G. (1997) Thucydides and the Peloponnesian War. London: Routledge.

An analysis of Thucydides account of the Peloponnesian War that seeks to uncover the ancient historians agenda and biases.

Taylor, M. C. (2010) Thucydides, Pericles, and the Idea of Athens in the Peloponnesian War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

This study examines the key role played by the Athenian politician Pericles in the opening stages of the Peloponnesian War.

Tritle, L. A. (2010) A New History of the Peloponnesian War. Malden, MA.

A study of the war and its impact on Athenian society. Tritle examines how and why the Peloponnesian war began and challenges Thucydides account.

Rubel, A. (2014) Fear and Loathing in Ancient Athens: Religion and Politics during the Peloponnesian War. London: Routledge.

This monograph examines the intersection between religion, politics, and war in ancient Athens during the Peloponnesian War. It investigates a series of religious scandals and controversies that took place during this turbulent period of Athenian history and in its aftermath.

Thauer, C. R. and C. Wendt (eds.) (2016) Thucydides and Political Order: Concepts of Order and the History of the Peloponnesian War. London: Palgrave.

An in-depth exploration of Thucydides account of the Peloponnesian War from the twin perspective of Classics and Political Theory. The collection seeks to answer the question of Thucydides continued popularity in modern times as a way of thinking about modern politics.

Ancient Macedonia & Alexander the Great

Anson, E. M. (2013) Alexander the Great: Themes and Issues. London: Bloomsbury Academic.

A useful investigation of Alexanders life, conquests, and legacy.

Boardman, J. (2019) Alexander the Great: From his Death to the Present Day. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

This book investigates the legacy of Alexander and his impact on later centuries including his portrayal in medieval romances, films, novels and tv series.

Carney, E., and Ogden, D. (eds.) (2010) Philip II and Alexander the Great: Father and Son, Lives and Afterlives (Oxford).

This edited collection examines the relationship of this famous father and son and their legacies.

Cartledge, P. (2004) Alexander the Great: The Hunt for a New Past. New York: Overlook Press.

This book examines the life and legacy of Alexander.

Lonsdale, D. J. (2007) Alexander the Great: Lessons in Strategy. London: Routledge.

This study of Alexanders military strategies seeks to uncover the reasons for his success in war.

Roisman, J. (ed.) (2003) Brills Companion to Alexander the Great. Leiden: Brill.

This edited collection explores the life, conquests, and legacy of Alexander.

Stoneman, R. (2004) Alexander the Great. London: Routledge.

A concise introduction to the life, conquests, and legacy of Alexander.

Walsh, J., and E. Baynham (eds.) (2021) Alexander the Great and Propaganda. London: Routledge.

This edited collection examines the use of propaganda (utilizing literature, iconography, and coins) in Alexanders court and that of his successors.

Worthington, I. (2011) Alexander the Great: A Reader (2nd edition).

This useful introduction for undergraduates explores the life of Alexander, questions the ancient sources and his legacy.

Ancient Greek Women

Fabre-Serris, J. and Keith, A. (eds.) (2015) Women and War in Antiquity. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

An edited collection that examines the role of women in Greek and Roman warfare, including chapters on the Homeric epics and Greek Tragedy.

Holmes, B. (2009), Gender: Antiquity and its Legacy. London and New York: I.B. Tauris.

A thought-provoking discussion that engages with the concept of gender from ancient Greece to our modern world.

Lefkowitz, M. R. (2007) Women in Greek Myth (2nd edition). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.

This monograph includes chapters on the role of women in the Panathenaic and other Greek festivals, the role of ancient wives, elite women and historical misogyny.

Lefkowitz, M. R. and M. B. Fant (eds.) (2016), Womens Life in Greece and Rome: A Source Book in Translation (4th edition). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.

An invaluable collection of the surviving evidence for ancient Greek and Roman women in translation.

Pomeroy, S. B. (1975) Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity. London: Random House.

A landmark study of ancient Greek women by a pioneer in the field.

Pomeroy, S. B. (1991) The Study of Women in Antiquity: Past, Present, and Future, The American Journal of Philology 112(2): 263-68.

A short journal article by one of the early scholars to focus on the study of ancient women discussing the state of the discipline thirty years plus ago.

Pomeroy, S. B. (2002) Spartan Women. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

A monograph that discusses the surviving evidence for the role women played in Spartas military society. It covers over a thousand years of history, and analyses what we know about different classes of women (from the elite to the poor).

Ancient Greek Warfare

Brice, L. L. (ed.) (2020) New Approaches to Greek and Roman Warfare. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell.

A useful collection of essays on several aspects of ancient Graeco-Roman warfare, including topics on siege warfare, the cavalry, the battlefield, military finances and many more.

Bakogianni, A. and V. M. Hope (eds.) (2015) War as Spectacle: Ancient and Modern Perspectives on the Display of Armed Conflict. London: Bloomsbury Academic.

An edited collection about ancient wars and their reception in later centuries, including modern times that includes analyses of both ancient texts and artefacts. How do we view war and has it become a form of entertainment?

Kagan, D., and G. F. Viggiano (eds.) (2013) Men of Bronze: Hoplite Warfare in Ancient Greece. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

An edited collection that explores hoplite warfare and the hoplite revolution. When and why did this type of fighting formation become common place in the Greek world and beyond?

Nevin, S. (2017) Military Leaders and Sacred Space in Classical Greek Warfare: Temples, Sanctuaries and Conflict in Antiquity. London and New York: I.B. Tauris.

This monograph explores the close connections between war and religion. Referencing the work of ancient Greek authors, Nevin asks why Greek military leaders were expected to show respect to the gods, their temples, and sanctuaries even in the midst of battle.

Pritchard, D. M. (2013) Sport, Democracy and War in Classical Athens. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Sport was the preserve of the elite in ancient Athens. How and why, that was the case is the subject of this monograph which explores the close connections between sport, the Athenian democracy, and the near constant wars in which the city became involved.

Pritchard, D. M. (ed.) (2020) Athenian Democracy at War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

This monograph investigates the reasons for Athens military success in the fifth century BCE and how it became a superpower in the Greek world. It looks at the different branches and specializations of its fighting forces.

Sidebottom, H. (2004) Ancient Warfare: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

A short thematic introduction to ancient Greek and Roman warfare designed to provoke discussion. Also, the textbook for the Greek and Roman Warfare course (201.117).

Sabin, P., Van Wees, H. and Whitby, M. (eds.) (2007) The Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Warfare. Vol. 1: Greece, The Hellenistic World, and the Rise of Rome. Cambridge: University Press.

A useful edited collection that analyses the surviving evidence (textual and archaeological) for warfare in antiquity from a variety of perspectives, written by scholars who specialise in this area.