CLA 111 - The Ancient World

An introduction to the world of heroes like Odysseus and Dido, gods like Athena and Bacchus, rulers like Alexander and Cleopatra, poets like Sappho and Plautus, historians like Herodotus and Livy, martyrs like the seven Jewish brothers and Perpetua. The Greco-Roman world saw the beginning of history and philosophy, tragedy and comedy, epic and epigram. It laid the foundations of democracy. If the Greeks lived around the Mediterranean Sea like frogs around a pond, as Plato said, the Romans conquered the pond and then some. Yet for all these great achievements, millions of people in this world lived and died in slavery, and the average life expectancy was 35 years, due to an appallingly high infant mortality rate.

This course will introduce students to this diverse and influential world, paying particular attention to how we know what we know, resources (print, electronic, material) for studying the classical world, and funding opportunities for research in this field. We will dip into a wide range of written evidence as well as material remains. Guest lecturers will showcase the wide range of approaches you can take at Davidson to explore the ancient world further.

Satisfies the Historical Thought requirement.
Satisfies a requirement for the Classical Studies major and the Classical Languages and Literature major.
Counts as a pre-modern course in the History major and minor.

Prerequisites & Notes
Students at all levels welcome. (Offered annually, Fall only.)