Undergraduate Course: Early Iron Age and Archaic Greece (ANHI10082)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course examines the development of Greek societies between roughly 1100 BC and 500 BC. The key themes of the course will include the rise and organisation of the urban polis, sanctuaries and their offerings, forms of leadership and authority, interactions with the wider Mediterranean, and changes in the ways that the Greeks conceptualised and depicted their world. |
| Course description |
The early centuries of the First Millennium BC were once considered a 'Dark Age', which was seen as culturally impoverished and inaccessible to historians. Now, the fascinating complexity of this period, and its integral importance in understanding Greece in the Archaic Period and beyond, are widely recognised. In this course, we will explore the key changes in Greek societies from the end of the Bronze Age to the end of the Archaic Period. Through the use of a range of texts and material evidence, we will investigate developments in various aspects of Greek life, such as the rise of the urban polis, the introduction of written law, changes in ritual practice, and the first uses of coinage. The scope of the module will extend beyond Greece, incorporating Greek settlement around the Mediterranean and their interactions with other cultures in the Near East, Italy, and Egypt. Participants will gain a broad, critical understanding of the Greek world leading into the Classical Period, and will also be invited to scrutinise the benefits and shortcomings of periodisation in Greek history.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should usually have at least 3 courses in Classics, History or Archaeology (at least 2 of which should be in Ancient History) at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this) for entry to this course. We will only consider University/College level courses. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- demonstrate, by way of written examination and coursework as well as in class discussion, knowledge and understanding of key developments in Greek history in the Early Iron Age and Archaic Period;
- demonstrate, by way of written examination and coursework as well as in class discussion, knowledge and understanding of a range of source material, including texts and material evidence;
- demonstrate, by way of written examination and coursework as well as in class discussion, the ability to engage critically with hypotheses and debates presented in scholarship;
- demonstrate, by way of written examination and coursework as well as in class discussion, the ability to propose independent interpretations and analysis of source material and secondary reading.
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Reading List
Barringer, J.M. 2014. The Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece. Cambridge.
Burkert, W. 1995. The Orientalizing Revolution: Near Eastern Influence on Greek Culture in the Early Archaic Age. Cambridge.
Coldstream, J.N. 2003. Geometric Greece, 2nd edn. London.
Demetriou, D. 2012. Negotiating Identity in the Ancient Mediterranean. Michigan.
Dickinson, O. T. P. K. 2006. The Aegean from the Bronze Age to Iron Age: Continuity and Change between the Twelfth and Eighth Centuries BC. London.
Gunter, A. 2009. Greek Art and the Orient. Cambridge.
Langdon, S. H. 2008. Art and Identity in Dark Age Greece, 1100-700 BCE. Cambridge.
Malkin, I. 1998. The Returns of Odysseus: Colonization and Ethnicity. London.
Mazarakis Ainian, A. 1997. From Rulers' Dwellings to Temples: Architecture, Religion and Society in Early Iron Age Greece (1100-700 B.C.). Jonsered.
Mitchell, L. 2013. The Heroic Rulers of Archaic and Classical Greece. London.
Osborne, R. 2009. Greece in the making, 1200-479 BC, 2nd edn. London.
Raaflaub, K.A., and Van Wees, H. (eds). 2009. A Companion to Archaic Greece. Chichester. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Matthew Skuse
Tel: (0131 6)50 2383
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Marie-Therese Talensby
Tel: (0131 6)50 4580
Email: |
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