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HIST 309/HUMN 309/CLAS 309: Ancient Greece (Rev. 2, 3, & 4) Report a Broken Link

Unit 6: The Persian Wars, Athens, and Herodotus

Herodotus. The Histories. Translated by Robin Waterfield. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.

Read Book VII, chapters 138–145: The Greeks prepare for Xerxes' invasion.
Herodotus. The Histories. Translated by Robin Waterfield. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.

Read Book VII, chapters 201–228: Battle of Thermopylae.
Herodotus. The Histories. Translated by Robin Waterfield. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.

Read Book VIII, chapters 40–57, 66–71, 74, 79–99: Battle of Salamis and the flight of Xerxes
Luce, T. James. “Herodotus and Historía.” In The Greek Historians, 11–25. New York: Routledge, 1997.

Unit 8: The Peloponnesian Wars and Thucydides

Thucydides. The Peloponnesian War. Translated by Martin Hammond. Oxford World Classics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.

Book 1: 139–146 (pp. 68–73) The Athenians’ response to Spartan pressure (432 BCE).
Thucydides. The Peloponnesian War. Translated by Martin Hammond. Oxford World Classics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.

Book 2: sections 34–46 (pp. 89–96) Pericles Funeral Oration during the first winter (431/0 BCE).
Thucydides. The Peloponnesian War. Translated by Martin Hammond. Oxford World Classics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.

Book 2: 47–54 (pp. 96–100) The plague in Athens during the second summer (430 BCE).
Thucydides. The Peloponnesian War. Translated by Martin Hammond. Oxford World Classics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.

Book 2: sections 55–66 (pp.100–107) Pericles’ final speech on his policy during the second summer (430 BCE). For optional notes, scroll down to pp. 516-18 of the translation.

Unit 9: Classical Theatre

Aristophanes. Lysistrata. In Hysterical Laughter: Four Ancient Comedies about Women, translated by David Christenson, 50–113. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. 

Unit 10: Early Greek Philosophy: The Presocratics and Socrates

Plato. Apology. Vol. 1, 4th ed. of The Dialogues of Plato, translated by B. Jowett, 341–66. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1953.

Unit 11: Plato and Aristotle

Plato. The Republic. Translated by Raymond Larson. Crofts Classics Series. Wheeling, IL: Harlan Davidson, 1979.

Many translations have a series of numbers and letters that refer to the standard Greek edition of Plato’s works: this enables one to refer to the same passage no matter what the page number is in a particular translation. The questions refer to these numbers and also give the page numbers of the ebook as they appear on each page. This e-book can be read online, downloaded, or printed. From Plato’s The Republic, please read the following excerpts. The links to these are provided with the corresponding study questions below.

Philosopher-Kings, Book 5, 473c–480a, pages 138–146

Ship of State, Book 6, 487b–489c, pages 150–152

Form of the Good: Simile of the Sun, Book 6, 504d–509c, pages 166–171

Simile of the Divided Line, Book 6, 509d–511e, pages 171–174

Parable of the Cave, Book 7, 514a–521b, pages 174–181
Philosopher-Kings, Book 5, 473c–480a, pages 138–146
Ship of State, Book 6, 487b–489c, pages 150–152
Form of the Good: Simile of the Sun, Book 6, 504d–509c, pages 166–171
Simile of the Divided Line, Book 6, 509d–511e, pages 171–174
Parable of the Cave, Book 7, 514a–521b, pages 174–181

Unit 12: The Rise of Macedon and Alexander the Great

Plutarch. “The Life of Alexander.” In Plutarch, The Parallel Lives. At Lacus Curtius: Into the Roman World. Transcribed by William P. Thayer from: Plutarch. “Alexander.” In Plutarch’s Lives. Vol. VII; Demosthenes and Cicero; Alexander and Caesar. Translated by Bernadotte Perrin. Loeb Classical Library, 99. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1919; repr. 1967, pp. 225–71 [old only]. Last updated 15 May 2013; accessed 3 April 2014.

Read sections 5.1 to 9.4.
Arrian. The Life of Alexander the Great. Translated by Aubrey de Selincourt, 36–39, 189–94, 254–56. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1958.

Unit 13: The Hellenistic Kingdoms and the Rise of Rome

Hansen, Mogens Herman. “The End of City-State Culture in Ancient Greece.” In Polis: An Introduction to the Ancient Greek City-State, 48–50. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2006.
Polybius. The Rise of the Roman Empire. Translated by Ian Scott-Kilvert, 41–47, 535–541. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1979.

Unit 14: Hellenistic Culture and Conclusion

Keyser, Paul T., and Georgia Irby-Massie. “Science, Medicine, and Technology.” In The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World, edited by Glenn R. Bugh, 241–64. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.