HERODOTUS AND THUCYDIDES
The Classic Greek Historians

This course will cover the history of Athens in the fifth century BC, as described by the “first historians” Herodotus (c.484 BCc. 420 BC) and Thucydides (c.460 BC-c.400 BC), who observed the rise of Athens from the Greek-Persian wars to the beginning of its decline during the Peloponnesian War. What justifies the claim that these two historians are the fathers of history? In writing their two prose histories, what are the differences in their approach to factual recording, narrative style, and portrayal of personality? Why are their works still studied today? And why is the time of Athenian glory, for which these two provide an almost continuous account, still considered to be a turning point in Western civilization?

With the help of their histories, these and other questions will be explored during the course, which also includes readings from the dramatists Aeschylus, Euripides, and Aristophanes, and the historian Plutarch. Core texts for the course are The Rise and Fall of Athens: Nine Greek Lives by Plutarch, The Histories by Herodotus in the fall and The Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides in the winter session, both in a translation by R. B Strassler. The course is divided into Parts 1 and 2—each part can be taken on its own, or as a whole.

COURSE LENGTH: 24 weeks
DISCUSSION TEAM: Jerry Bures, Alexander Highet, Christian Roy
FIRST FALL SESSION: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 at 6:15 pm
FIRST WINTER SESSION: Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 6:15 pm