7 December 2024

This week we’re talking about the Hellenistic world—the cultural aftermath of Alexander’s conquests that resulted in a changed perspective and new connections in the ancient lands of the east.

Things to ponder as you explore the materials. What transformations stand out most to you as having the most lasting impact? What were the downsides of hellenism in the east, and what did it leave undone? How much did the Hellenistic world truly have in common with Greek culture and the Greek idea?

Also this week you’re completing your position papers. What did you learn from your research and analysis that you’d like to share with the rest of us? How has your perspective on Hellas changed or been reaffirmed as you explored your topic?

Looking forward to discussing all this with you on Thursday. See you then!

Link to Schedule page

30 November 2024

This week we’re talking about that fellow you might have heard of—you know, Phil’s kid. Alexander III of Makedon, otherwise known as Alexander the Great.

Things to ponder as you explore the materials. Does he measure up to his reputation? Does he deserve it, and how much of the credit goes to him and how much to his dad?

What do you think was his true goal in the east? What do you think he should be most known for—what strikes you as most worthy of our attention?

Was his conquest a failure because it didn’t remain unified? What are Alexander’s legacies for the world?

Looking forward to discussing all this with you on Thursday. See you then!

Link to Schedule page

23 November 2024

No meeting this week, but I’m on campus Tuesday if you want to stop by my office hours to discuss your position paper. Otherwise, have a safe and gratifying break, and I’ll see you next Thursday!

Link to My Grades page

17 November 2024

This week we’re studying the appearance of Macedon on the Aegean stage and the dramatic rise of their second-most-famous king, Philip II.

Things to ponder as you explore the materials. First of all, Macedon. How would you describe their relation to Hellas? Are they Greek (-ish?), or barbarians (-ish?)? What factors stand out especially to you as epitomizing or driving their culture?

Philip’s story is as fascinating for what he accomplishes in Macedon as it is for his swift and relentless absorption of Hellas. How would you describe him, as a man? As a king? Macedon’s long history before Philip is one of disunity. What do you think is most important in Philip being able to turn that disunity around and unite the Macedonians under his rule?

Finally, what do you think most enables Philip to gain control of Hellas? Is it just that the Greeks are weak, or is it the Macedonian king’s distinctive attributes and abilities?

Looking forward to discussing all of this with you. See you Thursday!

Link to Schedule page

9 November 2024

This week we’re taking about the aftermath of the Peloponnesian War, also known as the Fourth Century Crisis.

Things to ponder as you explore the materials. The basic question is, Why can’t the Greeks stop fighting each other? What’s driving these poleis into conflict? How have their motivations changed since the fifth century? Is this the same war all over again, or is this something new? How do you think the Greeks are looking at Persia during this period?

Why is the so-called Second Athenian Empire so different from the Delian League/Athenian Empire of the fifth century? Why is Corinth so involved now when it stepped back from the Peloponnesian Wars it helped instigate?

How is new player Thebes different from the others, or is it just like them? Are they able to defeat the Spartans because of Theban strength or Spartan weakness?

If you think the wars are overemphasized, what strikes you as most interesting about what’s going on in Hellas during the fourth century apart from the wars? As radical democracy becomes systematized and a matter of routine, how well does it seem to actually work? What stands out to you among the features of Athenian law and government discussed in this week’s readings?

Looking forward to discussing all of this with you. See you on Thursday!

Link to Schedule page

2 November 2024

Here it is, the big war.

Things to ponder as you explore the materials. With the Peloponnesian Wars, the Greeks are fighting each other in a massive, generation-long slog unlike anything the ancient war has seen. Why? Why are they fighting, and why does it last for decade after decade? Can we blame a particular city for this? What is this war really about?

Which leaders stand out the most to you? Are Perikles, Archidamus, Kleon, Brasidas, Nikias, Alkibiades, and the like important to the shape of this war, or are they perhaps more representative of the key issues within Sparta and Athens?

Why do you think the war turns out the way it does? Did Sparta win this war, or did Athens lose it?

Looking forward to discussing all of this with you. See you on Thursday!

Link to Schedule page

26 October 2024

This week we’re exploring the city of Athens itself, and we’re also looking at the very thing we’re engaged in thanks in part to the Greeks—education, both formal and communal.

Things to ponder as you explore the materials. How do you think the Athenians thought about education and the role it played? How does sophistry—the ability to argue successfully regardless of truth or merit—become a thing in Athens, which is otherwise so devoted to the cultural ideal? Why can’t anyone agree on right and wrong?

A particularly important idea, relevant to both the cultural turbulence in Athens and the conflicts in Clouds, is the debate between nomos and physis. What does this philosophical controversy relate to, and why is it so emblematic of classical Athens?

And in connection with that topic: what I most want to do is hash out what you guys think of Clouds now that we’re finishing it. There are some very striking scenes toward the end. What was most shocking or impactful for you—the debate where Unjust Argument wins (and: why does he win?); Pheidippides attacking his father; or Strepsiades abandoning rational discourse and taking up a torch? What is this play about? What is Aristophanes telling us by having Strepsiades twist around so much? What do you think the play is telling us beyond what Aristophanes intended?

Also: a reminder to make sure you’re planning for your Clouds essay as you read. Which work are you comparing Clouds to? What is Clouds telling us about classical Athens?

Looking forward to discussing all of this with you on Thursday. See you then!

Link to Schedule page

19 October 2024

This week we’re exploring the wild ferment that is classical Athenian culture, spanning everything from political innovation to theater and visual art to oratory, philosophy, and natural science. Where does this explosion of cultural expression come from? What drives the Athenians not only to develop new forms like tragedy and comedy, but make them absolutely central to their culture? What is all of this about, to the Athenians?

Not only is all of this cultural combustion happening at the same time during the fifth century, but it’s happening alongside the worst wars in Greek history. Is there a connection? How do the extremes of war relate to the pursuit of extreme cultural expression?

As historians (and in this course we are all historians) we should naturally pay close attention to the “invention” of historical writing, attributed both to Herodotos and to Thukydides. How different are they in terms of method and intent? Are their approaches conflicting or complementary, do you think? What do you recognize in the way they write about the past, compared to how we do it now?

This week we’re also shifting from our Reader excerpts to the exploration of an entire play, Aristophanes’s comedy Clouds. It’s ribald, it’s provocative, and most of all it’s a call to arms. Why do you think the protagonist of this play is a confused old man? How does the playwright see the head of the Thinkery, the character called “Socrates”? What elements do you see in this first part that signpost what Aristophanes is trying to accomplish here?

Looking forward to discussing all of this with you. See you Thursday!

Link to Schedule page

19 October 2024

I’ve had a couple of questions about the readings in Clouds, so I wanted to make sure everyone was clear on what’s assigned.

If you are looking at the schedule for this week you’ll notice there’s a button that says “Note” next to the list of readings. If you open that up, you’ll see I’ve divided Clouds into six sections. You won’t find these divisions in whichever copy of Clouds you’re using—Clouds is all one play, so I just cut it up into six pieces to parcel up the readings and talk about different sections in class.

For each of these sections I give the page numbers in West’s Four Texts About Socrates (the recommended text). Like all ancient plays and poems, Clouds also has standardized line numbers that will appear in the margins in any good edition of the play, so if you’re not using West you can still use the line numbers to determine how far you need to read for each assignment.

For the next class meeting I am asking you to read the introduction to the play in whatever edition you have, so that you have the background for the action of the play, and then the first half of the play. That would be sections 1, 2, and 3 in this scheme (which I call “Strepsiades’s Problem,” “The Thinkery,” and “ Gods and Memory/Clouds’ Response 1”). These three sections cover lines 1–626, or pages 115-141 in West.

Reading a play can be challenging, and we’ll talk more in class about how we can approach the text. For now, focus on the protagonist, Strepsiades. What is motivating him? How is the playwright depicting him?

The other key character to watch for is “Socrates.” This character is nothing like the real Athenian philosopher Socrates—this play was written specifically to discredit him and others like him—so you’ll want to keep a close eye on what the playwright is having this fake Socrates say and do.

More on this in class. See you soon!

Link to Schedule page

13 October 2024

This week we’re continuing our discussion of the Persian Wars and the long shadow they cast over the story of Hellas.

Things to ponder as you explore the materials. There are a lot of what-ifs about the Persian Wars and the aftermath. In the end the Greeks worked together to fight off the Persians, so why Hellas so divided afterwards? Did the Persian Wars being about the friction of the following years, or was it there the whole time? And when it comes to their relations with the rest of the Greeks, why did the Spartans and the Athenians turn into such jerks? Was the Delian League a racket to increase Athenian power or a real effort to advance a shared Greek culture and economy? (Or both?)

Also this week we get a chance to delve deeper into Athenian cultural expression in the fifth century. This is a time of great military, social, and political turbulence for Athens, and also the period of its greatest creative innovations. What’s the connection between the two phenomena? Why is Athens, in particular, a greenhouse of extreme cultural expression?

Looking forward to discussing all this with you. See you Thursday!

Link to Schedule page

5 October 2024

Lots to talk about this week as we cover the foundations of Athenian society.

Things to ponder as you explore the materials. Culturally, Athens is the most important of the Greek poleis—just ask them!—but their story is like a fever dream, starting out as a tightly-managed oligarchy of a few privileged families and ending as Hellas’s only radical democracy.

Why do you think Athens was so volatile? What is it about Athens that made them become so aggressive in seeking cultural dominance? What do you think drove them in the direction of democracy? And: Was democracy good for the Athenians? What do you think were the biggest downsides to democracy as practiced by the Athenians?

Looking forward to discussing all this with you. See you Thursday!

Link to Schedule page

28 September 2024

Here are a few brief reminders about the proposal, which is due very soon on Monday, October 14.

I’m looking for: a problem that can be argued; your proposed thesis; and any other thoughts about what you might want to explore or how you think you might go about supporting your argument in the position paper itself. I’ll give feedback on topic viability, scope, and possible primary and secondary sources.

There is also a video on the course website (see the Essays page or the Videos page) that details exactly what I’m looking for. A sample is also posted on the proposal page. I’m happy to discuss possible ideas and approaches in office hours, after class, or by email.

Here’s what the syllabus has for the proposal assignment.

The assignment: The proposal is just a brief one-page preview of your position paper. It should include:

• The topic you think you’ll want to write about and the problem you’re interested in addressing. You should be able to delineate the problem by describing the opposing views people might take. To make sure you have two clear opposing opinions, you might want to express them in the form “Some say… . Others say….”
• Your preliminary thesis statement—in other words, what you think you might be arguing in your paper.
• Your thesis statement, both here and in the final paper, should be a statement of opinion that someone could disagree with. It can take the form of following up the description of the opposing opinions with your own: “I believe….”
• Remember that your thesis is provisional. You can change anything about your approach and interpretation after the proposal; in fact, uncovering information as you do your research makes refining or changing your initial assessments very likely.

Your proposal is structured like the introduction to your final paper, and may serve as the basis for it.

The proposal is not graded, but whether you submitted a proposal on time will be factored into the final grade for the position paper. I will give you feedback on things like the feasibility of researching your topic, whether the scope is too big or too narrow for a paper like this, and some possible sources you might want to look at.

Link to Proposal page

21 September 2024

This week we’re talking about Sparta and the art of war.

Things to ponder as you explore the materials. What do you think went into making the Spartans like this—so different, so focused on being warriors? What does being a warrior society mean to them? Why aren’t more poleis like this, especially given the other cities are so impressed by the Spartans’ dedication?

Is the Spartan experiment a success, in Greek terms? What are the most positive aspects of the Spartan society, in terms of things like the well-being of its citizens? What are the biggest drawbacks of the Spartan system?

A lot is made of the distinctive situation for women in the Spartan culture. How do the Spartan women view their society, do you think?

And there’s this thing called the “Spartan Mirage.” What do you think that’s really about—for Greeks living in the same time as the Spartans, and for modern historians as well?

Looking forward to discussing all of this with you. See you on Thursday!

Link to Schedule page

14 September 2024

This week we’re talking about the period after the so-called Greek Dark Age, when from our perspective Hellas can be heard and seen again, with the foundations of Greek culture already laid down in the previous, unseen centuries.

Things to ponder as you explore the materials. This is the time of the polis—the distinctive, kingless Greek city-state; of colonization, with Greek cities sending their people out into the Aegean, the Black Sea, and the Mediterranean; and of the hoplite warrior. Also during this time: the rise of lyric poetry, a sharp contrast to the epic poetry of earlier times; and pan-Hellenism, the curious sense of commonality that grows among all these city-states with defiantly distinct and competitive identities. What do these cities really have in common? What does it mean to be Greek during this time, do you think? And how does that square with their bitter rivalries—not to mention reinventing war?

Two writers emerge during this period that are characteristic of the shifting Greek culture. One is Hesiod, who speaks from the point of view of the small landed farmer—unlike Homer, whose perspective was from the top of society down. What does Hesiod have to tell us about what it meant to be Greek, and is it different from the key values present in Homer’s work? Another author is Sappho, the most famous of the lyric poets. What does her poetry tell us about how Hellas is changing from the days of epic poetry told by rhapsodes?

Looking forward to discussing all this with you. See you Thursday!

Link to Schedule page

7 September 2024

This week we’re talking about the so-called Greek Dark Age—the period during which the Greeks recovered from the collapse of the Bronze Age and built a new civilization.

The Greek Dark Age is frustrating and fascinating to historians of ancient Greece, because this period of rebirth, during which the foundations and chief elements of Hellas as we know it come into being, happens while the Greeks have no writing system and so there are no literature or records until the very end—we can’t hear them creating a new Greek society.

Some things to consider as you do the readings. Based on what you found notable in the text, what do you think most drove the Greeks during the Dark Age? If the communities of the Aegean were so isolated and so fiercely independent, how did they end up having so much in common? How did they end up with such a clear idea of what it meant to be Greek?

Our best evidence is Homer, the result of stories performed and passed down orally through these centuries and written down at the end, and we’re reading a few excerpts from Iliad and Odyssey—two works that are to become the starting point for all Greek education, both in Aegean and beyond.

I’m looking forward to discussing the readings from Homer. What is Homer telling us when he describes Achilles and Agamemnon decrying each other, with Briseis in the middle? What’s so significant about Patroklas’s death in Achilles’s armor? When Odysseus meets Nausicaa, what’s this story really about? Is Penelope just being a dutiful wife waiting all those years, or is there more to it, and why are the suitors shown as being so awful?

I enjoyed our discussion last week, and there’s some good stuff to explore this week. Looking forward to discussing it all with you on Thursday!

Link to Schedule page

1 September 2024

This week we’re talking about the Bronze Age Aegean: the indigenous inhabitants, especially the mysterious Minoans, and the invading Greeks, who swarm in from the north and take over the Aegean world before bringing about their own spectacular collapse, bringing down the whole Bronze Age with them.

There are a lot of things to talk about here. What strikes you as most intriguing about the Minoans—what we know of them? Why do you think the Mycenaean Greeks were so successful in surpassing them? If you were to talk about what was important to the Minoans and to the Mycenaean Greeks, what would be similar, and what would be distinctive? Were the Mycenaean Greeks their own worst enemy in too-greedily building a trade empire, or should we emphasize other factors in the great cataclysmic collapse of the Bronze Age and its civilizations?

We had a great discussion last week, and this time we have some great stuff to explore. Looking forward to discussing all of this with you. See you Thursday!

Finally: don’t forget to sign up for your primary source presentation, if you haven’t already! To claim one of the readings for your presentation, go to the sign-up page on the course website. Email me if you have any questions about the presentation or anything else!

Link to Schedule page

31 August 2024

Just a reminder to post your first week’s response if you haven’t already. The idea this week is to have a sort of open mic and talk about how you see history and what you want to explore.

The weekly Responses are a part of your grade, so this will be part of the routine for this course. Responses are due by the Sunday after the class meeting.

To post your response, go to the course website (follow the links sent previously, or find markbwilson dot com and click on Courses), then click on Responses on the side menu.

Also, while I have you, another reminder: make sure to claim your first presentation if you haven’t already.

Any questions or issues, please email me and let me know!

Link to Responses page

24 August 2024

This is a quick note to welcome you all to the beginning of History of Ancient Greece! I’m looking forward to exploring the ancient Greek world with all of you, starting with our first meeting on Thursday. The meeting is in-person, 6:00 – 8:40 p.m., in Carman 209.

At our first meeting we’ll be laying some important foundations that we’ll be building on throughout the semester, including the themes of the course and some of the things we’ll be delving into as we navigate the ancient Aegean world. Who were the Greeks, and how did they end up being so important to the cultures that came after them? Is there something about the Aegean environment or the experiences of the different peoples living there that fostered such influential cultures? What do we think it means to be Greek—in other words, what is the Greek idea? We’ll start laying out the basics of those discussions this week, and then return to them throughout the semester as we explore the fascinating, dramatic, and sometimes heartbreaking stories of the ancient Aegean.

Syllabus and video: As a reminder, the syllabus, assignments, and requirements are all on the course website, which is on my website, markbwilson dot com. Make sure you’ve looked through the site and that you’ve watched the welcome video, which talks about how the course works and answers some common questions.

Books: Also make sure you have the textbook. We won’t need the second book, Four Texts about Socrates, until October, but the Pomeroy textbook will be getting regular use starting right away, and it shouldn't be hard to find. The reading assignments are on the Schedule page of the website; they tell you what you need to have read (and thought about) before coming to class.

Email me: Most of you replied back to the welcome-to-the-course email I sent you after you enrolled, confirming that I have a good email address for you. If you didn’t, could you do me a favor and reply back to this one and let me know that I can use this address, or that that a different email is better for you? Thanks. I’ll be sending out lots of emails, including weekly previews and information on assignments, so it’s important I’m able to reach you.

Sign up for your first presentation: There is a sign-up page on the course website for your first primary source presentation, which is just you introducing one of the readings to the class along with your take on what the author is trying to say and what you think it means, as a way of kicking off our discussion of that reading. Everyone needs to sign up for one presentation during the first half of the semester, and one in the second. You can get that out of the way now and choose the one that seems interesting to you. To get to the page, click on “Presentation” in the side menu, then “Signup #1.” As always, I'm grateful to those who pick the earlier ones! If you have questions, we’ll talk more about presentations and the rest of the course components on Tuesday.

That’s it for now. Let me know if you have any questions. I’ll see you all on Thursday!

Link to Schedule page

23 August 2024

Over the course of the semester we’ll be exploring a number of readings straight out of the ancient Greek world, and everyone will have a chance to briefly introduce two of these to the class in order to kick off our discussion of the text and what it’s telling us—one in the first half of the semester, and the other in the second.

Go ahead and sign up now for your first presentation. The sign-up page is on the course website (at markbwilson dot com), under Presentations. Look the list over and find one that seems like it might be interesting to spend a little time with when it comes up later in the semester. Each of the titles is linked to the reading, so you can get a preview, and the dates we’ll be getting to each reading are there, too. Don’t worry, we’ll talk more in class about the presentations and what goes into them.

If you haven’t watched the welcome video on the home page of the course website, do that first. Feel free to ask me any questions!

Link to Presentation #1 signup page

24 July 2024

Welcome to History of Ancient Greece! I’m looking forward to a great semester exploring the cultures and transformations of the ancient Aegean, from the Bronze Age to Alexander.

Right now, I need you to do three things.

First, look over the course web page, which will be our base of operations. Watch the quick welcome and orientation video (linked here and on the overview page). Look through each of the pages on the website to see how the course will work and how the readings and discussions are set up. Any questions about how it works, please send me an email.

Second, get the books now if you can. A lot of you will be ordering books online, and you need to make sure you have the books and are ready to go when the course starts on August 29. On the “Books” page I’ve tried to give you lots of different options for getting what you need, but consider ordering now if there’s going to be any kind of shipping involved. (If you come across a legitimate online/e-text version of one of the assigned readings that’s not already listed, please let me know.)

Finally, send me an email so that I know I have a working email address for you. You can just send a blank email, email and say “hi”, or email with a question or concern, but I want to make sure I can contact everyone. If you receive an email from me but there is an email address you prefer I use instead of this one, please definitely reply and tell me that.

Email me anytime with questions at mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu. I’m looking forward to starting our journey together.

Link to Overview page