HISTORY 2010 - The Ancient History of History

Institution:

Bard College

Subject:

Description:

Classical Studies This survey of ancient history begins with the early cultures of the Near East, examining how they conceived of the past and preserved it, from preliterate times to the writing systems of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and such Near Eastern kingdoms as Israel. Priestly record-keeping, royal propaganda, the cultural implications of scribal classes employed in the service of elites, and the breakthrough represented by the Hebrew Bible are investigated. The course then considers the Mycenaean Greeks, the rise of epic poetry, Homer, the widespread use of the alphabet, and how the late archaic and early classical periods developed and modified the paradigms of Homer. It culminates with a study of the father of history, Herodotus, and why history as a genre and intellectual discipline came into its own specifically in fifth-century Athens.

Credits:

4.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.bard.edu

Phone Number:

(845) 758-6822

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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