Under
Construction!
Alexander
the Great and the Hellenistic World
Spring
2010
The Battle of the Issus.
Alexander is on the far left, Darius is right of
center. Mosaic from Pompeii, 1st century CE.
HIST 4013
MWF
Office: 407 Old Main
Phone: (479) 575-5891
Email: cmuntz@uark.edu
The class will examine one of the most famous figures of
the ancient world, Alexander the Great, and the new
political and social order that he helped create. We begin
with Alexander’s early life and the political situation
that caused his father Philip II to plan an invasion of
Persia. After Philip’s death we will follow Alexander as he
fulfills his father’s goals, and then moves well beyond
them as he takes his army as far as India. We will conclude
our study of Alexander by looking at his legacy and
influence both in the ancient world and the modern. In the
second part of the course we will examine the Diadochoi,
the successors of Alexander the Great. But we will look at
not only the political and military history of this period,
but also the intellectual and artistic achievements that
helped to spread Hellenistic culture all over the
Mediterranean and Near East. Finally we will look at the
coming of Rome, and the role that Hellenistic culture and
society played in the formation of the Roman Empire.
Workload
Quizzes: There will be
two short (5 minute) quizzes. One will be a
map quiz on January 23, the other will be on the
Hellenistic monarchs and their reigns on April 10.
Map Quiz Places
Blank map for practice
Exams:
There will be an in-class
midterm on February 25, and a final exam on Tuesday, May 5,
7:30-9:30 am. Both will consist of identification, short
answer, and essay questions.
Papers: There will
be one short (5 pages) and one long (10 pages) paper
for this class. The short paper will be evaluating two
ancient sources of the same event, due on February 6
(revised b/c of storm). The second paper will be a
research paper on a topic of the student’s choice,
subject to my approval. Please email me your topic and
preliminary bibliography and set up an appointment with
me by March 27. If you need help deciding on a topic,
please see me by March 23. The final paper will be due
April 20. Papers are due at the beginning of class and
will be marked down by one letter grade for each day
late. Please consult the following pages for more
information:
First Paper Assignment
Bibliographic
resources for ancient history
Formatting guidelines
Grading
policies
Attendance:
Regular attendance is important. If you need to miss class,
please arrange to go over the material covered that day
with one of your classmates. If you habitually miss class,
I will deduct half a mark from your final grade. If you
miss a quiz or exam date without a valid excuse, you will
receive a zero for that exam. Please arrive at class on
time as well - more than three instances of tardiness will
also result in your final grade being lowered by half a
mark.
Grading
Breakdown:
Quiz 1: 2.5%
Quiz 2: 2.5%
Paper 1: 15%
Paper 2: 30%
Midterm: 20%
Final: 30%
Reading
Materials
Required
Texts:
Errington, R. Malcolm. A History of the Hellenistic World
323-30 BC.
Blackwell Publishing, 2008. ISBN 0631233881 = Errington
Austin, Michel. The
Hellenistic World from Alexander to the Roman
Conquest. 2nd ed.
Cambridge UP, 2006. ISBN 0521535611 = Austin
Sélincourt, Aubrey de, trans. Arrian: The Campaigns of
Alexander.
Penguin, 1958, 1971. ISBN 0140442537 = Arrian
Yardley, John, trans. Quintus Curtius Rufus: The History of
Alexander.
Penguin, 1984, 2001. ISBN 0140444122 = Curtius
Scott-Kilvert, Ian. Plutarch: The Age of
Alexander.
Penguin, 1973. ISBN 0140442863 = Plutarch
Stoneman, Richard. The Greek Alexander
Romance. Penguin,
1991. ISBN 0140445609
Texts on Reserve (I also
own copies of most of these):
Primary Sources for Alexander the Great:
Diodorus Siculus, Books 16.66-17
Justin’s Epitome of Pompeius Trogus - I have asked the
library to order this and will put it on reserve when it
arrives.
Studies of Alexander the Great:
Bosworth, A. B. Conquest and Empire : the reign of
Alexander the Great. 1988
Cartledge, P. Alexander the Great : the hunt for a
new past. 2004
Green, P. Alexander
of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.; a historical
biography. 1971
Hamilton, J. R. Alexander the Great.
1973.
Hammond, N. G. L. Alexander the Great, king, commander,
and statesman.
1989
Wilcken, U. Alexander the
Great. 1932, 1967.
General books on the Hellenistic World:
Bugh, G. R. The
Cambridge companion to the Hellenistic
world. 2006
Erskine, A. A
companion to the Hellenistic world. 2005
Shipley, G. The
Greek world after Alexander, 323-30 B.C.
2000
Online translations:
Diodorus Siculus
Book 17: Chapters 1-16 Chapters 17-39 Chapters 40-63 Chapters 64-83 Chapters 84-103 Chapters 104-118
Justin’s Epitome of Pompeius Trogus: Book 11 Book 12
Policies
Equal
Access: University of
Arkansas Academic Policy Series 1520.10 requires that
students with disabilities are provided reasonable
accommodations to ensure their equal access to course
content. If you have a documented disability and require
accommodations, please contact me privately at the
beginning of the semester to make arrangements for
necessary classroom adjustments. Please note, you must
first verify your eligibility for these through the Center
for Educational Access (contact 479-575-3104 or
visit http://cea.uark.edu for more information on registration
procedures).
Inclement Weather: If
the University stops running the Razorback Bus System
because of snow or bad weather, there will be no class.
Otherwise, class is on!
Miscellaneous:
Please turn off all cell phones and finish any food you
might be eating before coming into class. Drinks are
acceptable.
Daily
Topics and Reading Assignments (Subject to revision)
Week 1
January 12 -
Introduction
January 14 - The Sources for Alexander the Great
January 16 - The Young Alexander
Plutarch, Alexander 1-11
Week 2
January 19 - MLK
Day
January 21 - The Accession to the Throne
Plutarch, Alexander 12-15
January 23 - The Invasion of the Persian Empire / Map Quiz
Arrian 1.1-13
Week 3
January 26 - The
Battle of the Granicus
Arrian 1.14-29
January 28 - Ice, Ice, and more Ice
January 30 - Still more ice
Week 4
February 2 - The
Battle of the Issus
Arrian 2.1-16
Curtius 3
February 4 - Tyre and Egypt
Arrian 2.17-3.6
Curtius 4.1.1-8.16
February 6 - Gaugamela / First Paper Due!
Arrian 3.7-20
Curtius 4.9.1- end of book 4
Week 5
February 9 - The
New King?
Arrian 3.21-4.22
Curtius 5-6
February 11 - The Invasion of India
Arrian 4.23-5.29
Curtius 7-8
February 13 - The Journey Home
Arrian 5.30-6
Curtius 9
Week 6
February 16 -
Alexander’s Kingdom
Arrian 7
Curtius 10
February 18 - The death of Alexander
Arrian 7
Curtius 10
February 20 - Alexander’s Legacy - The Greeks and Romans
Alexander Romance 1
Week 7
February 23 - Alexander’s Legacy - The Europeans
Alexander Romance 2
February 25 - Alexander’s Legacy - Us
Alexander Romance 3
February 27 - Midterm
Study Study Study!
Week 8
March 2 - The Sources for the Hellenistic World
Austin, pp. 1-17
March 4 - The Consolidation of Power
Errington 11-50
Plutarch, Demetrius 1-6
Austin #26-28, 30-31, 34-39
March 6 - The New Kingdoms
Errington 51-76
Plutarch, Demetrius 7-53
Austin #41, 43-45, 48, 53-57
Week 9
March 9 - Macedonia and the Greek Cities
Errington 79-90
Plutarch, Pyrrhus 1-12
Austin #60-73
March 11 - The Greek Leagues
Errington 90-110
Austin #103-105, 107-113, 115,
122-124, 129-130, 132, 135, 137-138, 142-143, 148, 150, 156
March 13 - Asia and the Seleukids 1
Errington 111-142
Austin #159-164, 166-176
Spring Break!
Week
10
March 23 - Asia and the Seleukids 2
Errington 111-142
Austin #177-194
March 25 - Egypt and the Ptolemies 1
Errington 143-161
Austin #254-259, 262-268, 271,
274-277, 283, 292
March 27 - Egypt and the Ptolemies 2
Austin #283-284, 286, 292-294, 313,
318
Week
11
March 30 - Egypt and the Ptolemies 3
Austin #295-298, 301-308, 315, 317,
319, 324, 326
April 1 - Hellenistic Literature
Austin #255
Menander: The Grouch
April 3 - Hellenistic Art and Architecture
Week
12
April 6 - Hellenistic Science
April 8 - Hellenistic Religion
Austin 43, 258
April 10 - Hellenistic Philosophy / Quiz 2 - Ptolemies,
Seleucids, Antigonids as on p. 584-585 of Austin
TBA
Week
13
April 13 - The Coming of Rome
Errington 165-190
Plutarch, Pyrrhus
Austin #
April 15 - The Macedonian Wars
Errington 191-245
Austin #77-96
April 17 - Rome and Hellenistic Culture
Errington 249-255
Plutarch, Life of Cato the Elder
Week
14
April 20 - The disintegration of the East / Final Paper Due
Errington 256-278
Austin #195-210
April 22 - Judaea and the Hasmoneans
1 Maccabees
Austin #214-215
April 24 - Rome and the conquest of the East
Errington 279-289
Austin #218-223
Week
15
April 27 - Rome, Egypt, and the end of the Hellenistic Age
Errington 290-308
Austin #284-291
April 29 - Epilogue