Aims

The aim of this module is to use the first major piece of historical prose to survive from antiquity as a vehicle both for exploring key aspects of Greek culture and society and the thought-worlds and histories of the various non-Greek peoples that feature in the text (e.g Achaemenid Persians, Scythians, Late Period Egypt).

The focus upon both the role of ethnographic description within the Histories and the light this sheds on what it meant to be Greek in the first place will lead to wider consideration of the politics of representation/related concepts (race, ethnicity and culture as well as an opportunity to reflect on the place of Herodotus (and Classics more broadly!) within wider debates e.g. surrounding decolonising or Climate Change.

The module also aims to equip you with the necessary skills and experience to be able to communicate complex material to a non-specialist audience via the medium of powerpoint.

Outline Of Syllabus

Topics covered may include: The relationship between Herodotus’ Histories and the wider intellectual/cultural milieu from which they emerged; his views on religion and science; Geographical knowledge; Herodotean ethnography, its function and purpose; Herodotus’ treatment of Egypt and Scythia in the light of material evidence from these regions; Herodotus’ narrative of the rise of Persia under Cyrus the Great, the palace coup that led to Darius’ succession and the Persian invasions; Herodotus on Ionia; Herodotus’ relationship with Athens; his views on democracy, tyrants and despots; gold-digging ants and bearded ladies; crime and punishment in Herodotus’ Histories; the reception of Herodotus’ Histories both in antiquity and during the long 19th century (aka ‘The Age of Empire’).

Seminars will address topics such as: A ‘Serious’ historian? (Gold-digging ants and other tall tales); True lies? (Sources and veracity); Herodotus and the Persian Empire; Empire and tyranny; Herodotus the barbarian-lover?; Ethnographic writing; Brave and bold? (Herodotus’ women); Herodotean identities and the nature of Greek identity; Race and the Barbarian; Herodotus and the Anthropocene.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lectures and associated materials will introduce you to key topics and how to approach them. Lectures are not merely intended to provide you with answers. Instead, they will provide you with the knowledge and skills that will enable you to both formulate and answer your own questions. Your listening, reading and note-taking skills will play a key role in this process. The seminar discussions are an opportunity for you to develop your understanding dynamically, e.g. by engaging in discussion of how you should go about addressing historical questions, the relative merits of different types of evidence or approach to the sources or by gaining clarification of any points that you do not understand. In doing so you will develop your analytical and oral communication skills and your ability to work collaboratively as part of a team.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The written assignment assesses knowledge and understanding of both the text which provides a focus for the module, Herodotus' Histories, and related themes such as the function and purpose of ethnographic description (whether in the Histories or more broadly). The assignment will also test your ability to respond creatively to a set brief in clear, succinct prose. .

In addition to testing the students' knowledge of a particular aspect of the course, the oral presentation tests the students' key skills in research, written and oral communication together with their ability to develop and employ visual/other materials effectively.

Study-abroad, non-Erasmus exchange and Loyola students spending semester 1 only are required to finish their assessment while in Newcastle. Where an exam is present, an alternative form of assessment will be set and where coursework is present, an alternative deadline will be set. Details of the alternative assessment will be provided by the module leader.

Study-abroad, non-Erasmus exchange and Loyola students spending the whole academic year or semester 2 are required to complete the standard assessment as set out in the MOF under all circumstances.