History 105B: The Greek World: 403 31 B.C.E.

Spring 2012
At the end of the Peloponnesian War, some of Athens enemies proposed that the great city, now starved into defeat, should be razed to the ground and turned into pastureland for sheep. So dramatic a reversal, so severe a punishment, was unthinkable to most Greeks even in the heated moment of their unexpected victory, and the proposal was not approved. It remains, however, indicative of a major turning-point in Greek history and will serve as our point of departure. This course will explore the changing face of the Greek world in the late Classical period, an age of political experiment and struggle for hegemony; the conquests of Alexander the Great in the late fourth century and the Hellenistic world of the kings and dynasts who fought their way to power after his death; and the process by which Rome, nothing more than a little Italian city-state at the beginning of this period, was drawn into the eastern Mediterranean and came to conquer the entire Greek world. Other topics will include cultural interactions between Greeks and their non-Greek neighbors, including Persians, Indians, Jews, Egyptians, and Romans; kings; cities, civic identity, and civic benefactors; federalism; religious change; economic growth and practices; mercenaries and pirates; warfare; patronage of the arts; and major developments in science, mathematics, and philosophy. Readings are assigned on a weekly basis, and must be completed before your section meeting for the week in which they are assigned. There will be two short papers (5-7pp), a two-part midterm, and a cumulative final exam. The first paper is due in lecture on 2/24; the second is due in lecture on 4/13. More information on papers to follow.

Professor Emily Mackil Department of History Office: 2312 Dwinelle Office Hours: Wed 1-3pm emackil@berkeley.edu (510) 642-2567 (tel and messages) Lecture: MWF 10-11am, 20 Barrows

GSIs:

Lisa Eberle (lpeberle@berkeley.edu) Michael Taylor (mjtaylor@berkeley.edu)

Sections:

DIS101 W 11am-12pm, 3401 Dwinelle (MT) DIS102 Th 1-2pm, 235 Dwinelle (MT) DIS103 F 9-10am, 54 Barrows (LE)

EVALUATION 2 papers: 10% each Midterm: 20%

Final: 30% Participation in section: 30%

TEXTBOOKS Rhodes, P.J. 2010. A History of the Classical Greek World, 478-323 BC. Second edition. London. Shipley, G. 2000. The Greek World after Alexander, 323-30 B.C. London. The Landmark Xenophons Hellenica, edited by R. Strassler & J. Marincola. New York, 2009. Polybius, The Rise of the Roman Empire. Penguin, 1980. Austin, M.M. 2006. The Hellenistic World from Alexander to the Roman Conquest. A Selection of Ancient Sources in Translation. Second edition. Cambridge. All textbooks are required, and are available at the ASUC store. They are also on 2-hour reserve at Moffitt. Several readings have been posted to bSpace as .pdf files. Your GSI may require you to bring printed copies of these files to your section meeting for class discussion. Course readings are assigned on a weekly basis. They are to be completed - and thought about before each section meeting in which they are to be discussed.

2 Lecture Schedule and Reading Assignments A POST-WAR WORLD Lectures: 1/18. Introduction: problems, sources, approaches. 1/20. Athens after defeat: tyranny and amnesty. No section meetings this week. THE GHOST OF EMPIRE Lectures: 1/23. The Persian Empire in the early fourth century. 1/25. Imperial Sparta. 1/27. The Corinthian War. Reading: Rhodes 224-247; Xenophon, Hellenica III.1-IV.5, V.1. STRUGGLES FOR A NEW ORDER Lectures: 1/30. Common peace and its limits. 2/1. The Second Athenian Confederacy. 2/3. Federal states in Boeotia and the north: an alternative to polis and empire. Reading: Rhodes 247-292; Xenophon, Hellenica V.2-4, VI.3-5. ATHENS IN THE FOURTH CENTURY AND THE RISE OF MACEDON Lectures: 2/6. The Social War and Athenian recovery. 2/8. Citizens and non-citizens. 2/10. Macedon in the early fourth century and the rise of Philip II. Reading: Rhodes 200-208, 332-351, 367-374; Demosthenes 59, Against Neaira [bSpace]. PHILIP II AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT Lectures: 2/13. Philips conquest of Greece. 2/15. The Accession of Alexander and the Greek Response. 2/17. Alexanders eastern expedition. Reading: Rhodes 351-366, 388-426; Plutarch, Life of Alexander [bSpace]; Austin nos. 2-25. THE SUCCESSORS OF ALEXANDER Lectures: 2/20. No class Presidents Day. 2/22. The Age of Antigonus (323-301). 2/24. The Age of Demetrius (301-276). *** First paper due in lecture. *** Reading: Shipley 1-58; Austin nos. 26-38, 44, 47, 50; Plutarch, Life of Demetrius [bSpace]. MIDTERM Lectures: 2/27. Review session 2/29. Midterm Part I: map and identifications 3/2. Midterm Part II: essay questions Section meetings this week will be devoted to review. NODES OF POWER Lectures: 3/5. Kings. 3/7. Cities. 3/9. Unsanctioned power: pirates, mercenaries, and slave traders. Reading: Shipley 59-107; Austin nos. 39, 42-46, 51-53 (kings); Austin nos. 48-49, 110-111, 115-121, 152-157 (cities).

3 MACEDONIA AND MAINLAND GREECE, 277-215 Lectures: 3/12. Macedonian kings and Greek confederacies. 3/14. Sparta. 3/16. Athens. Reading: Shipley 108-152; Polybius I.1-4, II.37-71, IV.17-21, V.101-105, VII.9-14; Austin nos. 64, 67, 68, 71, 72, 73, 77 (kings and confederacies); Austin 61, 69-70 (Sparta); Austin no. 55 (Athens). PTOLEMAIC EGYPT Lectures: 3/19. The Ptolemaic Dynasty. 3/21. Ptolemaic Culture. 3/23. Ptolemaic Economy. Reading: Shipley 192-234; Austin 254, 256-257, 266, 268, 275, 277, 282-4, 286 (political affairs and administration); Austin 255, 258, 261, 263, 292, 322, 323 (Ptolemaic culture); Austin 260, 262, 264, 270, 278, 280, 290, 296-9, 313, 315, 317, 319 (Ptolemaic economy). 3/26-3/30. Spring break. CULTURES OF THE EASTERN KINGDOMS Lectures: 4/2. The Seleucid Dynasty. 4/4. Seleucid Culture. 4/6. The Attalids and Pergamon. Reading: Shipley 271-325. Primary sources focus on the Seleucids: Austin nos. 158-160, 162-3, 166, 176-8, 180-7, 192, 195-6, 203, 205, 208-9, 211-3, 218, 223. HELLENISTIC SOCIETY Lectures: 4/9. Religion. 4/11. Philosophy and Science. 4/13. Economy. *** Second paper due in lecture. *** Reading: Shipley 153-191, 326-367. Primary sources focus on religion: Austin nos. 146, 148, 151, 271, 276, 295, 300-301, 320, 326 (Greek and Egyptian religion); Austin 214-7, 261 (Judaism and Jews). A CLOUD IN THE WEST Lectures: 4/16. The Adriatic, Rome, and western Greece. 4/18. Problematic Macedonians: Philip V and Perseus. 4/20. From the freedom of the Greeks to the sack of Corinth. Reading: Shipley 368-386; Polybius II.2-12, VIII.8-12, XV.20, XVIII.1-12, 44-46, XXIV, XXXVI.9; Austin nos. 76-87, 92-4, 96-100, 205. A ROMAN MEDITERRANEAN Lectures: 4/23. The Province of Asia: Pergamon, Bithynia, and the Mithradatic Wars. 4/25. The Last of the Ptolemies and the ashes of the Hellenistic world. 4/27. Discussion / catch-up / review. Reading: Shipley 386-399. Austin nos. 248-251 (Attalid bequest and province of Asia); Austin nos. 288-9, 291 (last Ptolemies). FINAL EXAM Tuesday May 8, 3-6pm. Location TBA.