Course Description: This course serves as a transition between learning the basic elements of the Greek language and seminar-level discussions of literature and culture using original texts as our primary sources. As a result, in this course we will do a bit of both: systematically reviewing grammar and morphology, and expanding vocabulary—all while cultivating your ability to read and appreciate Greek literature and the culture that produced it.

Our inquiry this semester will focus broadly on Herodotus’ Histories, a sweeping investigation of the conflict between Greece and Persia in the fifth century. This confrontation between the massive, wealthy, multiethnic empire of Persia and the fractious Greeks had immeasurable impact on the history of the Greeks themselves and continues to inform modern discussions of freedom, nationalism, and identity. In addition to reading selections of Herodotus’ work in Greek (and the remainder in English), we will read selections from several lyric poets (e.g. Sappho, Archilochus, Simonides), which, in addition to being beautiful and challenging works in their own right, will expose you to additional Greek dialects and provide useful context for your reading of Homer next semester.

Schedule permitting, we will take a field trip to the Greek Antiquities collection of New York’s Metropolitan Museum (perhaps in early November) or the University of Pennsylvania’s Museum of Archaeology.
Prerequisites: Students should have had two semesters of college Greek or equivalent.

Prerequisites: The equivalent of two semesters of college-level Greek.

Course Number: GREK101
Location: Hall Building 112
Time: MWF 11:30-12:30
Instructor: Bret Mulligan
Office: Hall Building 109
E-Mail: bmulliga[at]haverford[dot]edu )