Ancient History
Overview
In this class, we will explore the ancient roots of our own civilization, beginning with the invention of agriculture in the Middle East around 10,000 years ago. From these earliest settled farmers, we will proceed to examine the great civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, Greece, and Rome. The focus of our discussions will be on the large-scale political, economic, and cultural structures that arose among these peoples. We will also examine the ways in which geography, climate, resources, technology, and systems of belief shaped the organization and development to each ancient civilization. Through our explorations of these themes, we will attempt both to gain an understanding of these civilizations as coherent systems and to imagine what it was like to actually live in this ancient world. Finally, we will also pay close attention to the ancient origins of many modern English words, as this is an important source of information about the past and about the present, which is actively shaped by the language we use.
During this block, we will explore our subject by means of an open dialogue, a model of education developed by Socrates in Athens during the 5th century BC. This form of class requires the active participation of everyone involved. Background information will be provided by lectures and selected readings from ancient and modern writers, after which the students will be expected to apply their powers of imagination and critical thinking to delve into life of the periods and societies we examine. Much of ancient history remains mysterious and unknown. Therefore, it will be up to us to fill in the blanks and to create a coherent picture of life in the distant past. For this reason, all students will need to be present, attentive, and engaged during our class sessions.
In addition to reading and active participation in discussions, student will be expected to complete a main lesson book covering each of the civilizations we discuss in the form of writings, illustrations, and maps. Students will be given short written assignments during the class, which should also be included in the main lesson book. In addition to written work, a student’s main lesson book should include at least three full-page illustrations and at least two maps. Main lesson books will be due at 10:20 am on Friday, Nov. 12, the last day of class.
Finally, there will be one or two short in-class writing exercises covering terminology and other themes of the class. Grading for the class will be pass/fail. Written proposals for projects of extraordinary character from students wishing to achieve a Pass with Honors will be considered. Worthy Honors projects should be original, ambitious, and beneficial to the class as a whole. Any such proposals must be presented, in writing, to the teacher during the first week of classes.
Outline
- History, writing, and systems of time
- Agriculture, cities, civilization
- Egyptian civilization
- Mesopotamian civilization
- Persian civilization
- Greek civilization: geography and early history
- Monarchy, aristocracy, oligarchy, democracy
- Sparta and Athens
- Greek philosophy and literature
- Alexander the Great and Hellenistic civilization
- Roman civilization: background and early history
- Res publica: government in early Rome
- Empire and the Pax Romana
- Christianity and the fall of Rome
- Presentations and work day. MAIN LESSON BOOKS DUE.
Main Lesson Book Requirements
At minimum, each main lesson book should include entries in form of writings, maps, or illustrations covering the following subjects:
- Writing and/or systems of time
- Early agriculture and cities
- Egypt
- Mesopotamia
- Persia
- Art from Egypt/Mesopotamia/Persia
- Greece
- Philosophy and/or Greek systems of government
- Greek art and/or religion
- Rome
- Roman military and/or systems of government
- Writings from class assignments.