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| Semester | spring semester 2017 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | William Graham Claytor (graham.claytor@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This course covers the dramatic changes in the Eastern Mediterranean from Alexander the Great to the conquests of Rome, with a focus on the most durable of Alexander’s successor kingdoms, Ptolemaic Egypt. We will begin with the figure of Cleopatra VII, queen and pharaoh of Egypt before her famous demise along with her husband Marc Antony, which lead to the annexation of Egypt to the Roman Empire. Who was Cleopatra and what kind of world was she born into? How did she govern her kingdom and how did people live their lives under her rule? We will then backtrack to the foundation of the Ptolemaic kingdom and examine how the state developed within the competitive world of the Hellenistic East. Papyri, inscriptions, coins, and other material evidence allow for an in-depth and unfiltered perspective on state politics and daily life in Ptolemaic Egypt, which can be compared to the narrative histories and observations of ancient writers. Topics will include the Ptolemaic army, administration, economy, ethnicity, family life, gender, law and society, religion, revolts and resistance, and more. |
| Learning objectives | The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the tools and methods of ancient history through a focus on Ptolemaic Egypt and the Hellenistic World. Students will be introduced to a wide range of ancient evidence and learn how to critically analyze this evidence in order to pose questions and produce arguments about the ancient world. |
| Bibliography | Sourcebooks: Austin. 2006. The Hellenistic World from Alexander to the Roman Conquest. 2nd Ed. Cambridge. Bagnall and Derow. 2004. The Hellenistic Period Historical Sources in Translation. Oxford. Burstein. 1985. The Hellenistic Age from the Battle of Ipsos to the Death of Kleopatra VII (Translated Documents of Greece and Rome). Cambridge. Sherk. 1984. Rome and the Greek East to the death of Augustus. Cambridge. Thonemann. 2015. The Hellenistic World: Using Coins as Sources. Cambridge. Archaeology Bagnall and Rathbone. 2004. Egypt from Alexander to the Copts: An archaeological and historical guide. London. General Ptolemaic Bagnall (ed.). 2009. The Oxford Handbook of Papyrology. Oxford. Bowman. 1996. Egypt after the pharaohs, 332 BC–AD 642: From Alexander to the Arab conquest. 2d ed. Berkeley and Los Angeles. Chauveau. 2000. Egypt in the age of Cleopatra: History and society under the Ptolemies. Translated by David Lorton. Ithaca, NY. Fischer-Bovet. 2014. Army and society in Ptolemaic Egypt. Armies of the Ancient World. Cambridge. Heinen. 2009. Kleopatra-Studien: Gesammelte Schriften zur ausgehenden Ptolemäerzeit. Xenia 49. Konstanz. Hölbl. 2001. A history of the Ptolemaic Empire. Translated by Tina Saavedra. New York. Expanded and Revised version of Geschichte des Ptolemäerreiches: Politik, Ideologie, und religiöse Kultur von Alexander dem Grossen bis zur römischen Eroberung (Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buschgesellschaft, 1994). Huss. 2001. Ägypten in hellenistischer Zeit 332-30 v.Chr. Munich. Jördens and Quack, eds. 2011. Ägypten zwischen innerem Zwist und äusserem Druck: Die Zeit Ptolemaios’ VI. bis VIII; Internationales Symposion Heidelberg 16.–19. 9.2007. Philippika 45. Wiesbaden. Lewis. 1986. Greeks in Ptolemaic Egypt. Oxford. Manning. 2010. The Last Pharaohs. Princeton. McKechnie and Guillaume, eds. 2008. Ptolemy II Philadelphus and his world. Papers presented at the Ptolemy Philadelphus Conference held 13–16 July 2005 in Auckland, New Zealand. Leiden. Monson. 2012. From the Ptolemies to the Romans: Political and economic change in Egypt. Cambridge. General Hellenistic Errington. 2008. A History of the Hellenistic World: 323 - 30 BC. Oxford. Erskine (ed.). 2003. A Companion to the Hellenistic World. Oxford. Green. 1993. From Alexander to Actium: the Historical Evolution of the Hellenistic Age. California. Prag and Quinn. 2013. The Hellenistic West. Cambridge. Shipley. 2000. The Greek World after Alexander. London. Hugh. 2006. The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World. Cambridge. |
| Admission requirements | Erfolgreich abgeschlossenes PS zur Einführung in die Alte Geschichte (BSF/BSG Altertumswissenschaften), erfolgreich abgeschlossener Einführungskurs in die Geschichtswissenschaft ( BSF Geschichte) Andere Studierende nur in Absprache mit dem Dozenten. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|
No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Ergänzungsmodul Alte Geschichte (Bachelor's degree subject: Ancient Civilizations (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Ergänzungsmodul Alte Geschichte (Bachelor's degree program: Ancient Civilizations (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Grundmodul Alte Geschichte (Bachelor's degree subject: History (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul Basis Alte Geschichte (Bachelor's degree subject: History) Modul Griechische Geschichte (Bachelor's degree program: Ancient Civilizations (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul Griechische Geschichte (Bachelor's degree subject: Ancient Civilizations (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul Griechische Geschichte BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Ancient Civilizations) Modul Griechische Geschichte BA (Bachelor's degree program: Ancient Civilizations) Modul Grundstudium Schwerpunkt Alte Geschichte (Bachelor's degree subject: Ancient Civilizations) Modul Grundstudium Schwerpunkt Alte Geschichte (Bachelor's degree program: Ancient Civilizations) Modul Römische Geschichte (Bachelor's degree subject: Ancient Civilizations (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul Römische Geschichte (Bachelor's degree program: Ancient Civilizations (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul Römische Geschichte BA (Bachelor's degree program: Ancient Civilizations) Modul Römische Geschichte BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Ancient Civilizations) Modul Theorie und Methoden der Alten Geschichte (Bachelor's degree subject: Ancient Civilizations) Modul Theorie und Methoden der Alten Geschichte (Bachelor's degree subject: Ancient Civilizations (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) Modul Theorie und Methoden der Alten Geschichte (Bachelor's degree program: Ancient Civilizations) Modul Theorie und Methoden der Alten Geschichte (Bachelor's degree program: Ancient Civilizations (Start of studies before 01.08.2013)) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | regelmässige Lektürevorbereitung, Übernahme eines Referates (entweder auf Englisch oder Deutsch). |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Alte Geschichte |