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| Semester | fall semester 2021 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Brandon McDonald (brandon.mcdonald@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Introduction to the major disease events of the ancient Mediterranean; interdisciplinary approaches to history; primary source evidence - written, archaeological, and palaeoscientific – connected to pandemics of the Greek and Roman worlds; review of the scholarly narratives and debates for the pandemics in question. |
| Learning objectives | In this course, we will synthesise primary source evidence for ancient pandemics, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence, and consider historical narratives. We will assess the influence of pandemics on ancient Mediterranean societies, while simultaneously investigating societies' resilience to them. Additionally, we will scrutinise the scholarly narratives and debates surrounding these major disease events and, with what we have learned, deem which seem closest to reality. |
| Bibliography | This is a selection of what will be on the syllabus: Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 2.48.1. Robert Littman, “The plague of Athens: epidemiology and paleopathology”, The Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine, 2009. Galen, Method of Medicine. James Frank Gilliam, “The Plague Under Marcus Aurelius”, AJP 82, 225-51, 1962. Richard Duncan-Jones, “The impact of the Antonine Plague”, JRA, 1996. Cyprian, On Mortality. Kyle Harper, “Pandemics and passages to late antiquity: rethinking the plague of c. 249-270 described by Cyprian”, JRA, 2015. Kyle Harper, The Fate of Rome: Climate, Disease, and the End of an Empire, Princeton 2017. Procopius, History of the Wars, 2.22-2.23. Mordechai et al., The Justinianic Plague: An Inconsequential Pandemic?”, PNAS 2019. Mischa Meier, “’The Justinianic Plague: An Inconsequential Pandemic?’ A Reply”, Medizinhistorisches Journal, 1-28, 2020. Keller et al., “Ancient Yersinia pestis genomes from across Western Europe reveal early diversification during the First Pandemic (541–750)”, PNAS, 12363-12372, 2019. |
| Admission requirements | This course is primarily aimed at students of classical studies and history. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Tuesday | 16.15-17.45 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 117 |
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 21.09.2021 | 16.15-17.45 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 117 |
| Tuesday 28.09.2021 | 16.15-17.45 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 117 |
| Tuesday 05.10.2021 | 16.15-17.45 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 117 |
| Tuesday 12.10.2021 | 16.15-17.45 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 117 |
| Tuesday 19.10.2021 | 16.15-17.45 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 117 |
| Tuesday 26.10.2021 | 16.15-17.45 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 117 |
| Tuesday 02.11.2021 | 16.15-17.45 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 117 |
| Tuesday 09.11.2021 | 16.15-17.45 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 117 |
| Tuesday 16.11.2021 | 16.15-17.45 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 117 |
| Tuesday 23.11.2021 | 16.15-17.45 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 117 |
| Tuesday 30.11.2021 | 16.15-17.45 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 117 |
| Tuesday 07.12.2021 | 16.15-17.45 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 117 |
| Tuesday 14.12.2021 | 16.15-17.45 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 117 |
| Tuesday 21.12.2021 | 16.15-17.45 | Kollegienhaus, Hörsaal 117 |
| Modules |
Modul: Areas: Westeuropa (Master's degree program: European History in Global Perspective) Modul: Aufbau Alte Geschichte (Bachelor's degree subject: History) Modul: Epochen der europäischen Geschichte: Alte Geschichte (Master's degree program: European History in Global Perspective) Modul: Griechische Geschichte BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Griechische Geschichte BA (Bachelor's degree program: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Griechische Geschichte MA (Master's degree subject: Ancient History) Modul: Römische Geschichte BA (Bachelor's degree program: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Römische Geschichte BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Römische Geschichte MA (Master's degree subject: Ancient History) Modul: Theorie und Methoden der Alten Geschichte (Bachelor's degree program: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Theorie und Methoden der Alten Geschichte (Bachelor's degree subject: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Vertiefung in Alter Geschichte (Master's degree subject: Ancient History) Modul: Vertiefung in Geschichte und Altertumswissenschaften BA (Bachelor's degree program: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Vertiefung in Geschichte und Altertumswissenschaften BA (Bachelor's degree subject: Ancient Civilizations) Modul: Vertiefung in Geschichte und Altertumswissenschaften MA (Master's degree subject: Ancient History) Wahlbereich Master Geschichte: Empfehlungen (Master's degree subject: History) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| 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 |