Undergraduate Course: Athenian Law and Economy (ANHI10062)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Ancient History |
Other subject area | Classical Literature in Translation |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | This course will contribute to students' understanding of the social dimension of the Greek world through an analysis of the legal system of Classical Athens and the social, and economic contexts of Athenian law. Throughout its history, Athens experienced a high volume of litigation. There were trials of unsuccessful generals and corrupt politicians and disputes arising from family matters like marriage, inheritance, and adoption. The courts also heard cases about citizenship, maritime trade, mining contracts, quarrels between neighbors, treason and murder. The preserved speeches of the Attic orators delivered in court cover all aspects of life in Athens and are one of our richest sources of evidence for life in the Greek world. Through close reading of a selection of speeches of the orators (in translation) students will familiarize themselves, and learn to engage with, the social and economic reality of classical Athens, while at the same time acquiring skills necessary to understand and exploit challenging source material. They will be faced with key issues of Athenian and Greek legal, social and economic history that are at the core of the current research of the course organizers. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should usually have at least 3 courses in Classics related subject matter(at least 2 of which should be in Ancient History) at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this) for entry to this course. We will only consider University/College level courses. |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Delivery period: 2013/14 Semester 1, Available to all students (SV1)
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Learn enabled: Yes |
Quota: 27 |
Web Timetable |
Web Timetable |
| Course Start Date |
16/09/2013 |
| Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 17,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 5,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
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| Additional Notes |
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| Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) |
Written Exam
60 %,
Coursework
40 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours:Minutes |
|
|
| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | | 2:00 | | |
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| Delivery period: 2013/14 Semester 1, Part-year visiting students only (VV1)
|
Learn enabled: No |
Quota: 4 |
Web Timetable |
Web Timetable |
| Course Start Date |
16/09/2013 |
| Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 22,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
|
| Additional Notes |
|
| Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) |
Written Exam
60 %,
Coursework
40 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| No Exam Information |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
After successful completion of this course the student will be able to demonstrate in written examination, course work and class discussion:
i. a specialist knowledge of the evidence for classical Athenian legal and economical institutions and how these reflect the social reality of classical Athens;
ii. a familiarity with theoretical and conceptual issues such as property, legal procedure, and institutional structures;
iii. the critical ability to analyze alien societies and legal systems in their own terms and discern their distinctive cultural and institutional features;
iv. a familiarity with Athenian legal language and a knowledge of the basis of legal thinking;
v. improved source critical skills with historical texts (Quellenforschung);
vi. competence in comparative methodology in relation to the legal concepts of property and procedure;
vii. improved presentation skills in tutorial discussions;
viii. improved research skills in producing an item of summative coursework, along with skills in prose style, citation style and the compilation of bibliography;
ix. improved problem solving skills through study of complex issues such as the nature of crimes of sexual abuse and maritime law in Athens;
x. the ability to access, understand, and employ the standard conventions in the field, from publisher's conventions (e.g. bibliographical styles, referencing systems, text displays, etc.) to scholarly conventions in the study of evidence pertaining to Athenian democracy, Greek law and Greek economy (e.g. epigraphic abbreviations, legal and literary referencing, etc.).
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Assessment Information
The assessment for the course is by way of written coursework and a written degree examination. The assessment is split in the following way:
60% degree examination (2 hours)
40% coursework (c. 3,000 words)
1st Semester-only Visiting Student (VV1) variant assessment:
a Subject-Area administered Exam/Exercise in lieu of the Degree Examination, to take place in Week 12 (see the current course handbook for further details) - 60%;
coursework (c. 3,000 words) - 40%.
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Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
1. Introduction¿
2. Solon and the Law in Archaic Greece
Reading: E. M. Harris, 'Solon and the Spirit of the Law in Archaic and Classical Greece' in Democracy and the Rule of Law in Classical Athens pp. 3-29. [Aristotle] Constitution of the Athenians chs. 3, 5-13
3. Athenian Legal and Political Institutions
Reading: M. H. Hansen, The Athenian Democracy pp. 125-77
4. Legislative Procedure in Classical Athens -Reading: selected passages of Demosthenes' Against Leptines and Against Timocrates. Canevaro, 'The sources for nomothesia in classical Athens: a new approach'
5. Legal Procedure in Classical Athens:Reading: M. H. Hansen, The Athenian Democracy pp. 178-225
6. Interpreting the Law: the problem of fairness and consistency:Reading: Aeschines Against Ctesiphon in Carey, Aeschines pp. 166-82.
7. The problems of Fairness and Consistency:Reading: Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics Book 5, chapter 10, Aristotle Rhetoric Book 1, chapter 13.
8. Homicide Law: The Role of Religion:Reading: Antiphon 1 (On the Stepmother), 6 (On the Chorister) in Carey Trials pp. 36-41, 63-74 and selected passages of Demosthenes' Against Aristocrates.
9. Family, Marriage, and Inheritance:Reading; Isaeus 3 in Carey Trials pp. 109-126. MacDowell Law pp. 84-108.
10. Adoption and Guardianship:Reading: Isaeus 4 (On the Estate of Nicostratus) in Carey, Trials pp. 127-33.Lysias 31 (Against Diogeiton), in Carey, Trials pp. 102-9.
11. Moicheia and Sexual Violence:Reading: Lysias 1 in Carey Trials pp. 27-35. Harris, 'Did Rape Exist in Classical Athens?' in Democracy and the Rule of Law in Classical Athens pp. 297-332.
12. Is Antigones right? Law and Literature:Reading: Sophocles Antigone
13. Prostitution and Citizenship:Reading: [Demosthenes] Against Neaira in Carey Trials pp. 180-211
14. The State and Sexuality - Same-Sex Relations:Reading; Aeschines 1 (Against Timarchus)
15. Treason and the Duties of Citizenship:Reading; Lycurgus Against Leocrates
16 and 17. Law and Economy I and II:Reading: Demosthenes 56 (Against Dionysodorus). Demosthenes 37 (Against Pantaenetus) in Carey Trials pp. 163-79. Hyperides Against Athenogenes in Carey Trials pp. 142-50
18. "Feuding" in Athenian Law?:Reading: Demosthenes 21 (Against Meidias)
19 and 20. The Breakdown of the Rule of Law I and II:Reading; Thucydides 3 (Mytilene Debate). Aristophanes Knights. Thucydides Book 6, chapters 27- 30, 52-61. Xenophon History of My Times Book 1, chapter 7
21 and 22 revision
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| Transferable skills |
In addition to the ILOs described above, students will also demonstrate a number of transferable skills, such as:
* reading skills of a high volume (i.e. the digestion of large quantities of textual material)
* general analytical skills
* written and verbal communication skills
* oral presentation and discussion skills
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| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Athenian Law Economy |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Mirko Canevaro
Tel: (0131 6)51 1256
Email: Mirko.Canevaro@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Elaine Hutchison
Tel: (0131 6)50 3582
Email: E.Hutchison@ed.ac.uk |
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