Undergraduate Course: Ideas of Slavery in Antiquity (ANHI10081)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This module will look at how the ancients dealt with the reality of slavery from an intellectual point of view. Special focus will be given to the ideas of prominent Greek, Roman, Jewish and Christian thinkers and writers. Ideas that became mainstream and were shared by large segments of the population will also be explored. |
| Course description |
The module consists of eleven one-hour weekly lectures and eleven one-hour weekly seminars organised in four blocks. The lectures introduce the different topics covered by the course, present the epistemic problems related to the interpretation of the evidence, and discuss the historical and intellectual context in which each idea of slavery was developed. Seminars, instead, focus primarily on the detailed analysis of ancient texts in translation. The aim of the seminars is to prompt students to elaborate their own ideas from the sources and to have a more proactive role in the discussion of the material.
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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. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- demonstrate, by way of coursework and examination as required, an understanding of the different views on the institution of slavery in Antiquity;
- demonstrate, by way of coursework and examination as required, a familiarity with the different cultural and intellectual contexts in which those views were developed;
- demonstrate, by way of coursework and examination as required, an understanding of the channels through which ideas of slavery circulated and were exchanged across cultural boundaries;
- demonstrate, by way of coursework and examination as required, a familiarity with the classical roots of modern Western thought on slavery and abolition.
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Reading List
Byro, J. (2003) Slavery Metaphors in Early Judaism and Pauline Christianity. Tübingen, esp. chapters 6 and 9-13.
Cambiano, G. (1987) 'Aristotle and the Anonymous Opponents of Slavery,' in Finley, M. I. (ed.) Classical Slavery. London, 21-41.
Dyson, R. W. (2006) St. Augustine of Hippo: The Christian Transformation of Political Philosophy. London, esp. chapter 3.
Gamauf, R. (2001) 'Zur Frage 'Sklaverei und Humanität' anhand von Quellen des römischen Rechts,' in: Bellen, H. and Heinen, H. (eds..) Fünfzig Jahre Forschungen zur antiken Sklaverei an der Mainzer Akademie 1950-2000. Stuttgart, 51-72.
Garnsey, P. (1996) Ideas of Slavery from Aristotle to Augustine. Cambridge: CUP.
Heath, M. (2008) 'Aristotle on Natural Slavery,' Phronesis 53, 243-270.
Honore, T. (online document) Ulpian, Natural Law and Stoic Influence. http://users.ox.ac.uk/~alls0079/Stoic%20influence%202.pdf
Manning, C. E. (1989) 'Stoicism and Slavery in the Roman Empire,' ANRW II. 36.3, 1518-1543.
Petre, Z. (1963) 'Les sophistes et la question de l'esclavage,' Acta antiqua Philippopolitana (Sofia), 75-79.
Ramelli, I. (2012) 'Gregory of Nyssa's Position in Late Antique Debates on Slavery and Poverty, and the Role of Asceticism,' Journal of Late Antiquity 5 (1), 87-118.
Schlaifer, R. (1936) 'Greek Theories of Slavery from Homer to Aristotle,' HSPh 47, 165-204.
Taylor, J. E. (2012) The Essenes, the Scrolls, and the Dead Sea. Oxford, esp. 49-130 and 195-204. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Juan Lewis
Tel: (0131 6)50 4563
Email: Juan.Lewis@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
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