Undergraduate Course: Herodotus (GREE10025)
Course Outline
School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
Summary | The course will look at the most important aspects of Herodotus' work in their literary and historical contexts as well as in the context of the Greek intellectual history of the 5th century BC. |
Course description |
The course will analyse in detail a selection of passages of Herodotus, which will be read in Greek and discussed for their historical, historiographical, cultural, intellectual, theological, and literary significance. The selection may differ from year to year, but may include either excerpts from the whole of the Histories or from one or two set books. Likely themes to be treated may include:
- ethnicity and the 'invention of the barbarian'
- history and gender
- history, ethnography and imperialism
- Herodotus and the intellectual history of his times
- Herodotean narrative and story-telling
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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 Greek) at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this) for entry to this course. We will only consider University/College level courses but Elementary or Intermediate Greek courses will not count. Students beyond Intermediate level but with less Greek then the prerequisite should consider either Greek 2a/2b. |
High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- translate fluently and accurately from the prescribed texts into clear and appropriate English;
- produce problem-oriented, well-argued, well-researched, relevant, and coherent coursework essays on specific aspects of Herodotus' work and Greek intellectual history;
- demonstrate in written work and in class an informed understanding of the most important historical, historiographical, cultural, intellectual, theological, and literary issues raised by the study of Herodotus, Greek historiography and Greek intellectual history of the 5th century BC as well as of the most important scholarly approaches in the interpretation of Herodotus' work;
- demonstrate in written work and in class that they can make judicious use of dictionaries, commentaries, works of reference, critical studies, and modern translations;
- gather material independently on a given topic and organise it into a coherent data set.
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Reading List
1. Complete text: N. Wilson (2 vols., 2015)
2. Commentaries and texts with commentaries (will be set according to the prescription selected): D. Asheri, A. Lloyd, A. Corcella, O. Murray, A Commentary on Herodotus, Books 1-4 (Oxford 2007; paperback ed. 2011); Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics editions ('green and yellow'): Book 5 (Hornblower, 2013), Book 6 (Hornblower and Pelling, 2017), Book 8 (Bowie, 2007), Book 9 (Flower, 2002)
3. Translation: R. Waterfield, with intr. and notes by C. Dewald (World's Classics, Oxford 1998)
4. J. Marincola (ed.), Oxford Readings in Greek and Roman Historiography (Oxford 2011)
5. E. J. Bakker/I. J. F. de Jong/ H. van Wees (eds.), Brill's Companion to Herodotus (Leiden 2002), with bibliography
6. C. Dewald/J. Marincola (eds.), Cambridge Companion to Herodotus (Cambridge 2006), with bibliography
7. J. Gould, Herodotus (London, 1989)
8. N. Luraghi (ed.), The Historian's Craft in the Age of Herodotus (Oxford 2001)
9. R. Thomas, Herodotus in Context. Ethnography, Science and the Art of Persuasion (Cambridge 2002) |
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
Special Arrangements |
In order for a student from outwith Classics to be enrolled on this course, contact must be made with a Course Secretary on 50 3580 in order for approval to be obtained. |
Keywords | Herodotus |
Contacts
Course organiser | Dr Richard Rawles
Tel:
Email: Richard.Rawles@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Annabel Stobie
Tel: (0131 6)50 3783
Email: Annabel.Stobie@ed.ac.uk |
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