104-117 Everyday Life in Greece and Rome; a study of ancient society

Credit Points

Coordinator

Prerequisites

None

Semester

Subject Description

The course examines the differing lifestyles of communities in ancient Europe, the Near East and the Mediterranean region, including Egyptians, Greeks, Babylonians, Etruscans and Romans. It looks at their religious, political and social life, their arts and crafts and their towns and villages. It addresses questions of family life, rich and poor, slavery and the position of women in ancient society. Students who complete this subject should: be able to understand the social, economic and political basis of society in the ancient world by a process of examining the historical, archaeological and literary evidence; appreciate the legacy of the ancient world in terms of the institutions they developed in the course of over three millennia.

Assessment

An essay of 2000 words (50%); a two-hour examination (50%).

Prescribed Texts

• D. Balsdon, Life and Leisure in Ancient Rome. London 1969.
• V. Ehrenberg, The People of Aristophanes. Oxford 1951 (reprint).
• A. Andrewes, Greek Society. Penguin 1971.
• F. J. Frost, Greek Society. Lexington 1987.
• S. Blundell, Women in ancient Greece. Cambridge Mass 1995.
• M. Roaf, Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East. New York & Oxford 1990.
• B. Cunliff (ed), The Oxford Illustrated Prehistory of Europe. Oxford 1994.