Subject to change; some topics may take more than a week, others less, so we will not necessarily be on the schedule suggested here. Articles on line are marked “pdf” and linked from the on-line syllabus and the Learn@UW site. Books on reserve are in the Kohler Art Library. * indicates recommended, not required readings.

Part 1: The Greek Polis

1. The Definition and Origin of the Polis

• Why study the polis?
• Historical introduction
• Geography
• Sources: historians, poets, philosophers, inscriptions, archaeology.

Readings:

• J. Whitley, “The City, the State and the Polis” (pdf)
• Wycherley, How the Greeks Built Cities ch. 1-2 (remembering that this was written more than 50 years ago!)
• M. H. Hansen, “The ‘Polis’ as a Citizen-State” (pdf)
• *Cf. also Rhodes, The Greek City States: a Sourcebook on reserve, a useful collection of ancient sources

Images

• Introduction
• Near Eastern Precedents
• Sources

Help with images

2. The Ideal and the Practical Polis

• Hippodamus of Miletus
• Plato’s Laws
• Aristotle’s Politics
• Practical cities: literary sources.
• Thurii: laying out the city

Readings:

• Selection from Plato, Laws (737c-745e) (pdf)
• Aristotle on Phaleas of Chalcedon and Hippodamus of Miletus (Politics 1266a-1269a) (pdf)
• Selections from Aristotle, Politics on the ideal polis (1325-1331b18) (pdf); and the very useful Hansen, “A Pedestrian Synopsis of Aristotle’s Best Polis in Pol. 7-8” (pdf)
• Diodorus Siculus on Thurii and its lawgiver Charondas (12.9-20) (pdf)
• Cahill, Household and City Organization at Olynthus ch. 1, on reserve
• Wycherley, How the Greeks Built Cities ch. 3, 5, 6 over the next 2 weeks
• *Owens, The City in the Greek and Roman World, ch. 1-4 (on reserve)

3. Poleis in the Homeland: Some Examples

• Priene
• Olynthus
• Athens
• Piraeus
• Miletus
• Civic buildings and institutions: fortifications, roads, water supply temples, the agora, theaters, gymnasia, stadia, etc.

Readings:

• Rumscheid, Priene: A Guide to the “Pompeii of Asia Minor” 1-35, 46-59, 69-85 (on reserve).
• Camp, The Archaeology of Athens ch. 1-3 (on reserve)
• Cahill, Household and City Organization at Olynthus ch. 2 , pp. 23-49 (on reserve).
• *Peter Connolly, The Ancient City: Life in Classical Athens and Rome (on reserve)

4. The Polis Abroad: Colonization and the Foundations of New Cities

• Foundation Legends and Decrees: foundation of Cyrene
• South Italian and Sicilian Cities
• North African Cities: Naukratis and Cyrene
• The Black Sea
• Hellenistic foundations

Readings:

• Thucydides’ account of the Sicilian colonies (Thuc. 6.1-6) (pdf).
• Foundation of Cyrene (Hdt. 4.147-163; inscription) (pdf; pdf); cf. Rhodes, The Greek City States: a Sourcebook no. 10.
• Londey, “Greek Colonists and Delphi” (pdf)
• Di Vita, “Town Planning in the Greek Colonies of Sicily” (pdf)
• *Mertens and Greco, “Urban Planning in Magna Grecia” and di Vita, “Urban Planning in Ancient Sicily,” in The Greek World pp. 243-308 (on reserve, well worth reading)

Part 2: Buildings of the Polis

5. Building the Greek City

• Introduction to Greek Architecture
• Building Programs and Patronage
• Brief introduction to archaeological theory and publication

Readings:

• Coulton, Ancient Greek Architects at Work ch. 1-3, *4-5.
• Burford, The Greek temple builders at Epidauros, ch. 1-3 (on reserve).
• *Boersma, Athenian Building Policy from 561/0 to 405/4 B.C, on reserve.

6. Democracy in Action: The Agora

Readings:

• Camp, The Athenian Agora ch. 1-4.
• *Castriota, “Democracy and Art in Late Sixth- and Fifth-Century B.C. Athens” (pdf)
• *J. Thorley, Athenian Democracy (London/New York 1996) 22-58, 76-82.

Assignment 1 due Feb. 25.

7. The Private City

• Houses
• Private Institutions
• Industry, Trade and Manufacture

Readings:

• Jameson, “Domestic Space in the Greek City-State,” (pdf).
• Cahill, Household and City Organization at Olynthus ch. 3, 4 (on reserve)
• *Nevett, “Gender Relations in the Classical Greek Household” (pdf)
• *Nevett, House and society in the ancient Greek world (on reserve)

8. The Greek Countryside

Readings:

• Osborne, Classical Landscape with Figures, ch. 1 (on reserve); *ch. 2-4.
• Carter, “Metapontum. Land, Wealth, and Population” (pdf)
• *Snodgrass, “Survey Archaeology and the Rural Landscape of the Greek City,” in The Greek City from Homer to Alexander (O. Murray and S. Price, eds.) 113-136 (on reserve)

9. Spring Break

Part 3: Greek Sanctuaries

10. Greek Ritual and Cult: Introduction

• Sacrifice
• Cult statues
• Votives
• Buildings: temenoi, altars and temples, treasuries, hestiatoria, etc.
• Activities: Dining

Readings:

• Zaidman and Pantel, Religion in the Ancient Greek City parts 1, 2 (pp. 3-140)
• Romano, “Early Greek idols. Their Appearance and Significance in the Geometric, Orientalizing and Archaic Periods” (pdf)
• *Bookidis, “Ritual Dining at Corinth,” (pdf)

11. Sanctuaries and Sacred Buildings: Some Examples

• Sanctuary of Athena, Acropolis, Athens
• Sanctuary of Hera, Samos
• Sanctuary of Artemis, Ephesus

Readings:

• Hurwit, The Athenian Acropolis ch. 7-10, and more if possible (on reserve)
• Kyrieleis, “The Heraion at Samos,” (pdf)
• Assignment 2 (building in the Agora) due Wed. Mar. 31

12. The Major Panhellenic Sanctuaries: Athla and Athletics

• Panhellenic Sanctuaries: Olympia, Delphi, Nemea, Isthmia
• Athletic events: footrace, chariot race, boxing, discus, javelin, pentathlon, etc.
• Musical and other contests (athla)
• Rules; victory monuments

Readings:

• Mallwitz, “Cult and Competition Locations at Olympia,” (pdf).

13. Oracular Sanctuaries

• Sanctuary of Apollo, Delphi
• Sanctuary of Apollo, Didyma
• Sanctuary of Zeus, Dodona

Readings:

• Parker, “Greek States and Greek Oracles” (pdf)
• Fontenrose, “The Cult of Apollo and the Games at Delphi,” (pdf)

14. Decorating the Greek Sanctuary

• Sculptural Programs of Greek Buildings
• The Acropolis at Athens
• Sculpture at Olympia

Readings:

• Ridgway, Prayers in Stone ch. 1-2

15. Summary and Review

• Assignment 3 due Wed, May 5.