YEAR 2 Ancient History Module Handbook 2018-19

Encounter the Ancient World from Rome to Alexandria to JerusalemUniversity of Southampton Ancient History Year 2 Module Choices 2018-19

ContentsHow to Select Modules…………………………………………………………………………….……..3Staff Contact Details…………………….………………………………………………………………….5Semester One15 Credit ModulesARCH1030 – Ancient and Medieval Worlds………………………………………………..……6ARCH2017 – Maritime Archaeology………………………………………………………………...8HIST2075 – Creating an Imperial Image: Augustus…………………………………………10HIST2223 – Myth in the Ancient World………………………………………………….………12HUMA1038 – Introduction to Ethnography: Food and Culture ……………….….…14HUMA2008 – The Life and Afterlife of Vikings……………………………………………….16PHIL1003 – Ancient Greek Philosophy…………………………………………………………...18UOSM2030 – The Body and Society……………………………………………………………….2030 Credit ModulesHIST2085 – Rebels with a Cause: The Historical Origins of Christianity ……….…22Greek and Latin Language Modules (15 Credits)LATI9007 – Latin Stage 2a………………………………………………………………………………24GREE9012 – Greek Stage 1a…………………………………………………………………………..25 1

Semester Two15 Credit ModulesARCH2003 – The Power of Rome: Europe’s First Empire………………………………..26HIST2055 – Ancient Rome: The First Metropolis…………………………………………….28HIST2103 – Self-inflicted: Extreme Violence, Politics and Power ………….……....30HIST2109 – Ancient Greeks at War…………………………………………..……….…..…..….32HUMA2016 - Arabian Nights……………………………..…………………………………………..34HUMA2018 – Landscapes of Conflicts…………………………………………………………...3730 Credit ModulesHIST2045 – Cleopatra’s Egypt………………………………………………………….……….……40HIST2111 – Roman Emperors and Imperial Lives……………………………………………42HIST2104 - Group Project – compulsory for all single honours Ancient Historystudents…………………………………………………………………………………………………………44Greek and Latin Language Modules (15 Credits)LATI9008 – Latin Stage 2b [if you have taken Latin Stage 2a]…………………………45GREE9013 – Greek Stage 1b [if you have taken Greek Stage 1a]…………………….46The information contained in this Module Options Handbook is correct at the time it waspublished. Typically, around a quarter of optional modules do not run due to low interest orunanticipated changes in staff availability. If we do have insufficient numbers of students interestedin an optional module, this may not be offered. If an optional module will not be running, we willadvise you as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.” Please see the university’s official disclaimer: http://www.calendar.soton.ac.uk/. 2

IntroductionBe bold! Here at Southampton you are part of an incredibly dynamic community of scholars, whosebroad expertise and varied interests are reflected in the original and thought-provoking modules onoffer. Take the time to explore what is on offer by reading the overviews, considering the lists ofcontent and enjoying the sample sources and commentaries provided. Do not be put off by thingswhich you may not yet have heard of, or have not studied before. Getting the most out of your timeat university means seizing the opportunity to broaden your horizons and challenge yourselfintellectually, and that is exactly what this varied curriculum offers you. Just as the staff in Humanitiesare pushing the boundaries of historical knowledge and understanding, so should you be on both anacademic and a personal level. I wish you all the best for the upcoming year, and hope this booklethelps you make the most of the diverse options available to you. Professor Sarah Pearce Ancient History Programmes Coordinator How to Select Your ModulesIn order to qualify for your degree, you need to take 120 credits during the academic year, that is, 60credits in each semester. Other arrangements apply for part-time students, and sometimes forstudents whose studies have been affected by other circumstances in some way. The credits attachedto each module are stated in each description below.The second year is an opportunity to develop your own interests in ancient history, and most of theyear’s work will be given over to modules that you have selected. The options on offer to you areexplained in the rest of the brochure, and come in two varieties: some are worth 15 credits and someare worth 30 credits. The standard required is identical, but there are special features for each one.The 15-credit modules cover more focussed topics; the 30-credit modules allow a more sustainedengagement with a theme/s. A 30-credit module involves three scheduled hours of contact time eachweek, together with advice and feedback hours and consultations; two 15-credit modules (so equalto a 30-credit module) involves four scheduled hours of contact time each week, together with adviceand feedback hours and consultations.All the modules described in this brochure are relevant to ancient historians in terms of content andmethod. You will find that some of them have different codes (e.g. ARCH, HIST, HUMA) but this is notmeaningful; modules involve staff from more than one department, and so can be classified in slightlydifferent ways. Differences in module codes do not indicate anything important about the module inquestion; if the modules are in this brochure, they are relevant to you as ancient historians.Also, bear in mind that the options listed here are not all of those available to you – the focus is onmodules that are most relevant to your degree programme. For example, all archaeology modules areopen to you should you wish to take them, and you may take up to 25% of your modules in any yearin another subject area or areas entirely. As the opportunity to choose modules outside of thishandbook won’t be open to you until Online Option Choice opens on 23rd April we would encourageyou at this stage to sign up for your full 120 credits from what is contained here and then we can easilymove you onto ‘free elective’ modules. 3

NB You may not take a module that you have taken before. You are allowed to ‘backtrack’ a maximumof 30 credits per year to modules from the previous year of study if you wish. We have included in thehandbook some of the first year modules that you can choose at this stage but if there are any othersthat you would like to take these would be classed alongside your ‘free electives’ so you will need towait before you can move to one of these.If you require further information on any module you can email the module convenor directly orcontact Dr Fraser Sturt as Director of Programmes in Archaeology (F.Sturt@soton.ac.uk), Dr JulieGammon as Director of Programmes in History (J.Gammon@soton.ac.uk), or Professor Sarah Pearceas the Ancient History Programmes Coordinator (S.J.Pearce@soton.ac.uk). For Single-Honours Ancient History StudentsYou need to take 60 credits in each semester. You have freedom to choose how this will work for you.For instance, in semester 1 you could select 2 x 30-credit modules, or 1 x 30-credit module and 2 x 15-credit modules, or even 4 x 15-credit modules.There is only one constraint that affects your choice:In semester 2, the group project (see p.38) is compulsory for all single-honours ancient historystudents. The group project is worth 30 credits, and so makes up half the credits for semester 2. Inaddition you select another 30 credits in that semester, either 1 x 30-credit module or 2 x 15-creditmodules.You therefore need to take 60 credits of options in semester 1 and 30 credits in semester 2. For Joint-Honours StudentsYour degree is designed so that half should be in ancient history and half should be in your othersubject. You need to select either one 30-credit option or two 15-credit options in ancient history ineach semester. Please see the Choices meeting powerpoint slides for grids outlining the differentcombined honours degrees and their requirements. ChoicesThe Humanities Student Office will be emailing you a form that you need to complete to indicate yourpreferences for Ancient History modules. You will be asked to identify a range of your preferredmodules for each semester (you should pick 3 x the number of credits that you will be studying in thatsemester) and to rank them in order of preference. Your modules will be allocated at the same timeas other History students and we will endeavour to provide the best fit for all students. In making yourselections, we encourage you to think broadly across the range of modules offered and how whatinterests you have developed in your first year may be found in a range of different types of modules.You should send your completed Choices form to the Humanities Student Office(archhist@soton.ac.uk) by 12.00 on Monday 19th March. The allocation will not take place until thistime so there is no advantage in returning the form quickly, we encourage to read through the materialthoroughly and think carefully about your decisions. If we do not receive your completed form youwill be allocated to modules where spaces remain. 4

Staff Contact DetailsLecturer Modules Office EmailProf Jon Adams ARCH2017 65a/3023 jjra@soton.ac.ukDr Annelies Cazemier 2047 A.Cazemier@soton.ac.ukDr Julie Gammon HIST2019 2069 J.Gammon@soton.ac.ukDr Alison Gascoigne 65a/3029 A.L.Gascoigne@soton.ac.uk ARCH1030Prof Maria Hayward HUMA2008 2059 M.Hayward@soton.ac.ukProf Chris Janaway HUMA2016 1045 C.Janaway@soton.ac.ukProf Dan Levene HIST2075 1001 D.Levene@soton.ac.ukDr Yvonne Marshall PHIL1003 65a/2223 ymm@soton.ac.ukProf Sarah Pearce HIST2103 1049 S.J.Pearce@soton.ac.ukDr Louise Revell 65a/3027 Louise.Revell@soton.ac.ukDr Alan Ross HUMA1038 2051 alan.ross@soton.ac.ukProf Joanna Sofaer HIST2045 65a/2231 J.R.Sofaer-Derevenski@soton.ac.ukDr Helen Spurling HIST2055 2047 H.Spurling@soton.ac.ukDr Lena Wahlgren-Smith 1057 L.K.M.Wahlgren-Smith@soton.ac.uk HIST2111 UOSM2030 HIST2085 HIST2223 LATI9007 LATI9008 GREE9012 GREE9013 5

Year 1 Semester 1 (15 credits) [backtrack route] ARCH1030 – Ancient and Medieval Worlds (Dr Alison Gascoigne)Module OverviewClassics, Christianity and Islam: these are the three cultural forces which have shaped the modernwest. All three impacted on the Mediterranean between 1000BC and AD1000, and can be tracedthrough the archaeology. In this module, you will have the opportunity to learn about the advent ofGreek, Roman, Christian and Islamic culture, and the key characteristics of each. Then, using a seriesof regional case-studies, you will be able to explore how these impacted (or not) on specific groups ofpeople, thinking about issues of cultural negotiation, religious interaction, and power.Indicative List of Seminar Topics• The geography of the Ancient and Medieval World• A very brief history of the Ancient and Medieval World• Sources and Materials (Archaeological Finds, Images, Classical Texts, Buildings, Excavation Reports)• Rise of the Polis• Classical Greece• Hellenistic empires• Roman Republic• High Empire• Late Antiquity• After Rome in the East and in the West• The fragmentation of the Islamic world• The Byzantine and Carolingian Empires• Unity and Diversity: Key themes in the classical and medieval world• The impact of the classical and medieval worlds on contemporary society 6

Assessment Assessment Method % Contribution to Final Mark 50Annotated Bibliography 50Essay (2,500 words)Sample SourcesThis module considers diverse forms of evidence, including historical/geographical, archaeological,architectural and artistic/iconographic sources.Artistic/Iconographic: Architectural:Tomb of the Leopards, Tarquinia, Italy The Pantheon, RomeArchaeological: Historical/geographical:North African Red-Slip Ware, Tunisia Al-Muqaddasī describes his work: “…an account of the regions of the real world of Islām, including the cold and the hot areas, the deserts and the seas with their places of danger; the rocky deserts, those of sand; saltpans, hills, plains, mountains wooded areas, limestones, sandstones solid and friable, lakes and rivers….Of the populations we will recount their diversity in languages, complexion, manners and customs, doctrinal adherence, places of pious visitation; their glories and their shortcomings.” 7

Year 2 Semester 1 (15 credits) ARCH2017 – Maritime Archaeology (Prof Jon Adams)Module OverviewMaritime archaeology represents one of the most dynamic and rapidly developing areas within thebroader discipline. Humanity’s changing use and interaction with the world’s oceans and seas hasfundamentally shaped the nature of society; from Pleistocene and Holocene colonization of the globethrough to modern commercial activity and warfare. Understanding the place of maritime aspects ofculture within different archaeological eras offers new insights into the past, as well as helping us toappreciate better the nature of our relationship with the sea today.In this module you will find out about the development of the discipline, current priorities and futuredirections for research. This will see us examine everything from the dramatic changes in the world’soceans and seas through the deep time record that archaeology represents, to the development ofseafaring technologies. All of this will be presented within the real-world context within whichresearch takes place, acknowledging not only the contribution of university-based excavations butalso the large amount of work undertaken as part of modern commercial activity. As such, this is notjust an esoteric module working at the edge of archaeological practice but one which will help youbetter understand the central role maritime archaeology has in some of the largest engineeringprojects taking place on the planet today.Indicative list of lecture/seminar topics What is Maritime Archaeology? Understanding the marine environment Marine survey techniques (Geophysics and Geotechnical) Technological developments Submerged Prehistory Waterfront Archaeology 8

 Ships and boats as archaeological source material % Contribution to Final Mark Managing underwater cultural heritage 30 Conservation and presentation 70 Deep-water archaeology Museum trip (and discussion)Assessment Assessment Method Written Assessment Tasks (1250 words) Essay (2000 words)Sample SourcesMaritime archaeology is the ultimate multidiscipline, drawing heavily on history, archaeology as wellas ocean and earth science. As such, the sources you will be introduced to range fromhistorical: Key information is held within historical texts, art and illustrations The Mary Rose as depicted in the Anthony Roll (http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onli neex/henryviii/militmap/antroll/)to material culture: The Mary Rose emerges out of the Solent on its specially constructed cradle Material culture still provides the central pillar on which maritime archaeological research is based. This extends beyond the shipwreck record of which you may already be aware and through to maritime infrastructure of ports and harbours, as well as the finds made on submerged prehistoric landscapes. All in all there are few other areas of archaeology that afford you such breadth of opportunity to see the world in a different light, be you interested in the intricacies of medieval seafaring or the astounding potential of submerged prehistory. 9

Year 2, Semester 1 (15 credits) HIST2075 –Creating an Imperial Image: Augustus (Prof Maria Hayward)Module OverviewThis module explores how Gaius Octavius (63 BC to 14 AD) became the first emperor of Rome. Througha combination of ambition, ability, and a talent for self-promotion, Octavian used art, architecture,and literature to fashion an image of himself as the religious and political leader of Rome and herempire. Each week you will evaluate a range of primary sources to consider a particular aspect of hiscareer, allowing you to consider how Octavian fashioned himself into a ‘celebrity’ of the ancient world.By considering how he capitalised on success and how he responded to challenges, you will be able toassess how justified he was in presenting himself as the pater patriae, the father of his country.Indicative List of Seminar Topics  Republican Rome: In the shadow of Julius Caesar  Octavian: ‘You, boy, owe everything to your name’  Egypt: Octavian, Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra  Augustus: the development of his military and political career  Peace and prosperity: the ‘Golden Age’  Pater patriae (father of his country)  Festival, ritual and cult: Roman religion and Augustus’ role as pontifex maximus (chief priest)  The city of Rome: ‘I found it brick and left it marble’  Augustus and the empire: A god in his own lifetime 10

Assessment % Contribution to Final Mark 50 Assessment Method 50 Essay based on primary sources (2000 words) Exam (2 hours)Sample SourceDenarius of Octavian, ‘Aegypto Capta’, 28-27 BCE, silver, mint of Pergamum, Yale University ArtGalleryThis coin serves as a good example of how Octavian used simple yet striking visual images to conveypolitical ideas. Coins were particularly effective for this because they circulated widely and the designscould be changed regularly to stress a particular political point that was relevant at the time. On thiscoin, the reverse (above), celebrated his victory in Egypt over Mark Antony and Cleopatra while theobverse (below) stressed his piety including a lituus, the staff of a priest or augur. These coins wouldhave been used in Egypt and the surround area making clear the change in rule while also assertingthe legitimacy of Octavian’s rule. 11

Year 2 Semester 1 (15 credits) HIST2223 – Myth and the Ancient World (Dr Lena Wahlgren-Smith) Atlas and Prometheus, Greek vase painting by Arkesilas painter, c. 560 B.C.Module OverviewWhat are myths and what do they do? In ‘Myth and the Ancient World’ you will explore how theAncient Greeks used myths to make sense of the world and their position in it. The module covers atime span of some 900 years, from the time of Homer and Hesiod to the late Hellenistic era. You willstudy a selection of well-known and less well-known myths from different perspectives; this mayinclude themes such as home and identity, suffering and loss, male and female. You will be introducedto a range of written and non-written sources and learn to analyse them as evidence of their social,cultural, and political climate. All texts will be studied in an English translation. 12

Indicative List of Seminar Topics  Man and the Gods: the Prometheus myth, Deucalion  Foundation myths and Civic Identity: Thebes and Athens  Heroes and Monsters: Herakles  Fate and Retribution: the Oresteia  Death and Rebirth: Demeter and Persephone  Male and Female: Jason and MedeaAssessment % Contribution to Final Mark Assessment Method 50 50 Essay (2,000 words) Exam (2 hours)Sample source ‘These roofs- look up- there is a dancing troupe that never leaves. And they have their harmony but it is harsh, their words are harsh, they drink beyond the limit. Flushed on the blood of men their spirit grows and none can turn away their revel breeding in the veins- the Furies! They cling to the house for life. They sing, sing of the frenzy that began it all, strain rising on strain, showering curses…’ (Aeschylus, Agamemnon, lines 1189-97)In the Oresteia trilogy of Aeschylus (c. 525/524 – c. 456/455 BC), the royal family of Argos are caughtup in a spiral of bloodshed and revenge, as one murder leads, inevitably, to the next. QueenClytemnestra murders her husband in revenge for the sacrifice of their daughter, her son is thenobliged to avenge his father, but is pursued in his turn by the avenging Furies. The last play in thetrilogy offers a way forward for these ancient goddesses, the gruesome upholders of justice andretribution, to be reconciled to the gods of healing and civilized order. This module explores howAeschylus and other Greek writers use the ancient myths to express contemporary concerns. 13

Year 2 Semester 1 (15 credits) HUMA1038 – Introduction to Ethnography: Food and Culture (Dr Yvonne Marshall and Professor Marion Demossier) Picture: Drying salted eels for smoking. New ZealandModule OverviewBiological science tells us what items in our world are potentially edible, but culture decides whatconstitutes food. Culture informs us as to whether a specific item is appropriate, appetising, valued,desirable, prohibited, restricted, staple or medicinal. These and other qualities are products of culturenot simply the ‘food’ itself. ‘You are what you eat’ illustrates the social dynamics through whichidentities, relationships, and hierarchies are created, performed and reproduced.This module examines cultural variation in what constitutes food, drink and medicine in contemporarysocieties and contexts. We will also look into changing patterns of food acquisition from prehistoryinto the present.In particular we will examine how our cultural definitions, discourses, values and practices concerningfood act to build, sustain and nourish us as biological bodies, as individually specific persons, and asparticipants in specific social, cultural, ethnic, national and transnational groups.This module will allow you to develop a critical understanding of what constitutes ‘food’ from acultural and comparative perspective. It will introduce you to the discipline of anthropology, includingall the sub-disciplines of social/cultural anthropology, bio-anthropology, archaeology and linguistics,and how these fields of study inform our understanding of food. It will furthermore introduce you toEthnography, the key methodology of Social & Cultural Anthropology, and provide opportunities foryou to learn how to apply ethnographic research practices. 14

Indicative List of Lecture & Seminar TopicsSection One: Introduction to food studies.  What is food?  What is an anthropological approach to food?  Food and the body: cultural and bio-anthropological approaches.  Food and personhood: how food creates and nourishes persons.  The role of food in ethnicity, national cuisines, migration and global brands.Section Two: Food through Time.  Why did people move to food production in prehistory?  How do we know what people ate in the past and why they might have chosen it?  Heritage food.  Food security in changing worlds: foraging, farming, free-trade, fairtrade.Section Three: Selected themes  Spices, simulants, fasting and altered states  Proscription, taboos and cannibalism  Sharing, abundance and feasting  Food banks; food wasteAssessment Assessment Method % Contribution to Final Mark 40Ethnographic Review (1,200 words) 60Ethnographic Project (1,500 words) Picture: students eating individual pizzas. Southampton 15

Year 2 Semester 1 (15 credits)HUMA2008 – The Life and Afterlife of Vikings (Dr Alison Gascoigne)Module OverviewBlood, violence, terror, raids, pirates, rape and pillage are just some of the words associated with theVikings in both the medieval and modern imagination. Their fearsome reputation is underlined bynicknames such as ‘Blood Axe’ and ‘Skull-splitter’, but violence is only one part of Viking history. TheVikings also formed extensive trade networks across Europe and into Central Asia, founded newcountries, developed new technologies, created beautiful and useful objects and left behind a literarytradition that influenced European culture for many centuries, and indeed continues to do so. In thismodule, by studying historical, archaeological and literary sources, you will examine both the realityof Viking society and how Viking identity was perceived over the course of the middle ages.Indicative List of Seminar Topics The historicity of the saga tradition The nature of Viking-era society Viking warrior culture Viking ships and seafaring Viking migration and settlement, trade and exchange Religious belief and Christianisation The reception of the Vikings in medieval and modern timesAssessment % Contribution to Final Mark Assessment Method 50 50 Source commentaries (3 x 700 words) Exam (2 hours) 16

Sample SourceThis module is specifically interdisciplinary, so students will encounter diverse sources such as thefollowing:Historical: ‘That folk [the Swedes] has a very famous temple called Uppsala, situated not far from thecity of Sigtuna and Björkö. In this temple, entirely decked out in gold, the people worship the statuesof three gods in such wise that the mightiest of them, Thor, occupies a throne in the middle of thechamber; Wotan and Frikko have places on either side. […] It is customary also to solemnize in Uppsala,at nine-year intervals, a general feast of all the provinces of Sweden. […] The sacrifice is of this nature:of every living thing that is male, they offer nine heads, with the blood of which it is customary toplacate gods of this sort. The bodies they hang in the sacred grove that adjoins the temple.’ Abam of Bremen, History of the Archbishops of Hamburg-Bremen (A.A. Somerville and R.A. McDonald, The Viking Age: A Reader 2014, p. 65-66)Literary: ‘There he [Thorolf Mostrarskegg] had a temple built. It was a large structure with a door onone of the side walls close to the end of the building. Inside, in front of the door, stood the high-seatpillars, studded with nails called god’s nails. Beyond the pillars the whole interior was a sanctuary andat the inner end there was an area resembling what we call a choir in churches nowadays. In themiddle of the floor stood an altar-like structure, and on it lay a ring weighing twenty ounces, whichhad been formed without a joint. All oaths were sworn on it, and the temple priest had to wear it onhis arm at every public meeting. A bowl for sacrificial blood always stood on the altar, and in the bowllay a twig for sprinkling hlaut, which is the blood of living creatures sacrificed to the gods. The godswere arranged around the altar in the innermost, or choir-like, part of the temple.’ Saga of the People of Eyri (Eyrbyggja saga) (A.A. Somerville and R.A. McDonald, The Viking Age: A Reader 2014, p. 67)Archaeological: Plan of an Iron-age to Viking-era temple at the site of Uppåkra, Sweden, at which ritual depositis of gold-foil figures, ‘sacrified’ weapons and bones and other distinctive objects were excavated (L.Larsson, ‘The Iron Age ritual building at Uppåkra, southern Sweden’, Antiquity 81, 11-25, fig. 3)Taken together, these extracts provide complementary evidence about the form of Viking-age ritualstructures, and the nature of activities that took place there. Some activities (e.g. the sprinkling ofblood as recounted in the saga text) leave no archaeological trace. Excavations do, however, bring tolight important aspects of ritual not reported in texts, such as the ‘killing’ of weaponry, and thelandscape setting of such structures. These diverse sources present different perspectives on Vikingcult, including those of foreign observers, Scandinavians, and saga-tellers from later, Christian, times,integrating these accounts with modern data from techniques of historical and scientific archaeology. 17

Year 1 Semester 1 (15 credits) [backtrack route] PHIL1003 – Introduction to Early Greek Philosophy (Prof Chris Janaway)Module OverviewPhilosophy has always progressed by being aware of its past, and it has been said that the legacy ofthe ancient Greek thinkers to Western philosophy is nothing less than Western philosophy itself. Theancients invented our subject, and Plato and Aristotle are still widely regarded as the two greatestphilosophers of all time. A full philosophical education demands some understanding and criticalengagement with key aspects of their wide and powerful thought. They raise fundamental questionsin ethics: What is it to be a good person? What is the best kind of life for a human being to lead? Andtheir answers lead on to many further questions: What it is to know what is good? What is it to knowanything, rather than just have an opinion? How do we learn? Can our emotions be educated as wellas our beliefs? Do art and poetry teach us anything? What kind of society would be best for us all?Indicative List of Seminar Topics:In this module you will explore some of the central concepts, claims and arguments embodied in thesome of the major works of ancient Greek philosophers, principally Plato and the earlier Pre-Socraticphilosophers. Topics may include: Concepts of being, not-being, and change Methods of argument and persuasion used by ancient philosophers Theories of the ethical virtues Theories of knowledge Plato’s theory of Forms, and philosophical problems it raises 18

Assessment Assessment Method % Contribution to Final Mark 40Textual commentary (1,000 words) 60Exam (90 minutes)Sample SourceWe hear some people say that poets know all the crafts, all human affairs concerned with virtue andvice, and all about the gods as well. They say that if a good poet produces fine poetry, he must haveknowledge of the things he writes about, or else he wouldn’t be able to produce it at all. Hence, wehave to look to see whether those who tell us this have encountered these imitators and have beenso deceived by them that they don’t realize that their works are at the third remove from what is andare easily produced without knowledge of the truth (since they are only images, not things that are),or whether there is something in what those people say, and good poets really do have knowledge ofthe things most people think they write so well about. Plato, Republic, Book 10.2Plato was a philosopher in Classical Greece who laid the foundations of western philosophy. In thisextract, Plato critiques the suggestion that poets have real knowledge of affairs of gods and men. Heproposes to examine whether poets are imitators without real understanding of the truth of humanexperience, or whether good poets really do have some knowledge and experience of the topics thatthey write about. Plato ends up arguing for the former and that poetry only encourages wild emotionrather than the rational thought that goes with real knowledge. 19

Year 2 Semester 1 (15 credits) UOSM2030 – Body and Society (Prof Joanna Sofaer) Marina Abramović. Nude with Skeleton (2002-2005).Module overviewPeople are bodies. We inhabit our own bodies and relate to other people in terms of their bodies. Thismodule brings together Archaeology, Anatomy, and Anthropology to explore a range of differentdisciplinary approaches to the human body in the past and present. Through the exploration of a diverserange of case studies, from body donation to tattooing, this module examines how the body has beenperceived as a physical object and a social construction. It looks at the central role of the body in mediatingsocial relations, and how people respond to the living and the dead body in culturally and historicallyspecific ways.Indicative list of topicsThe module will be divided into a series of 3 thematic blocks, each dealing with a different aspect of thehuman body:Block 1: The Physical Body. The treatment, management and study of the physical body in biomedical andarchaeological contexts. This section of the module includes topics such as body donation, an anatomypractical session, and a human skeletal practical session.Block 2: Social Understandings of the Body. The social construction and understanding of the body, bothin life and death. This will draw principally on anthropological and archaeological approaches andperspectives. Topics include culturally specific understandings of gender, transgender, beauty and thetreatment of the dead body.Block 3: The Representation of the Body. How the body can be exaggerated, described, perceived andexperienced in various ways, and how these link to different social ideas and categories of the body in arange of societies in past and present. This block includes sessions on performance art as a means ofunderstanding the limits and potentials of the body in contemporary society, and the artisticrepresentation of the body in Medieval, Classical Greek and prehistoric contexts.Students should note that the module includes a visit to the Centre for Learning Anatomical Sciences whereyou will study cadavers. 20

Assessment Assessment Method % Contribution to Final MarkAssignment 1: Individual contribution to 3 blog entries. Your final 50mark for Assignment 1 is the average of these. 50Assignment 2: An annotated group exhibition catalogue. You willbe encouraged to use your own creativity in producing thecatalogue to a high standard. Each group will be helped toconstruct a research timetable to enable you to complete thisassessment. You will need to carry out independent group-basedwork outside timetabled events.Alongside the thematic content the module will include sessions to train you in use of the technologiesused in the assessments and in the research skills needed to successfully complete them. This includesa session dedicated to citizenship on-line, on-line identity, and use of the blog, as well as seminars tohelp you to develop exhibition research timetables and research designs, make you aware of copyrightissues in the use of images, and how to prepare your exhibition catalogue. Towards the end of themodule there will be an exhibition ‘surgery’ session to which you will be able to bring issues or seekadvice on your exhibition catalogue before it is submitted.Sample sourcesThroughout the module particular emphasis will be placed on use of visual material, as well as writtenresources, as a means of teaching and learning. These will be made accessible through an on-lineresource pack and links to public domain web resources. This module is specifically interdisciplinary:the module is innovative in its delivery through the cross-faculty involvement of staff from theFaculties of Humanities, Medicine, and Social and Human Sciences. Students will encounter diversesources including,Anatomical: Medical students salute donated bodies prior to an anatomy class, Shenzhen University Anthropological: Men from the Wodaabe tribe performing Yaake dance, Niger Archaeological: The Venus of Willendorf (28,000 - 25,000 BC), now held in the Natural History Museum Vienna, Austria 21

Year 2 Semester 1 (30 credits) HIST2085 – Rebels with a Cause: The Historical Origins of Christianity (Dr Helen Spurling)Module overviewThe Roman world in the first century CE saw the rise of a new world religion that was to have an everchanging and at times turbulent history up to today. ‘Rebels with a Cause' invites you to assess anddebate the historical origins of one of the key religions that has shaped the modern world. Where didChristianity come from, how did it develop, and in what ways did broader society respond to this newmovement? This module explores the historical origins of Christianity and the contexts from which itemerged, including Jewish society in the Roman world and the Palestinian scene under Roman rule.We investigate how pagan Romans reacted to early Christians, including how its members wereviewed as a rebellious minority, and perceptions of their ideas as ‘excessive superstition' and a‘contagion' (Pliny the Younger, Letters 10.96-97). We also look at the search for identity amongst theearliest Christians, particularly in relation to the Jewish people, as they began to establish, developand expand their new religion. 22

Indicative list of topicsReference will be made throughout to the historical and social context of Roman Palestine. Topicscovered will include: Roman Palestine in the first century Second Temple Judaism Early Christian writings and groups Roman responses to early Christianity The development of Christian identities The ‘parting of the ways’ between Judaism and ChristianityAssessment % Contribution to Final Mark Assessment Method 30 30 Commentaries exercise (1,500 words) 40 Essay (2,000 words) Exam – open book (2 hours)Sample source‘But neither human help, nor imperial munificence, nor all the modes of placating Heaven, could stiflescandal or dispel the belief that the fire had taken place by order. Therefore, to scotch the rumour,Nero substituted as culprits, and punished with the utmost refinements of cruelty, a class of men,loathed for their vices, whom the crowd styled Christians. Christus, the founder of the name, hadundergone the death penalty in the reign of Tiberius, by sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilatus,and the pernicious superstition was checked for a moment, only to break out once more, not merelyin Judaea, the home of the disease, but in the capital itself, where all things horrible or shameful inthe world collect and find a vogue.’ Tacitus, Annals, XV.44Why this source matters:This is part of a history of Emperor Nero written by the politician and historian Tacitus in the earlysecond century CE. Tacitus was not a fan of the imperial office, and especially Nero, as can be seen inthe suggestion that Nero was to blame for the fire of Rome in 64 CE. Tacitus reports that in an attemptto avert suspicion Nero blamed Christians for the disaster, and famously had them tortured andthrown to the lions. This passage from Tacitus shows that Roman historians were aware of the newmovement of Christians and he provides some basic details about the origins of the new religion.Although Tacitus sees the Christians as Nero’s scapegoats, he is nevertheless rather uncomplimentaryabout them and describes them as a ‘superstition’ that was spreading even to Rome itself. Christianitywas not officially tolerated by the Roman authorities until the Edict of Milan under Constantine in 313CE, and Tacitus’ work provides an early insight into the status of Christians in the Roman Empire andRoman attitudes towards this new and rebellious socio-religious group. 23

Year 2 Semester 1 (15 credits) LATI9007 – Latin Language Stage 2A (Dr Lena Wahlgren-Smith)The study of Latin languages and literature is fascinating and rewarding in itself, and it also providesan invaluable tool for the Ancient Historian’s scholarly toolbox. Knowledge of one or other languagewill immeasurably deepen your ability to engage with ancient sources and allow you to enjoy theliterary traditions that underpin all modern literature that has flourished in Europe since theRenaissance.You may choose to take a language module at any stage of your degree. Your chosen Stage will dependon your prior knowledge (if any) of that language: Stage 2 is for those who completed Stage 1 and/orfor those who have studied to GCSE-level or equivalent.You must take part A in any language level in order to progress to part B.Module OverviewSuccessful completion of the full Stage 2, over 2 semesters, is approximately equivalent to reachingLevel B1 of the Common European Framework or Level 2 of the National Language Standards, a goodAS level or C at A level. Taking this single semester module at Stage 2 will take you part of the way tothe outcomes of the full Stage. You are encouraged to take a full language Stage if you want to makesignificant progress in the language you are learning. After completing this single semester module,as a competent language user at the midpoint of Stage 2, and after a notional 150 hours of study time(class contact plus independent learning), you should have skills, knowledge and understanding in theareas outlined below. These are expressed in terms of what you should know and/or be able to do bythe end of this module.SyllabusThis Stage presents and practices key language structures, integrating them with strategies forcommunication and with key cultural topics. Published materials will be supplemented by handoutsand other media which the course tutor will provide or recommend. Some of the material will bederived from authentic print and audio-visual media. Independent learning material will be availablein the Languages Resources Centre and on Blackboard.Assessment Assessment Method % Contribution to Final MarkIn-class tests of grammar, translation and comprehension 02 portfolio assignments consisting of short translations 40Exam – with dictionary (3 hours) 60 24

Year 2 Semester 1 (15 Credits) GREE9013 – Greek Stage 1A (Dr Lena Wahlgren-Smith)The study of Greek languages and literature is fascinating and rewarding in itself, and it also providesan invaluable tool for the Ancient Historian’s scholarly toolbox. Knowledge of Greek will immeasurablydeepen your ability to engage with ancient sources and allow you to enjoy the literary traditions thatunderpin all modern literature that has flourished in Europe since the Renaissance.You may choose to take a language module at any stage of your degree. Your chosen Stage will dependon your prior knowledge of that language: Stage 1 is open for complete beginners. Greek is currentlyoffered only at Stage 1, but may become available at other Stages if demand arises.You must take part A in any language level in order to progress to part B.Module OverviewSuccessful completion of the full Stage 1, over two semesters, is approximately equivalent to reachingLevel A2 of the Common European Framework or part way towards Level 2 of the National LanguageStandards. It might be roughly equated with the level of a good GCSE grade. Taking this single semestermodule at stage 1 will take you part of the way to the outcomes of the full stage. You are encouragedto take a full language stage if you want to make significant progress in the language you are learning.After completing this single semester module, as a competent language user at the midpoint of Stage1, and after a notional 150 hours of study time (class contact plus independent learning), you shouldhave skills, knowledge and understanding in the areas outlined below. These are expressed in termsof what you should know and/or be able to do by the end of this module.SyllabusThis stage will integrate topics and, where appropriate, specialist areas with the study of the language.There will be a particular emphasis on consolidating knowledge and use of grammar. Course books,reference material and topic-based material will be used as appropriate. The following course bookswill be used:Reading Greek: Text and Vocabulary by Joint Association of Classical Teachers (Cambridge UniversityPress), ISBN-10: 0521698510, ISBN-13: 978-0521698511Assessment Assessment Method % Contribution to Final MarkIn-class tests of grammar, translation and comprehension 02 portfolio assignments consisting of short translations 40Exam – open book including translation (2 hours) 60 25

Year 2 Semester 2 (15 credits) ARCH2003 – The Power of Rome: Europe’s First Empire (tbc) Modern view of Roman might (Total War: Rome II computer game, courtesy of Sega)Module OverviewThe Roman empire has held the imagination of successive generations. Conquest by Rome broughtsocial, cultural and economic change to large swathes of what is now Europe, the Middle East andnorth Africa. Never before or after will these parts of the world enjoy centuries of stability and peaceas they did under the Romans. It was a unique political institution that encompassed a mosaic ofpeoples, languages and cultures that was unprecedented in its richness, leaving a legacy that hasprofoundly shaped the course of Western civilization. Its success and longevity has fascinated many,and long after its demise it remained a model for the European and American imperialism in thenineteenth, twentieth and even twenty-first centuries. The great wealth of the archaeologicalevidence has produced a long tradition of scholarship, but in the last twenty years, new approacheshave reawakened these debates, making the study of the Roman world one of the most dynamic fieldswithin archaeology, with major implications for other areas of the Humanities. Post-colonial discourse,theorists of Globalization and North African dictators trying to raise their agricultural output, to namejust few, have all looked back to the Roman Empire for clues.So what was the secret of the Roman empire’s success? How did it come to be and how was itmaintained? (Spoiler alert: its military might was not crucial!) In this module, you will look at thecauses, consequences and the changing nature of Roman imperialism and its political, social, culturaland economic foundations. You will touch upon key issues and debates in Roman archaeology andlearn about major sites and artefact types from all parts of the Roman world.Indicative List of Seminar Topics  Army and frontiers  Provincialization and administration of the Empire  Elite and ideology  Religion  Art and Imperial representation  Technological advances  Economic integration  Cultural change and citizenship  The Fall and legacy 26

Assessment % Contribution to Final Mark Assessment Method 50 50 Essay (2,000 words) Exam (2 hours)Sample SourcesThis module is specifically interdisciplinary, so students will encounter diverse sources such as:Historical: ‘For, to accustom to rest and repose through the charms of luxury a population scattered andbarbarous and therefore inclined to war, Agricola gave private encouragement and public aid to the building oftemples, courts of justice and dwelling-houses, praising the energetic, and reproving the indolent. Thus anhonourable rivalry took the place of compulsion.....Hence, too, a liking sprang up for our style of dress, and the\"toga\" became fashionable. Step by step they fell into the seductive vices of arcades, baths, and elegantbanquets. All this in their ignorance, they called civilization [humanitas], when it was but a part of theirenslavement.’ Tacitus, Agricola, 1.21Iconographic: Epigraphic: Claudius and Britannia, a relief from the Sebasteion temple in Aphrodisias (Asia Minor) (courtesy of www.nyu.edu)Archaeological: Dedicatory inscription from Chichester (RIB 91) that is traditionally translated: To Neptune and Minerva, for the welfare of the Divine House by the authority of Tiberius Claudius Cogidubnus, great king of Britain, the guild of smiths and those therein gave this temple from their own resources, Pudens, son of Pudentinus, presenting the site. Cogidubnus is believed to be a client king who resided at the Fishbourne Villa.Roman fort of Housesteads and a section of Hadrian’s Wall (courtesy of perlineamvalli.wordpress.com)Taken together, these extracts provide complementary evidence about one of Rome’s furthest provinces, Britain.These diverse sources present different perspectives on the conquest and the Roman rule, introducing some ofthe key agents involved - the emperor, provincial administrator, member of the indigenous elite and the army.By integrating traditional source material with modern data from techniques of historical and scientificarchaeology we can explore the perspectives of both those with means and agendas to commemorate, andthose that through past centuries have remained silent. 27

Year 2 Semester 2 (15 credits) HIST2055 – Ancient Rome: The First Metropolis (Dr Louise Revell)Module OverviewThis module focusses on the city of Rome and its development from its early foundation through tothe third century AD. It explores the evidence for one of the most important cities of the ancient world,which at its height was home to approximately a million people. During this time, it developed from asmall village to a metropolis, but at the same time, changing social and political structures also resultedin changes to the architecture of the city, at its most radical, changing it from the canvas for elitecompetition to the playground of the emperors. Roman was a place of large-scale events, whetherpolitical, religious, military, or entertainment, carried out in the public space of the city. Space andsociety were interlinked. You will examine the development of key areas in the city, such as the ForumRomanum, the imperial fora, the colosseum and temples. You will not only look at the architecture ofthese, but also the evidence for how they were used. At the same time, you will look at the social andpolitical structures of the city, and how activities such as voting, religious festivals, military triumphsused the public spaces of the city.Indicative List of Seminar Topics:  The military city  Imperial fora and temples  Religion, rituals and priests  Entertaining the masses  Houses and housing  Supplying Rome 28

Assessment Assessment Method % Contribution to Final Mark 50Essay (2,000 words) 50Exam (2 hours)Sample Source ‘Here we live in a city which, to a large extent, Is supported by rickety props; that’s how the landlord’s agent Stops it falling. He covers a gap in the chinky old building, Then “sleep easy!” he says when the ruin is poised to collapse. One ought to live where fires don’t happen, where alarms at night Are unknown. Ucalegon’s shouting “Fire!” and moving to safety His bits and pieces; your third floor is already smoking; You are oblivious. If the panic starts at the foot of the stairs, The last to burn is the man who is screened from the rain by nothing Except tiles, where eggs are laid by gentle doves.’ Part of Juvenal Satire 3In this poem, the speaker, Umbricius, is lamenting the problems of living in the big city. At this time,Rome was a city of possibly over one million inhabitants, and in contrast to CGI depictions inHollywood films, the majority of the population were living in borderline slum conditions. Umbriciusis leaving Rome for the countryside, and the poem summarises his complaints about life in the city. Inthis extract, he lists some of the issues with his rented apartment in a tenement block. The building isin a bad state of repair, with holes in the walls patched up. There is a risk of fire, and if there is a fire,those higher up are not likely to be aware of it, and more likely to burn. This source reinforces thepicture from other sources such as Martial about the problems with accommodation for the non-elite,and it confirms the archaeological evidence for apartment buildings, which might stand up to eightstoreys high. 29

Year 2 Semester 2 (15 credits) HIST2103 – Self-inflicted: Extreme Violence, Politics and Power (Dr Dan Levene) 1965 cinematic depiction of the 5th century Simeon Stylites on top of his 18 meter pillarModule OverviewAs Rome became established as a Christian Empire its recent martyrs came to be revered and powerfulsymbols. Yet with the success of Christianity came the loss of opportunity to follow the example ofChrist in offering oneself selflessly to violent death. Instead there emerged and developed in the 4th –7th centuries a very successful and politically powerful trend whereby one could gain fame andinfluence through extreme self-inflicted violence in imitation of Christ.In this module we will consider the discourse on the subject of violence comparing the newer self-inflicted trend to that of its older form of martyrdom. We will consider the roots of this practice, workwith the rich literary sources in which the lives of such people are recorded, and consider theirinteraction with and influence upon the wider political realities of the time through the study anumber of individual case studies. 30

Indicative List of Seminar Topics  Introduction to the history of Christian Martyrdom in the early centuries  The making of martyrdom – the voyeuristic literature of holy violence  A couple of case studies – Perpetua and the Martyrs of Najaran  “There is no crime for those who have Christ” – Gaddis on violence  The cult of the Martyrs – Augustine and the need to imitate  Self-infliction – Theodoret’s and John of Ephesus’ holy men galore  Simeon Stylites – A case study of the master  Not only Men – “Holy Women of the Syrian Orient”  Holy self-harmers and politicsAssessment % Contribution to Final Mark Assessment Method 50 50 Essay (2,000 words) Exam (2 hours)Sample Source‘… he spent three years in that hut and then occupied that famous summit where he ordered a circularwall to be made and had a chain twenty cubits long made out of iron. He fastened one end of it to ahuge rock and attached the other to his right foot, so that even if he wanted to he could not leave theconfines. He remained inside, keeping heaven always before his eye and forcing himself tocontemplate what lies beyond the heavens, for the iron fetter could not hinder the flight of the mind.But when the excellent Meletius, a sound man of brilliant intellect and endowed with astuteness andwho was charged to make a visitation of the region of the city of Antioch, told him that the iron wassuperfluous since right reason sufficed to place rational fetters on the body, he yielded and acceptedthe counsel obediently, and bade a smith be called and ordered him to take off the fetter. Now whena piece of hide which had been applied to the leg so that the iron would not maim the body also hadto be ripped apart as it had been sewn together, it is said that one could see more than twenty largebugs hiding in it. … I have mentioned it here to point out the great endurance of the man. For he couldhave easily squeezed the piece of hide with his hand and killed all of them, but he put up patientlywith all their annoying bites and willingly used small struggles as training for greater ones.’ Extract from the 5th century historian Theodoret.This description is of part of the earlier life of Simeon who trained for many years to be able to endurethe great feats of self-deprivation that he achieved. By the end of his life there was a great monasterybuilt around his column to whom flowed many thousands of pilgrims, from near and far, both rich andpoor, peasant and wealthy politician. 31

Year 2 Semester 2 (15 credits) HIST2109 – Ancient Greeks at War (Dr Annelies Cazemier)Module OverviewFrom the legendary tales of the Trojan War up to the conquest of Persia by Alexander the Great,warfare played a central role in ancient Greek history and society. This module allows students toexamine ancient Greek warfare from a range of different sources and angles (military, political, social,economic, cultural, and religious), to work with written and material evidence from the Classical Greekperiod in particular, and to assess the preliminaries, events, and conclusions of major wars, as well asstudying the wider impact of warfare on ancient Greek society.The history of the Classical fifth century BC was dominated by two wars: the Persian Wars and thePeloponnesian War. Culminating in the battles of Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis, the PersianWars and their commemoration loomed large in Greek history and culture for many centuries. Theycontributed to the self-definition of Greeks vs. others; led to the rise of the Athenian Empire; andAlexander the Great would later set out on his conquest as a Greek war of revenge against the Persians.The Peloponnesian War, on the other hand, centred on the conflict between two Greek city-states,Athens and Sparta. Their lengthy period of strife reshaped the balance of power in the ancient Greekworld, and led to the downfall of the Athenian empire.The two wars are the main focus of the works written by Herodotus and Thucydides – the formerknown as the ‘father of history’; the latter praised for his strict historical standards and consideredone of the founding fathers of political realism. Both authors exerted a significant influence on thewriting of history more broadly, and a study of their works not only offers an opportunity to learnabout Greek history, warfare, and society in the fifth century BC, but also provides a direct encounterwith two of the earliest known historians. The module combines their historical accounts withdocumentary sources for Greek warfare and society as well as material evidence (including artisticrepresentations of warfare and the study of archaeological sites). In the final part of the course,attention will be paid to the reception of ancient Greek warfare until the modern day. 32

Indicative List of Topics % Contribution to Final Mark 30  Writing about War: Herodotus and Thucydides 40  The Persian Wars & The Peloponnesian War  Deciding on War: Political Processes  Managing War: Logistics and Leadership  Fighting War: Soldiers and Armour  Concluding War: Battles and Diplomacy  Commemorating War: Monuments and Festivals  Modern Reception of Ancient Greek WarfareAssessment Assessment Method Essay (2,000 words) Exam (2 hours)Sample Source‘In the same winter, following their traditional institution, the Athenians held a state funeral for thosewho had been the first to die in this war. The ceremony is as follows. They erect a tent in which, twodays before the funeral, the bones of the departed are laid out, and people can bring offerings to theirown dead. On the day of the funeral procession coffins of cypress wood are carried out on wagons,one coffin for each tribe, with each man’s bones in his own tribe’s coffin. One dressed but empty bieris carried for the missing whose bodies could not be found and recovered. All who wish can join theprocession, foreigners as well as citizens, and the women of the bereaved families come to keen atthe grave. Their burial is in the public cemetery, situated in the most beautiful suburb of the city,where the war dead are always buried, except those who died at Marathon, whose exceptional valourwas judged worthy of a tomb where they fell.’ Thucydides 2.34 (trans. M. Hammond. Oxford: OUP, 2009, pp. 89-90)This passage from Thucydides’ History refers to events in the winter of 431/430 BC, the first year ofthe Peloponnesian War. It describes how those who have fallen in the war are given a public funeral,which included the famous Funeral Oration spoken by the Athenian statesman Pericles. The passageunderlines how the commemoration of war is very much a community affair. The ‘public cemetery’was in the area of the well-excavated site known as the Kerameikos – where inscribed casualty listshave been found. The Battle of Marathon (490 BC), on the other hand, formed part of the so-calledPersian Wars, and was commemorated through a burial mound at the site of the battle itself. Thesource extract offers excellent opportunities for combining written and material evidence, and itprovides a very evocative insight into the lasting impact which warfare had on ancient Greek society.33

Year 2 Semester 2 (15 credits) HUMA2016 - Arabian Nights and Days: The World of the 1001 Nights (Dr Alison Gascoigne) 9th century house, Samarra, Iraq, with elaborate interior decorationModule overviewThe disparate body of literature collected together under the title 1001 Nights, more popularlyknown as the Arabian Nights, is set primarily in the cities of the medieval Middle East, includingBaghdad and Basra in Iraq, Cairo in Egypt and Damascus in Syria. The narratives include charactersfrom all levels of society, from caliphs, princes, princesses and viziers, to poor men and women, aswell as magical beings of various sorts. They recount great adventures and supernatural happenings;but among the more marvellous events appear many details of daily life, social activity and urbanlandscape. This module uses the 1001 Nights as a starting point for an interdisciplinary investigationof medieval Arab (largely urban) society.Indicative list of seminar topicsThe module is organised thematically. Each week, we will consider a narrative or storytaken from the 1001 Nights, within which a particular theme will be identified. This topicwill be introduced during the lecture, with specific sources relating to the subject to bediscussed in detail during the subsequent seminars. Themes may include:• court/palace culture• social stratification and mobility• urban landscape and setting• trade and economic activity 34

• gender; hospitality, social life, food/drink and dining• professions and professional activities• recent reception, Orientalism and cultural politics.Assessment Contribution to final mark 50% Assessment method 50%1 x source commentaries1 x essay (2,500 words)Sample sourcesThis module is specifically interdisciplinary, so students will encounter diverse sources such as thefollowing:Historical/geographical:‘Tinnīs [in Egypt], situated between the Romaean Sea and the Nile, is a small island in a lake, thewhole of which has been built as a city—and what a city! It is Baghdād in miniature! A mountain ofgold! The emporium of the Orient and of the West! Markets are elegant, fish cheap. It is the goal oftravelers, prosperity is evident, the shore delightful, the mosque exquisite, the palaces lofty. It is atown with resources, and well populated, yet as it is situated on a narrow island, the water encirclesit like a ring. It is, too, a boring, filthy place, where the water, kept in cisterns, is locked up. Most ofits inhabitants are Copts. The refuse is thrown into the streets. Here are made coloured cloths andgarments. Beside it is a place in which are piled up the dead of the unbelievers, one upon another,while the cemeteries of the Muslims are in the centre of the town. Al Maqdisi, The Best Divisions in the Knowledge of the Regions (tr. B. Collins, 1994, p.185)Archaeological/architectural: % 35

Plan of a medieval house excavated in Fustat (Cairo), Egypt (A. Bahgat and A. Gabriel, Fouilles d’al Foustat 1921, fig. 20)Literary:‘The people who most deserve to be slapped are those who come to eat without being invited, andthe people who most deserve to be slapped twice are those who, when the host of the party says,“Sit here,” reply, “No! I’m going to sit over there!” And the people who most deserve to be slappedthree times are those who, when invited to eat, say to the owner of the house, “Call your wife inhere to eat with us!” Al Khatib al Baghdadi’s The Art of Party Crashing in Medieval Iraq (tr. E. Selove 2012, p. 25)There are many moments in the 1001 Nights where characters enjoy domestic social occasions, bothlicit and illicit. The sources above provide diverse information on the urban settings of houses, ontheir forms and the areas within them where such parties might have taken place, and on theexpected behaviour of hosts and guests. Considered together, these strands of evidence allow us toanalyse the ideal vs the reality of domestic entertainment in the medieval Middle East in light of itsportrayal in the stories of the Nights. 36

Year 2 Semester 2 (15 credits) HUMA2018 – Landscapes of Conflicts (Dr Tim Sly)Module OverviewThis module examines the history of conflict in the UK and overseas between the 16th and 21stcenturies with specific focus on battles and battlefields. In particular, it compares traditionalhistorical narratives of individual battles on land and at sea with non-textual sources, including thephysical landscapes of battlefields and the material remains that have been recovered on them.Areas to be considered include:• the complementary and/or contradictory nature of interdisciplinary source material(including historical and literary accounts of conflicts; archaeological surveys and excavationsincluding retrieved artefacts and human remains) for specific conflict events and the challenges thatthis poses to scholarship;• the location of battlefields and the nature of specific conflict events as evidenced byhistorical accounts and landscape remains;• environmental changes to conflict landscapes between the date of the conflict to thepresent day, and the implications of this for our understanding of events;• the impact of battles on both combatants and non-combatants, and the involvement of non-combatants in the physical alteration of a battlefield after the event.Indicative ContentThis module is taught by means of sessions examining the primary methodological challengesconnected to interdisciplinary battlefield studies. These issues are examined by means of a series ofcase studies analysing individual 16th- to 21st-century battles, including conflicts located both in theUK and abroad; this will include a small number of site visits to engage with specific 'landscapes ofconflict'.AssessmentType of Assessment % Contribution to overall grade 37

Desk-based assessment using sources (1250 35%words) 65%Case-study assessment (2500 words) 38

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Year 2 Semester 2 (30 credits) HIST2045 – Cleopatra’s Egypt (Professor Sarah Pearce)Module Overview‘It is well done, and fitting for a princess descended of so many royal kings'. Shakespeare's words onthe suicide of Cleopatra VII echo rare ancient Roman admiration for the last queen of Egypt. Defeatedby Rome, Cleopatra's choice of death might show a glimpse of her noble origins. But what of her lifeand the world that made her? Roman propaganda made a monster of Cleopatra: power-mad; sexuallydepraved; fanatical, animal-worshipping Egyptian; a stain on the glorious reputation of Alexander theGreat who brought her ancestors to Egypt. That legacy proved powerful and enduring. Can we getbehind the propaganda to the real Cleopatra and her context? We explore the world of Cleopatra'sEgypt; its multicultural society and relationship with Roman power; and the fragmentary remains ofCleopatra's life and rule. And we reflect, finally, on Cleopatra's post-mortem power on the westernimagination, from Shakespeare to Hollywood and beyond. 40

Indicative List of Seminar Topics  Ancient and modern constructions of Ptolemaic Egypt  The Ptolemies’ creation of a new style of monarchy, combining Greek ideals of kingship with the ancient tradition of the Pharaohs  Domestic and foreign policy  Law and administration  Life in the countryside  Ptolemaic Alexandria: culture and commerce  Memphis and the Egyptian temples  ‘Isis is a Greek word’: Greek religion and Pharaonic tradition  The Jews of Egypt  Egyptian resistance to Greek rule  The coming of Rome  The rule of CleopatraAssessment % Contribution to Final Mark Assessment Method 30 30 Essay (2,000 words) 40 Commentaries exercise (2 x 500 words) Exam (2 hours)Sample Source‘On behalf of Queen Cleopatra goddess Philopator, the (holy) place of the association of (Isis)Snonaitiake, of whom the president is the chief priest Onnophris. Year 1, Epeiph 1.’ Fayum Inscription III 205; Arsinoite nome, 2 July 51 B.C. (Votive relief, Louvre Museum, Paris.Dedicated in the very first year of Cleopatra’s reign, this limestone relief shows the queen as a malepharaoh making an offering to the goddess Isis. The relief was probably intended as a dedication toCleopatra’s father, who died in 51 B.C. The queen is alone; perhaps a sign of her early break-up withher brother-husband which would lead to civil war. The Greek inscription is crammed into a space toosmall to hold it; recycling work, first-century style! The juxtaposition of Greek words with Egyptianiconography embodies the multicultural world of Cleopatra’s Egypt: Greek-speaking village priests,based in an Egyptian temple, serving a female pharaoh of Macedonian descent who worships anEgyptian goddess. 41

Year 2, Semester 2 (30 credits) HIST2111 – Roman Emperors and Imperial Lives: Between Biography and History, Praise and Blame (Dr Alan Ross)Module OverviewFor most people even today Nero was one of the ‘bad’ emperors (he killed his mother), and Caligulawas mad and depraved (he wanted to appoint his favourite horse as consul, and committed incestwith his sisters); but the categorisation of emperors along moral lines is not a modern phenomenon.The emperor was without doubt the most important individual in the Roman world, the embodimentof the imperial project. His character, appearance, and actions were of fascination to contemporariesduring and after his life. In this module we will survey Roman cultural responses to the office ofemperor, and specifically the role played by prominent authors in creating a discourse on theindividuals that occupied the imperial throne from its inception to Late Antiquity.Several genres of ‘political’ literature flourished under the empire, which took the emperor as theirprimary subject - biography, historiography, and speeches of praise and blame. Their rise may partlyhave been a response to the concentration of power in a single individual, but they also constantlyengaged in evaluating emperors in traditional terms of virtue and vice, turning emperors intoexamples of good or bad rule for later holders of the office. Such texts, then, played an active role inthe creation of an image of an emperor both during and after his reign. In this module we will surveykey texts chronologically from the first to fourth centuries, and consider how and why each authorinterpreted individual emperors; how the ideal of the emperor developed during that time; when andin what way it was acceptable to criticise an emperor, or how risky this could be; to what extent anemperor could influence the creation of his positive image via contemporary orators. We will examinesome case studies of the ‘best’ and ‘worst’ of emperors such as Claudius, Caligula, Constantine andJulian, and in the process you will gain a chronological overview of the Roman imperial period. Finally,we’ll reflect on how modern depictions of emperors, in formal biographies and TV/film depictions,compare to the concerns articulated in ancient texts.Indicative List of Seminar Topics 42

 Suetonius and the imperial ideal Plutarch: a Greek view of Roman emperors Biography and history: Otho in Tacitus, Suetonius, and Plutarch Blaming the dead: damnatio memoriae and creating negative exemplars Blaming the living: imperial invective in the fourth century Epideictic and history: Ammianus and Orosius Modern depictions of ancient emperors.AssessmentAssessment Method % Contribution to Final MarkEssay 1, 2,000-words (from a choice of six available questions) 30Essay 2, 2000 words (from a choice of eight available questions, 30or students formulate their own question)2 hour examination (two essays from nine questions) 40Sample Source‘It was during the eighteenth year of his reign that God struck the Emperor Galerius with an incurablemalady. A malign ulcer appeared on the lower part of his genitals and spread more widely. Doctorscut and then treated it; a scar formed but then the wound split open… They had recourse to idols;they offered prayers to Apollo and Asclepius, begging for a remedy. Apollo prescribed his remedy –and the malady became much worse. As the marrow was assailed, the infection was forced inwards,and got a hold on his internal organs; worms were born inside him and his body dissolved and rottedamid insupportable pain. At the same time he raised dreadful shouts to heaven like the bellowing ofa wounded bull when he flees from the altar. In the intervals of pain as it pressed on him afresh, hecried out that he would restore the temple of God and make satisfaction for his crime.’Lactantius, On the Deaths of the Persecutors 33 [c.AD 313]This passage illustrates the fact that the safest time to pen a negative depiction of a Roman Emperor(the most powerful figure in society) was after he was dead. It also illustrates some of the reasons andmethods for doing so: the Christian Lactantius wants to ascribe divine motivation to the pagan Galerius’decision to make Christianity a ‘legal’ religion in the early fourth century. He also wants Galerius to actas an example to future emperors that they cannot escape the displeasure of the Christian God andthey must then pay heed to the teachings of the Church. We must also recognise that Lactantius’ focuson the excruciating detail of Galerius’ physical demise is a potent way to ‘deconstruct’ the image ofthe emperor, which, in a world without mass media, the majority of his subjects would otherwiseencounter only in stylised and idealised forms such as statues and on coins. 43

HIST2104 – The Ancient History Group Project (30 credits) NOTE – Compulsory for all single honours Ancient History studentsModule OverviewThe Ancient History Group Project provides an opportunity for you to carry out a piece of historicalresearch as part of a group, reflecting on the issues involved in completing the task and presenting theresearch to a broader audience. The academic core of the project asks you to engage in a topic fromconception to completion under the supervision of your group Academic Guidance Tutor who willassist you in the location and exploitation of relevant local and national source materials. Thisopportunity to develop your research skills will provide a good grounding for the longer and moreadvanced piece of individual research required by the Year 3 dissertation.The Ancient History Group Project will also enable you to develop various key skills relevant to thetype of employment that you may encounter after graduation - management, media, teaching, etc -and to demonstrate such skills - team-working, interpersonal skills, self-confidence, presentation,problem-solving, etc - in a tangible way.Finally, you will be encouraged to interact with a broader public through the process of communicatingyour research topic in a 'public outcome' and thereby to consider the nature and meaning of such athing as 'public history'.Assessment  Project Proposal (10%)  Presentation (20%)  Historical Essay (30%)  Public Outcome (20%)  Individual Reflective Essay (20%) 44

Year 2 Semester 2 (15 credits) LATI9007 – Latin Language Stage 2B (Dr Lena Wahlgren-Smith)The study of Latin languages and literature is fascinating and rewarding in itself, and it also providesan invaluable tool for the Ancient Historian’s scholarly toolbox. Knowledge of one or other languagewill immeasurably deepen your ability to engage with ancient sources and allow you to enjoy theliterary traditions that underpin all modern literature that has flourished in Europe since theRenaissance.You may choose to take a language module at any stage of your degree. Your chosen Stage will dependon your prior knowledge (if any) of that language: Stage 2 is for those who completed Stage 1 and/orfor those who have studied to GCSE-level or equivalent.You must take part A in any language level in order to progress to part B.Module OverviewSuccessful completion of the full Stage 2, over 2 semesters, is approximately equivalent to reachingLevel B1 of the Common European Framework or Level 2 of the National Language Standards, a goodAS level or C at A level. Taking this single semester module at Stage 2 will take you part of the way tothe outcomes of the full Stage. You are encouraged to take a full language Stage if you want to makesignificant progress in the language you are learning. After completing this single semester module,as a competent language user at the midpoint of Stage 2, and after a notional 150 hours of study time(class contact plus independent learning), you should have skills, knowledge and understanding in theareas outlined below. These are expressed in terms of what you should know and/or be able to do bythe end of this module.SyllabusThis Stage presents and practices key language structures, integrating them with strategies forcommunication and with key cultural topics. Published materials will be supplemented by handoutsand other media which the course tutor will provide or recommend. Some of the material will bederived from authentic print and audio-visual media. Independent learning material will be availablein the Languages Resources Centre and on Blackboard.Assessment Assessment Method % Contribution to Final MarkIn-class tests of grammar, translation and comprehension 02 portfolio assignments consisting of short translations 40Exam – with dictionary (3 hours) 60 45

Year 2 Semester 2 (15 Credits) GREE9013 – Greek Stage 1B (Dr Lena Wahlgren-Smith)The study of Greek languages and literature is fascinating and rewarding in itself, and it also providesan invaluable tool for the Ancient Historian’s scholarly toolbox. Knowledge of Greek will immeasurablydeepen your ability to engage with ancient sources and allow you to enjoy the literary traditions thatunderpin all modern literature that has flourished in Europe since the Renaissance.You may choose to take a language module at any stage of your degree. Your chosen Stage will dependon your prior knowledge of that language: Stage 1 is open for complete beginners. Greek is currentlyoffered only at Stage 1, but may become available at other Stages if demand arises.You must take part A in any language level in order to progress to part B.Module OverviewSuccessful completion of the full Stage 1, over two semesters, is approximately equivalent to reachingLevel A2 of the Common European Framework or part way towards Level 2 of the National LanguageStandards. It might be roughly equated with the level of a good GCSE grade. Taking this single semestermodule at stage 1 will take you part of the way to the outcomes of the full stage. You are encouragedto take a full language stage if you want to make significant progress in the language you are learning.After completing this single semester module, as a competent language user at the midpoint of Stage1, and after a notional 150 hours of study time (class contact plus independent learning), you shouldhave skills, knowledge and understanding in the areas outlined below. These are expressed in termsof what you should know and/or be able to do by the end of this module.SyllabusThis stage will integrate topics and, where appropriate, specialist areas with the study of the language.There will be a particular emphasis on consolidating knowledge and use of grammar. Course books,reference material and topic-based material will be used as appropriate. The following course bookswill be used:Reading Greek: Text and Vocabulary by Joint Association of Classical Teachers (Cambridge UniversityPress), ISBN-10: 0521698510, ISBN-13: 978-0521698511Assessment Assessment Method % Contribution to Final MarkIn-class tests of grammar, translation and comprehension 02 portfolio assignments consisting of short translations 40Exam – open book including translation (2 hours) 60 46