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The Ages of Homer - HIST3111
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HistorySpec1
 
Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
 
 
School:  School of History and Philosophy
 
 
Course Outline: See below
 
 
Campus: Kensington Campus
 
 
Career: Undergraduate
 
 
Units of Credit: 6
 
 
EFTSL: 0.125 (more info)
 
 
Contact Hours per Week: 3
 
 
Enrolment Requirements:
 
 
Prerequisite: 12 units of credit at the HIST2000 level
 
 
Fee Band: 1 (more info)
 
 
Further Information: See Class Timetable
 
 

Description

Explores the societies reflected in the Homeric poems, drawing upon documentary and material evidence from the Late Bronze Age to the early Archaic Period. In addition to the history and archaeology of Greece and Anatolia from ca. 1300-700 BC, topics include the collapse of complex civilisations in the Late Bronze Age Mediterranean and the onset of a 'dark age', the nature of oral tradition, the historicity of political, social, and cultural arrangements described in the poem, the emergence of state-level societies, colonisation, and long-distance trade in the Aegean, and the origins of Panhellenism.


Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
  • Summarise the evolution of Aegean society and culture in its Mediterranean context from the Late Bronze Age through the end of the Dark Age (circa 1500-700 BC)
  • Demonstrate knowledge of ancient and modern geography of the eastern Mediterranean
  • Use both information technology and 'traditional' resources to locate primary and secondary sources effectively
  • Critically assess primary and secondary sources (internet and print) for reliability, bias, and usefulness
  • Apply oral theory to interpret the Homeric epics and other early poetry
  • Apply processual and post-processual theory to interpret archaeological evidence
  • Produce clear and concise historical essays that are argumentative and analytical, not merely descriptive or narrative.

Assessment

  • Participation - 25%
  • Research essay (3500-5000 words) - 50%
  • Preliminary writing and peer review - 25%

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