HST220 The Ancient World, Pre-History to Pericles

[3–0, 3 cr.]

This course traces history from the first known civilizations, focusing in particular on settlements arising around the major river systems such as the Nile, Tigris, Euphrates and the Indus river valley, to the archaic and classical Greek city states such as Athens and Sparta. The course may focus on Sumerian, Babylonian, Egyptian, Phoenician, Semitic and Greek culture, as well as other cultures of the Near and Middle East. Possible topics may include the introduc­tion of Hammurabi’s law-code, Egyptian-Phoenician trade relations, the devel­opment of writing, the Trojan War, the Spartan and Athenian constitutions and the Persian Wars.