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Ancient Sources (Written Evidence): Greek Historiography to the End of the Fifth Century BC

Module description

This module will consider the development of the Greek prose historical tradition in the fifth and fourth centuries. It will provide an in-depth study of the three major historians of this period: Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon and Arrian. You will learn how to analyse, evaluate and use texts, and how to relate your style and development to the wider context of literary developments, and to analyse and evaluate these texts within the Greek historiographical tradition.

Module aims - intentions of the module

• To acquaint you with the general features of Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon and Arrian, in relation to the history and literature of the Greek world
• To engage you in in-depth thinking into central issues of ancient historiography in general like the establishment of truth, the role of authority, the art of story-telling, the construction of outsiders and of the past.
• To teach you how to analyse, evaluate and use texts, and how to relate their style and content to the wider context of literary developments.
• To analyse and evaluate the place of these texts within the Greek historiographical tradition.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Describe, critically evaluate, and analyse the features of the histories of Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon and Arrian, and compare these historians with one another
• 2. Demonstrate an informed, sophisticated and perceptive appreciation of the aesthetic and intellectual qualities of these works
• 3. Demonstrate a good understanding of the course of Greek historiography

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Use, analyse and evaluate ancient texts at a sophisticated level, understanding how they relate to other sources and their socio-historical context
• 5. Demonstrate advanced academic and library skills specific to Classics and Ancient History, as well as a critical ability in assessing classical scholarship
• 6. Demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the main modern approaches to analysing ancient texts

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 7. Demonstrate high levels of independent and group study skills in research and presentation of findings
• 8. Select, organise and analyse relevant material and present a strong and coherent argument
• 9. Manage your own time and meet deadlines

Syllabus plan

Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:

• Herodotus
• Thucydides
• Xenophon
• Arrian

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Set texts (indicative):

• Herodotus, The Histories (transl. R. Waterfield), Oxford University Press (World's Classics), Oxford, 1998.
• Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War (transl. M. Hammond), Oxford University Press (World’s Classics), 2009.
• Xenophon, Hellenica: History of My Times, (transl. R. Warner), Penguin, London, 1972.
• Xenophon, The Expedition of Cyrus (transl. R. Waterfield), Oxford University Press (World’s Classics), 2005.
• Arrian, The Campaigns of Alexander (transl. A. de Sélincourt), Penguin, London, 1971.

Other recommended reading:

• J. Marincola, ed. A companion to Greek and Roman historiography, Blackwell, Oxford, 2007.
• J. Marincola, Authority and tradition in ancient historiography, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2004.
• S. Hornblower, Thucydides, Duckworth, London, 1994.
• J.S. Romm, Herodotus, Yale University press, New Haven & London, 1999.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE: https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=437 

Key words search

Classics, Greek, Historiography, Ancient, Sources