Middlebury

CLAS0420B-S21

Seminar in Classical Lit

Humanism of Herodotus
Herodotus (485-424 BC), “the Father of History”, is also regarded as the first sociologist and ethnographer. The plan and argument of his work, however, including its many fantastic stories, disclose a philosophic intention that resists easy categorization. Herodotus’ subject is the “Greek miracle”: how the tiny and fractious cities of Greece took concerted action against the overwhelming might of the Persian kings who invaded Greece in 490 and 479 BC. The story of this unlikely triumph of political freedom and limited government over despotic empire is told against the background of the Afro-Asiatic origins of Greek civilization, which Herodotus uncovers in wide-ranging investigations of the customs and religions of Greece, Lydia, Media, Persia, Egypt, Libya, and Scythia. In this seminar we will pursue a close reading of Herodotus in translation; the seminar is open to all students with some previous background in Greek and/or Roman literature. 3 hrs. sem.
Course Reference Number (CRN):
22905
Subject Code:
CLAS
Course Number:
0420
Section Identifier:
B

Course

CLAS 0420

All Sections in Spring 2021

Spring 2021

CLAS0420A-S21 Seminar (Witkin)
CLAS0420B-S21 Seminar (Witkin)