This course is not currently offered, please contact the school or faculty of your program.

Course description

This course investigates the endlessly fascinating and complex relationship between war, games and democracy in ancient Athens. It considers in detail the institutions and history of war and games, the pattern of citizen participation in each and the perceptions which ordinary citizens had of war and games. It explores some ways in which each activity supported or undercut the other and how the military and cultural innovations of the classical Athenians were intimately connected to the practices of their democracy. It deals in translation with the main classes of evidence for classical Athenian history, teaches the skills which are required for independent research in Ancient History, considers the utility of social-science theory for the Humanities and introduces many of the latest controversies and current pressing problems in the historiography of ancient Athens.