The "Second Sophistic": Archaeological and Literary Approaches

The cultural phenomenon of the "Second Sophistic" affected both the material fabric and the intellectual life of the eastern Roman empire of the second/third centuries CE. This course will examine how awareness of "Greek" learning (paideia) and the "Greek" past informed people's literary and artistic tastes, as well as their responses to changing political and religious pressures, affecting everything from civic coinage to elite dining habits and even bodily comportment. Enrollment limited to 15.