Greek Cities/Sanctuaries

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course examines the most significant archaeological sites of the ancient Greek world from their beginnings in the Geometric period (ca. 900–700 B.C.) through the Roman imperial period and late antiquity. Some of the sites to be studied in detail are the sanctuaries that hosted oracles (Delphi and Dodona), athletic festivals (Olympia, Isthmia, and Nemea), and mystery cults (Eleusis), as well as the sanctuary of the healing god Asklepios at Epidauros. We will also survey the archaeological evidence for some of the most important ancient Greek cities, among them Athens, Corinth, Rhodes, Priene, Alexandria, and Pergamon. At the end of the course, we will follow the spread of Greek culture and civic life to the eastern fringes of Alexander the Great’s empire (Dura Europos in Syria, Ai Khanoum in Afghanistan) and consider the Romanization of the Eastern Mediterranean (Aphrodisias in Asia Minor). Developments in town planning and building programs are studied both architecturally and on a more theoretical level as responses to important Greek institutions such as colonization and democracy. Readings will be drawn from excavation reports and specialized studies of ancient Greek religious practices, athletics, city planning, and civic life.