21H.237
The City of Athens in the Age of Pericles
Historical topography of ancient Athens. Investigates the relationship between urban architecture and political, social, and cultural history of Athens in the 5th and 4th centuries BC. Surveys and analyzes archeological and literary evidence, including the sanctuary of Athena on the Acropolis, the Agora, Greek houses, the histories of Herodotus and Thucydides, plays of Sophocles and Aristophanes, and the panhellenic sanctuaries of Delphi and Olympia.
Fall 2014
Topics
- Introduction: Space and Society in Ancient Athens
- Pericles and the Polis
- The Rise of the Athenian Empire
- The Democratic Revolution
- The Athenian Agora
- Democracy in Action
- The Athenians and their Gods
- Panathenaea: Festival of Athena
- The Athenian Acropolis I
- The Athenian Acropolis II
- Reading the Acropolis
- The City Dionysia: The Theater and Festival of Dionysus
- Tragedy
- Comedy
- Gymnasia
- Greek Domestic Space
- Symposium
- The Peloponnesian War
- Pythian Apollo and the Delphic Oracle
- Class Test
- The Legacy of Classical Athens
- Conclusion
Readings
- [H] = Hurwit, Jeffrey M. The Acropolis in the Age of Pericles . Cambridge University Press, 2004. ISBN: 9780521527408.
- SES #: 1 · TOPICS: Introduction: Space and Society in Ancient Athens · READINGS: No readings assigned
- Plutarch. “Pericles.” In Greek Lives . Translated by Robin Waterfield. Oxford Paperbacks, 2009. ISBN: 9780199540051.
- Herodotus. “Book 6: Sections 102–20,” “Book 7: Sections 138–48,” and “Book 8: Sections 21–112”. In The Histories . Translated by Aubrey de Selincourt. Revised with Introduction and Notes by John Marincola. Penguin Classics, 2003. ISBN: 9780140449082.
- Thucydides. “Book One: The Pentecontaetia.” In History of the Peloponnesian War . Translated by Rex Warner, with an Introduction and Notes by M. I. Finley. Penguin Classics, 1972. ISBN: 9780140440393.
- Aristotle. “The Constitution of the Athens.” In Aristotle and Xenophon on Democracy and Oligarchy . Translations with Introductions and Commentary by J. M. Moore. University of California Press, 2010. ISBN: 9780520266056.
- [S] Rhodes, P. J. Chapter 2: Democracy and Empire.
- [S] Kallet, Lisa. Chapter 3: The Athenian Economy.
- Moore, J. M., ed. “The Constitution of the Athens: Commentary.” In Aristotle and Xenophon on Democracy and Oligarchy . University of California Press, 2010. ISBN: 9780520266056.
- [S] Sealey, R. Chapter 10: Democratic Theory and Practice.
- [S] Boedeker, Deborah. Chapter 2: Athenian Religion in the Age of Pericles.
- [H] Chapter 1: The Rock and the Goddess.
- Neils, Jenifer. “The Panathenaia: An Introduction.” In Goddess and Polis: The Panathenaic Festival in Ancient Athens . Princeton University Press, 1993. ISBN: 9780691002231.
- [H] Chapter 3: Pericles, Athens, and the Building Program.
- [H] Chapter 4: The Parthenon.
- [H] Chapter 5: The Propylaia.
- [H] Chapter 6: The Erechtheion: The Classical Temple of Athena Polias.
- [H] Chapter 7: The Sanctuary of Athena Nike.
- [H] Chapter 8: The Rest of the Program.
- [H] Chapter 9: Conclusion. The Periclean Acropolis as a Whole.
- Neils, Jenifer. “Iconologia: Interpreting the Frieze.” Chapter 6 in The Parthenon Frieze . Cambridge University Press, 2006. ISBN: 9780521684026.
- [S] Henderson, Jeffrey. Chapter 7: Drama and Democracy.
- Sophocles. “Antigone.” In Antigone, Oedipus the King, and Electra . Translated by H. D. F. Kitto. Edited with an Introduction and Notes by Edith Hall. Oxford’s Paperbacks, 2009. ISBN: 9780199537174.
- Hall, Edith, ed. “Explanatory Notes: Antigone.” In Antigone, Oedipus the King, and Electra . Translated by H. D. F. Kitto. Oxford’s Paperbacks, 2009. ISBN: 9780199537174.
- Aristophanes. “Birds.” In Birds and Other Plays . Translated with an Introduction and Notes by Stephen Halliwell. Oxford’s Paperbacks, 2009. ISBN: 9780199555673.
- Halliwell, Stephen. “Explanatory Notes: Birds.” In Birds and Other Plays . Translated with an Introduction and Notes by Stephen Halliwell. Oxford’s Paperbacks, 2009. ISBN: 9780199555673.
- Tsakirgis, Barbara. “Living Near the Agora: Houses and Households in Central Athens.” In The Athenian Agora: New Perspectives on an Ancient Site . Edited by John McK. Camp II and Craig A. Mauzy. American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 2010. ISBN: 9783805340823.
- Plato. “Symposium: Translated by Seth Benardete.” In The Dialogues of Plato . Bantam Classics, 1986. ISBN: 9780553213713.
- Thucydides. “Book Two: Pericles’ Funeral Oration,” “Book Three: The Mytilenian Debate,” “Book Five: The Melian Dialogue,” and “Book Six: Launching of the Sicilian Expedition.” In History of the Peloponnesian War . Translated by Rex Warner, with an Introduction and Notes by M. I. Finley. Penguin Classics, 1972. ISBN: 9780140440393.
- [S] Lendon, J. E. Chapter 11: Athens and Sparta and the Coming of the Peloponnesian War.
- Scott, Michael. “Oracle.” Chapter 1 in Delphi: A History of the Center of the Ancient World . Princeton University Press, 2015. ISBN: 9780691169842.
- SES #: 21 · TOPICS: Class Test · READINGS: No readings assigned; work on final project
- SES #: 23 · TOPICS: The Legacy of Classical Athens · READINGS: No readings Assigned; work on final project
- Hurwit, Jeffrey M. The Acropolis in the Age of Pericles . Cambridge University Press, 2004. ISBN: 9780521527408.
Prerequisites & course information
Same subject as 11.037[J] Prereq: None U (Spring) 3-0-9 units. HASS-H
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Fall 2014
- MIT OCW readings ↗
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- MIT OCW calendar ↗
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.