Ancient Sicily

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

The island of Sicily lies at the center of the Mediterranean Sea. It holds a similarly central place in the history of numerous eras and human cultures. From the earliest recorded traditions up to the present day, Sicily has been a crossroads of trade and travel routes, a site of contact and conflict, and a highly valued prize for imperial conquerors, even as its inhabitants have developed and attempted to maintain their own independent identities. In this course, we will focus on the ancient and early medieval history of Sicily – roughly 800 BCE to 800 CE. While we will talk plenty about the Greeks and Romans, and we will read much of what they wrote on and about the island, we will also broaden our scope to try to gain a better understanding of the full lived experience of Sicily over a period of more than 1,500 years. The groups of people we will encounter include Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Italians, Romans, Vandals, Ostrogoths, Africans, and Arabs. Our approach will entail the study of political, social, cultural, religious, and military history, utilizing whatever evidence is available to us (textual, material, comparative, etc.). This is an upper-level Classics course, in translation – all assigned readings will be in English, though you will be encouraged to make use of other language skills if you have them (ancient or modern).