Writing History in Ancient Greece and Rome

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Herodotus has been called both the "Father of History" and the "Father of Lies." Thucydides is revered by some as the first "scientific" historian; others deny him the title of historian altogether. The most famous tales in Roman history come from the early books of Livy, and yet it is unlikely that he had any way of obtaining reliable information for that period. The historians of the classical Greek and Roman world stand among the greatest writers of the Western tradition. But to what extent were they performing the task that we call "history"? In this course we will survey the works of the major historians of ancient Greece and Rome, including Herodotus, Thucydides, Livy, Tacitus and others. We will examine the origins of Greek historiography, the methods espoused and practiced by Greek and Roman historians, the effect political and social changes had on ancient historiography, and the relationship of ancient historical writing to that of the modern scholars. The class will be primarily discussion-based. All readings in the ancient authors will be in English.