Greeks and Barbarians

(Cross-listed as CLS 143) Exploration of the unsettling and stimulating cross-cultural encounters of Greeks with other peoples of the ancient world, leading both to the Greeks' discovery of themselves-the formulation of a Greek "cultural identity"-and to expanding knowledge of the wider world. Attention to contacts and conflicts with Cretans, Trojans, Phoenicians, Egyptians, and Romans, with emphasis on the seminal, two-century-long, encounter of the Greek city-states with the mighty Persian Empire. Sources include the accounts of Greek poets, historians, explorers, and playwrights, documents from the Persian Empire, and images of ancient artifacts and sites such as Athens, Persepolis, and Alexandria. Hirsch Recommendations: CLS 31 or 37.