An examination of the major authors, genres, and artistic works of the classical world in a chronological and cultural survey from Prehistoric times to late Roman antiquity. A study of the symbols and motifs of mythology focusing on the myths of Greece and Rome, with comparative material introduced from near Eastern, American Indian, Asian, African and Norse mythology. The course will begin with an introductory study of Greek theatre production and the socio-religious context of Greek tragedy, together with an examination of ritual drama in contemporary Japan, China, India and Bali. The class will then read the main surviving works of the three great tragedians, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, and close with two critical works, Aristotle's Poetics and Aristophanes' comedy about tragedy, The Frogs . A number of performances of Greek tragedy and other theatrical experiences will be part of the course.
Many great literatures have their foundation in epic.
At the head of Western literature and thought stand the two Homeric poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey . The class will begin by studying their Mesopotamian forerunner, the Gilgamesh , and then turn to a study of the Homeric poems in themselves and as shaping factors in Western civilization. Additional epic literature from India, Africa and China will be part of the course. This course will focus on the changing vision of the world and human experience in ancient Greek and Roman art and the forms and techniques which artists evolved to represent that vision. The class also will examine the techniques and the efforts of archaeologists to bring the lost works of ancient civilization to light.