BA Ancient History and Archaeology / Course details

The epics of ancient Greece are among the most powerful works of literature ever written, and form the key models for Latin epics including Virgil’s Aeneid and later poems such as Milton’s Paradise Lost. We examine this key ancient genre principally through two epics from very different periods. The first is the Iliad of Homer, the first surviving work of Western literature, composed in Archaic Greece and telling the story of the clash between Achilles and Hector, the two greatest warriors of the Greeks and Trojans respectively, in the final year of the Trojan War. The second is the Argonautica of Apollonius of Rhodes, written under the Ptolemies at Alexandria in Egypt in the Hellenistic period, which tells the story of Jason and the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece. You will also be introduced to surviving fragments of some of the lost epics of ancient Greece, including the Cypria, which contained many of the most famous episodes from the Trojan War, including the Judgement of Paris.  All students will read and study both major poems in their entirety in translation.

• To introduce students to two key poems (Iliad, Argonautica) within the genre of Greek epic, and their wider contexts
• To enable the appreciation of the main lines of criticism on these poems
• To give students an appreciation of the differences between Homeric and later epic
• To introduce students to the study of texts surviving only in fragments (the Epic Cycle) and the challenges, problems and opportunities involved

• show a knowledge and critical understanding of the content, form, conventions, and background of two very different major epic poems and their place within the genre of epic
• show an appreciation of some aspects of the nature of poetry composed in a oral tradition
• show an understanding of, and the ability to illustrate, the influence of Homer on Apollonius of Rhodes as well as the profound differences between them
• show an understanding of the nature of studying fragmentary texts and their potential for shedding light on better preserved texts

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• show the ability to respond thoughtfully to difficult and complex texts, and to comment critically upon them

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• manage time and resources

By the end of this course students will have:

• improved their verbal and written expression, the organisation of personal study, and the use of IT resources

• Written feedback on formative and summative assessment (see above); all coursework feedback is designed to contribute formatively towards improvement in subsequent assignments.
• Additional one-to-one feedback (during the consultation hour or by making an appointment).

In general on the Iliad:

Postlethwaite, N. (2000). Homer’ Iliad: A Commentary. Exeter.

Jones, P. V. (2003) Homer’s Iliad: A Commentary on Three Translations. Bristol.

Edwards, M. (1987).  Homer. Poet of the Iliad.

Schein, Seth L. (1984).  The Mortal Hero: An Introduction to Homer's Iliad.  Berkeley; London.

Silk, M. S. (1987).  Homer. The Iliad.  Cambridge.

In general on the Argonautica:

DeForest, Mary Margolies (1994).  Apollonius Argonautica: A Callimachean Epic.  Leiden.

Hunter, R. L. (1993).  The Argonautica of Apollonius: Literary Studies.  Cambridge.

Knight, V. (1995). The Renewal of Epic. Leiden.