Title:
CLCV 205: Introduction to Ancient Greek History Lecture 1 - Introduction
Speaker:
Donald Kagan
Subject:
why people should study the ancient Greeks
Area:
Classics
Type of school:
university
School name:
Yale University
Country:
United States
Course language:
English
Course media:
Video
Course duration:
Contributor:
pbp
Comments:
CLCV 205: Introduction to Ancient Greek History Lecture 1 - Introduction
Overview:
Professor Donald Kagan explains why people should study the ancient Greeks. He argues that the Greeks are worthy of our study not only because of their vast achievements and contributions to Western civilization (such as in the fields of science, law, and politics) but also because they offer a unique perspective on humanity. To the Greeks, man was both simultaneously capable of the greatest achievements and the worst crimes; he was both great and important, but also mortal and fallible. He was a tragic figure, powerful but limited. Therefore, by studying the Greeks, one gains insight into a tension that has gripped and shaped the West and the rest of the world through its influence. In short, to study the Greeks is to study the nature of human experience.
Reading assignment:
Pomeroy, Burstein, Donlan and Roberts. Ancient Greece. Oxford University Press: New York, 1999, pp. 1-40.