The Greek world from the earliest Aegean cultures to the death of Alexander the Great and the beginnings of Hellenistic civilization. CAMS 100 / HIST 100 Ancient Greece (3) (GH;IL)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. The course presents a survey of ancient Greek history and culture beginning with the Bronze Age palace-states of Crete and Mycenae, examines the emergence of Greek city-states, notably Athens and Sparta, traces their transformation through conflicts among themselves and with the Persian empire, and describes their eventual eclipse by the kingdom of Macedon. Since this course treats the beginnings of historical writing among the Greeks, students learn to evaluate diverse historical texts and their relationship to legend, myth, and poetry. The nature of historical thought itself is emphasized throughout the course. Also emphasized is the debate between the egalitarian Justice of democracy, the sober wisdom of oligarchy, and the overwhelming power of monarchy, as experienced by the Greeks down to the end of the fourth century B.C.E.
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