DSMB19 Thucydides' Work and Its Reception Throughout the Ages

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2019
Extent and Intensity
0/4/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Pavel Nývlt, Ph.D. (lecturer), Mgr. et Mgr. Markéta Melounová, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. et Mgr. Markéta Melounová, Ph.D.
Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Jitka Erlebachová
Supplier department: Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
each odd Thursday 12:00–15:40 A24
Prerequisites
General orientation in political and intellectual history, esp. of 5th-century BCE Greece. Before the first lecture, the students are required to read a summary of the first three books and the whole chapters I,22–23; II,80–92 and III,36–50 in translation. The course is intended for the students of Classical Greek, History of the Ancient World, Mediterranean Studies, Philosophy, or Political Science.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
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Course objectives
To improve the students’ orientation in the history of Thucydides’ times and to show them various approaches to interpreting a historiographical text.
Learning outcomes
Having finished the course, the student will have a better knowledge of the history of classical Greece and its reception in later centuries and of the possibilities offered by various approaches to classical texts.
Syllabus
  • Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War is far from being only the most important source for the history of the final third of the 5th century BCE. Thanks to its complicated style and deep insight in general questions of human political life, it had defining influence for the historiography of Greco-Roman antiquity, Byzantium, European Renaissance and all later epochs of European historiography, especially for the 19th-century historicism. Its influence was, however, not limited to this genre: Thucydides’ style was criticised by Cicero, an echo of the work may be heard at the beginning of the Gospel of Luke, it greatly influenced Thomas Hobbes’ political thought, and Thucydides is today an often cited authority in fields as political philosophy or international relations studies. Students will be introduced to various approaches to such a text.
Literature
    required literature
  • DOBIÁŠ, J. Dějepisectví starověké. Praha 1948. kap. „Thukydidés“.
  • OLIVA, P. Řecko mezi Makedonií a Římem. Praha 1995. kap. „Athénská polis a její arché“ a „Sparta a královský mír“.
  • THÚKYDIDÉS. Dějiny peloponnéské války. Edited by Václav Bahník. Vyd. 2., v Odeonu 1. Praha: Odeon, 1977, 595 s. URL info
    recommended literature
  • BALOT, R. K.; FORSDYKE, S.; HALL, E. (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Thucydides. Oxford 2017.
  • CONNOR, W. R. Thucydides. Princeton 1984.
  • ROMILLY, J. de. Histoire et raison chez Thucydide. Paris 1955.
  • GOMME, A. W. A Historical Commentary on Thucydides, I-III. Oxford 1945-1956.
  • GOMME, A. W.; ANDREWES, A.; DOVER, K. J. A Historical Commentary on Thucydides, IV-V. Oxford 1970-1981.
  • HORNBLOWER, Simon. A commentary on Thucydides. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991, xii, 548. ISBN 9780198150992. info
  • HORNBLOWER, Simon. A commentary on Thucydides. 1st pub. in pbk. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2004, xvi, 520. ISBN 9780199276257. info
  • HORNBLOWER, Simon. A commentary on Thucydides. 1st pub. in pbk. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010, xix, 1107. ISBN 9780199594450. info
  • STAHL, H.-P. Thucydides: manʼs Place in History. Swansea 2003.
  • ROOD, T. Thucydides: narrative and Explanation. Oxford 1998.
Teaching methods
Lectures; the students will, with the tutor’s help, interpret chosen texts themselves.
Assessment methods
Writing an essay on a chosen topic (e. g.: Time in Thucydides’ Work; Women in Thucydides’ Work; Thucydides in the Last Century of Roman Republic; Thucydides in 19th-Century Germany; “the Thucydides trap”), making use of secondary literature in English, which is to be provided.
Students will be assessed with regard to their activity during the classes and to the essay’s quality.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught once in two years.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2024.
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