490207_proseherodotus

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Classical Greek Prose: Herodotus Emily M. Allen

01:490:207 ~ Scott 207 [email protected]

Rutgers University ~ Fall 2007

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Classical Greek Prose: HerodotusTu - F 11:30 12:50 pm

Scott 207 College Avenue

Course description

This course is an introduction to Herodotus dialect and style,his concept of history, his authorial voice and narrative strategies,

and his representation of non-Greek cultures. We will read

several selections in Greek from Books I-IV and IX, some brief

passages from books VII and VIII, and the entire Histories in

English.

Herodotus account of the Persian empire and Greco-Persian

wars will challenge your conception of history as you discover

him to be a fascinating story-teller, traveler, ethnographer and

reporter- yet perhaps not at all what you might have imagined the

father of history to be. Consider this semester as an

opportunity to explore the concept of history and ways toapproach the ancient Greek past, as well as an opportunity to

boost your mastery of ancient Greek in the most enjoyable way.

Our goal is to increase the speed and ease with which you are

able to read and translate ancient Greek prose through extensivereading. We will review specific grammar points as they arise.

You will also be given short articles to read, which we will

follow-up on with a brief class discussion.

Each meeting, we will read aloud, translate, and discuss majorissues relevant to the passages read for that day (grammatical,

historical, etc.). The aim is to move beyond strictly translating toactually reading and understanding in the Greek. With time

and practice, this will make for less stilted translations as you get

a better sense of each terms semantic range, ie as you stoptranslating the same word in the same way every time.

Requirements:

regular attendance and active participation: 30% prepared readings in Greek (please do not read aloud

your translation in class; tackle the Greek hands-on)

readings of Herodotus in English: up to 50 pages perweek (weekend assignment)

brief in-class quizzes (translation, syntax, grammar): 20%total midterm examination: 20% final examination: 30%


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Required texts

1. Herodotus Book I. Text and Commentary. Edited by George A. Sheets.**Please note: there are 2 vols. of Bryn Mawr Commentaries (vol. 1: text; vol. 2: commentary)

2. Herodotus Book III. Text and Commentary. Edited by Stephen T. Newmyer.3. Herodotus,Histories Book IX. Edited by Michael A. Flower and John Marincola.

Cambridge University Press 2002.4. Herodotus, The Histories. A New Translation by Robin Waterfield. Oxford Worlds

Classics.

5. A Lexicon to Herodotus (Cambridge 1938) by J. Enoch Powell is unfortunately out of

print. I will therefore post it on the website under Resources as well, for you to print

out at your convenience (note: a large number of pages).

1 to 3 are available at Rutgers Campus Bookstore. Please purchase them asap and notify me by

email if you have any problems finding them.

Required reading, on reserve in Alexander library:

E. J. Bakker, I. J. F. de Jong and H. van Wees (eds.), Brills Companion to Herodotus(Leiden 2002) C. Dewald, J. Marincola (eds.) , The Cambridge Companion to Herodotus (Cambridge

2006)

D. Lateiner, The Historical Method of Herodotus (Toronto 1989)Unfortunately appearing during or after the end of our course, but very much worth your

taking a look at when they do come out:

D. Asheri, Alan Lloyd and A. Corcellas A Commentary on Herodotus books I-IVs hasjust been translated (and revised) from the Italian - forthcoming in 2008 at Oxford

University Press

Robert Strasslers The Landmark Herodotus - Pantheon, due out November 2007!Course Sakai website:

This website will be used for homework assignments; finding which books are on reserve for the

course; useful links; emailing me or the class; checking deadlines; and so on. Every time you sit

down to do work for our course, it is a good idea to check the website first.

Office hours

Tuesdays 3:00-4:00pm and by appointment. My office is in the Ruth Adams Building (RAB)

basement, room 016.Please always let me know by email if and at what time you will be coming

to office hours the day before, so as to avoid overlap among you, and make sure we have the

appropriate amount of time for our meeting. For last minute cancellations, please notify me byemail or call my office.

Assignments

Please note:the assignments given on the calendar are to be preparedfor that day.

Tu 9/4

First class: Introduction to Herodotus. Sight reading of I 1-2.

Fri 9/7

(1) Prepare Hdt. I 1-8 (5 pages), using Sheets.


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(2) Read (and assimilate) Sheets and Flower/Marincola on the Ionic dialect.

(3) In writing: Select 5 Ionic forms from the assigned section and provide the Attic equivalents

for them.

(4) Read Flower/Marincola 1-9 on Herodotus Life and Time and Narrative Manner and

Technique.

(5) By next Friday: read ALL of Hdt. Book I in translation (90 pages). This should take you 4-5 hours total. Plan accordingly!

Tu 9/11

(1) In Greek, read about how Gyges became king of Lydia a tale of nudity, shame, and an

unusual means of rising to power: Hdt. I 8-15, using Sheets.

(2) Keep reading the translation of book I in full in order to finish by this Friday.

Fri 9/14

(1) Solons answer to Croesus as to who is the happiest of men: Hdt. I 29-33, using Sheets.

(2) Read Alan Griffiths, Stories and storytelling in the Histories in The Cambridge

Companion to Herodotus, Cambridge 2006, 130-144 (on reserve at Alexander Library1)

(3) Now that you have read book I in English in its entirety, select a few passages that youwould like to bring to the classs attention as characteristically Herodotean in style, content, form,

or structure.

Tu 9/18

(1) In Greek, read the tragedy of Adrastus: Hdt. I 34-45, using Sheets notes.

(2) Read J.A.S. Evans, Father of history or Father of Lies: the Reputation of Herodotus in

Classical Journal 64 n.1 (1968) 11-17. I will post a copy on the course website, underResources.

Fri 9/21

(1) Read about Peisistratus, despot of Athens: in English, Hdt. I 59-64; in Greek, 59-61 included.

(2) Read Jon Mikalson, Religion in Herodotus, in E. J. Bakker, I. J. F. de Jong and H. van Wees(eds.),Brills Companion to Herodotus, Leiden 2002

(3) Read Book II (Egyptian logos) in English in its entirety, using Robin Waterfields Oxford

World Classics translation.(4) Pick a passage from book II that struck you, particularly in connection with your reading on

Religion in Herodotus, and be prepared to briefly discuss it in class.

(5) Short quiz 1 (translation and morphology) based on I 60-62. To see what to expect in

parsing questions, see parsing handout on the course website, under Resources.

Tu 9/25

(1) In English, read about Croesus on the funeral pyre: Hdt. I 85-90.(2) In Greek, read I 85-87.

(3) Review both the subjunctive and the optatives morphology and syntax by turning to therelevant pages of Hansen and Quinn (HQ).

(4) Explain the function of every subjunctive and optative in a passage you each will have

individually been assigned.(4) Reread and carefully learn NH and HQ on autos and its different usages.

1 If for some reason the book is not yet on reserve at the time of this assignment, please let me know as

quickly as possible, and I will gladly make my personal copy available and/or provide pdfs for the class.


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Fri 9/28

(1) Read in English about how Cyrus was raised: Hdt. I 108-118. If you are curious, skim

Herodotus 5th

century fellow historian Xenophons Cyropaedia (Education of Cyrus) for

comparison (Alexander library, PA4495.C5A44 2001).

(2) In Greek,read I 114-116 (up to 118 if you want to get a head start for Tu)

(3) Quiz II on the use of participles: see online under announcements for details.

Use HQ + NH and their indexes to find references to all three possible functions of theparticiple (articular, supplementary, and circumstantial), and learn them

On the quiz, you will also be asked to decline participial forms that follow the firstdeclension (see review sheets under Resources), and some rapid translation andmorphology questions on autos. Review the relevant NH + HQ pages closely.

Week 5 on: To be confirmed or alteredbased on what reading speed we have reached. What is below is

highly tentative and subject to change. We will also assess what intertextual and secondary readings to

incorporate at this point, and at what intervals.

Tu 10/2

(1) In-class correction of quiz (2) In Greek, read I 117-118.

(3) Start reviewing all the Greek and grammar we have covered in preparation for the midtermnext week (Tu 10/9).

Fri 10/5

(1) Read in English about the punishment of Harpagus, Hdt. I 119-124; readin Greek: I 119-121.

(2) Read Paul Cartledge and Emily Greenwood, Herodotus as a critic : truth, fiction, polarity in

E. J. Bakker, I. J. F. de Jong and H. van Wees (eds.), Brills Companion to Herodotus, Leiden

2002.

Tu 10/9

In-class midterm examination

See additional details on course website under Assignments.

Fri 10/12

(1) In-class correction of midterm (2) In Greek, read I 122-124.

(3) Plan to have read all of book II by next Fri 10/19.

Tu 10/16

(1) Read in translation about the customs of the Persians, Hdt. I 131-140; in Greek, read I 131-

133.

(2) Think about the following questions as you read, and be prepared to pinpoint the relevant

passages for discussion in class: how does Hdt represent the Persians? Is his representation

positive/negative?(3) clauses: find 4 occurrences of (must have a differentfunction in each) anywhere in

the text of Herodotus we have read thus far. Write them down (in Greek) on a separate sheet

along with the reference to the passage and an English translation, and explain what function

fulfills. Turn the sheet in to me on Tuesday.

Fri 10/19

(1) Finish reading in English all of book II: Herodotus on the Egyptians.


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(2) Be prepared to have a brief discussion on II 50-57 in particular, concerning Homer and

Hesiod and the Greek gods, and oracles.

(3) Grammar review: stay tuned for email stating that verb+ declension charts have been

posted under Resources.

(4) Read in Greek: The Egyptians and mummification: II 80-84 (we will ultimately read up to

encheontes farmaka, in II 86)

(5) Start reading book III. Plan on having read it in its entirety by next Tuesday (October 23rd).

Tu 10/23

(1) Finish reading book III in English, in its entirety. In Greek, read the Persian debate about

the ideal Constitution, Hdt III. 80-83.

(2) : we will go over the different uses you came up with on the sheets you handed in.

(3) Study and learn HQ chp.15 (this is review - most of the chapter is well known to you already).

Fri 10/26(1) Read in Greek Herodotus III 132-134. The text will be posted under Resources along with

the Bryn Mawr commentary for that passage later this afternoon. You will receive the usual

Sakai email notice from me when it has been posted.

(2) If you havent done so yet, finish book III in translation. You will be reading book IV overthe weekend.

(3) Prepare for the quiz: review all the grammar from HQ chp.15, and 3rd declension (all types) verb forms: use the paideuo verb chart I posted under Resources (you should have

received an email notice about it already)

translation + parsing: review I 131-3 and III 80.Tu 10/30

(1) HQ chp.16. Know it well!

(2) Grammar review: verbs. See verb sheets: luo and the more recent and more complex paideuo

sheet posted under Resources.

(3) In Greek: III 132-4, continued: go over very carefully.(4) Read book IV in English in its entirety. Discussion of what the highlights were, time

allowing.

Fri 11/02

(1) In English, read Hdt. IV 59-82 = the Scythians; in Greek, read IV 64-66 how the Scythians

take care of their enemies.

(2) Start reading book V in its entirety (plan on finishing it by next Tuesday, 11/6)

(3) Stephanie West, Scythians, in. J. Bakker, I. J. F. de Jong and H. van Wees (eds.), Brills

Companion to Herodotus, Leiden 2002, 437-456.

(4) Go over HQ unit 16, particularly indirect discourse. Translate HQ III.8, 16 and 17 (p.478),

and I.3 p.480 as well as I.24 p.481.

Tu 11/06:

(1) In Greek, read about the Scythian king Skyles and his love of Greek customs: IV 78-80

(2) Read Rosalind Thomas, Intellectual milieu of Herodotus in The Cambridge Companion to

Herodotus, Cambridge 2006, 60-75.

(3) Finish reading book V in its entirety set aside the appropriate amount of time over the

weekend. Prepare to read as much of book VI as you can for Friday 11/09.

(4) Further reading, v. interesting if you are curious: A. Henrichs, Changing Dionysiac

Identities, in B. F. Meyer and E. P. Sanders (eds.),Jewish and Christian Self-Definition III: Self-


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Definition in the Graeco-Roman World, London 1982, 137-160 and 213-236. It is in the stacks of

Alexander: BR165.J53 1980 v.3. I recommend one of you check it out and sharing it amongst

yourselves. (It is some hefty reading that you likely would not be doing in its entirety in-library,

which is why I did not put it on reserve.)

(5) I will expect you to know HQ 16 backwards and forwards by Tuesday as you review it one

more time.

Fri 11/09

(1) In English, finish book VI and, to provide context for todays translation, read VII 1-54

included.

(2) In Greek, read VII 35, and VII 44-47: Xerxes shackles the Hellespont - and cries. In VII 35,

pay attention to the metaphors at hand, and see (4) below for interesting comparanda in

Aeschylus.

(3) You may want to read AeschylusPersians in translation (now or over the winter break) for

comparison. It is a short play (roughly 1,000 lines) that shouldnt take you more than a couple of

hours to read, offering a very different portrayal of kings Darius and Xerxes and of Queen Atossa.

(4) HQ Unit 19. Learn especially oida and comparatives, read the rest carefully.

Tu 11/13(1) In translation: finish book VII (it totals some 80 pages, so make time for it over the

weekend!) and read as much as you can of book VIII ideally, 1-88

(2) In Greek, read VIII 68 on Queen Artemisias discussion with Mardonius, and 87-88 on hersuccess as a great tactician

(3) Short translation and grammar quiz Friday 11/16 based on:

HQ 16, 17 and 18 (they will be short, to-the-point grammar questions : ie forms toproduce)

Hdt. IV.64-6, 78-80 and VII.35 (there will be one sentence to translate, chosen fromanywhere within these passages)

Fri 11/16

(1) Here we start book IX. From hereon, use the very useful text and commentary of Flower -Marincola. Take the opportunity to read the introduction (1-19). Does their depiction of

Herodotus change the way you had conceived of him thus far? How so?(2) Finish reading book VIII in English, and read IX 1-32, on the preparations for the battle of

Plataea.

(3) In Greek, read IX 13: the Persians burn Athens; IX 16.1-16.5: Persian philosophizing at a

feast. The assignment is relatively short, to give you time to do the reading in translation and

above all to prepare for the quiz.

Tu 11/20

(1) Keep reading book IX in translation as much as you can. You will have a chance to catch

up on any missed reading over Thanksgiving break.

(2) In Greek, read IX 22-24 on the death of Masistius.(3) If you have not done so yet, read Flower/Marincola, Introduction to Book IX 1-19,

particularly sections 3 and 5 for the historic background information.

Fri 11/23: THANKSGIVING RECESS NO CLASS

Tu 11/27

(1) Finish reading theHistories in English.


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(2) Read Michael Flower, Herodotus and Persia in The Cambridge Companion to Herodotus,Cambridge 2006, 274-289. Be prepared to summarize the main points of the article.

(3) Read in Greek IX 36 - IX 37.3 (up to (h)eurein), and IX 48-9: the heralds speech to (and on)the Spartans. Reflect on the depiction of the Spartans here. How is this an effective device for

a character portrayal? Do you think that Herodotus can be considered Athenocentric?

(Think of the upcoming Peloponnesian war opposing Athenians and Spartans)

(4) HQ p.536 #37; Exercize I.8 a/ and b/; p.537 #25, 27. Go over whichever parts of HQ 16, 17and 18 you still feel shaky about for a mini-quiz next Friday, Nov. 30th.

Fri 11/30

(1) In English, read Hdt IX 1-49 if you have not done so yet, and continue on with IX 49-70: thedefeat of the Persians at Plataea and the death of Mardonius.

(2) In Greek, we will continue to go over IX 48-9; prepare to discuss the depiction of Mardonius.(3) Prepare for a short quiz, on HQ 16-18. Focus on the adjectives, comparatives and

superlatives (pp.491-7); eimi (ibo) vs. eimi (einai): review the two in parallel cf HQ 673-4

very useful; p.524 parag.137, and 544-5.

Tu 12/4

(1)Now that you have finished the Histories, start going over the workas a whole (just leafingthrough, marking passages of interest with a line in the margin, etc.) to remind yourself of its

broader structure, your favorite passages, etc.

(2) Watch 300 and take notes on anything that strikes you, as fodder for our upcomingdiscussion of representations of the Other. Please plan on having watched the movie in

full by next Friday.

(3) In Greek, read IX 60-62. Start on IX 108-113: Xerxes in love with the wife ... and daughter ofhis brother Masistes. Are there any elements of the narrative here that you have encountered

elsewhere in Herodotus?

(4)Next Tuesday, we will discuss what to review for the final exam.Fri 12/7

(1) See 300 and take note of four or five things you would like to mention in class. Think alongthe lines of modern and ancient representations of the Other, modern representations of the

Ancients, etc.

(2) Finish IX 108-113. What elements from this narrative are familiar?(3) I will be sending you a separate document with what to review for the exam so you can look

it over and email me any questions before Tuesdays class.

Tu 12/11 Final class

(1) In Greek, finish IX 110-113(2) Discussion of 300 and representations of the Other, past and present(3) Look over IX 122 (in translation). What do you think of the ending of the Histories? On this,

consult Flower/Marincola 311-314.

(4) Go over the passages for the exam to make note of any problematic sentences you would liketo go over in our review session. Stick to syntactical issues. Morphology questions will beanswered over email (up to 1 day before the exam).

(5) We may or may not have time for discussion of the following, but I think you will find it ofgreat interest: Kurt A. Raaflaub, Philosophy, Science, Politics: Herodotus and the

Intellectual Trends of his Time, in E. J. Bakker, I. J. F. de Jong and H. van Wees (eds.),

Brills Companion to Herodotus, Leiden 2002, 149-186.

FINAL EXAMINATION Thursday, December 20th

490207_proseherodotus

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