This module provides an orientation for students of diverse backgrounds across the vast and immensely rich panorama of Greek culture. The module combines detailed literary and artistic appreciation with an understanding of the cultural contexts in which Greek art and literature flourished. It is designed to provide a framework from which students can develop their own individual interests, and to offer a ‘taster’ for the various options that will be available in the second and third years.

Module Aims:

• to present an overview of Greek culture and society from Homeric times to the coming of Rome
• to explore some of the distinctive characteristics of Greek culture and its social institutions
• to introduce students to a range of different types of evidence, both literary and visual
• to encourage students to consider the degrees of continuity and difference between ancient Greek culture and their own beliefs and practices

Module Objectives:

By the end of the module students should have:

• gained a knowledge of some of the major cultural and social concerns of the Greeks
• acquired a sense of the changes and developments in Greek culture and society over time
• developed some ability to discriminate between different types of evidence and critical approaches