Course info

War, omnipresent in the ancient Mediterranean, will be used to reveal political, social, economic, religious, and cultural aspects of ancient Greek and Roman societies. By discussing and analyzing a wide variety of ancient sources (literary, artistic, archeological, epigraphic) and trends in modern scholarship, this course will provide an overview of the complex relationship between war and society in Greece and Rome. Famous battles, like the Greco-Persian Wars, the Peloponnesian War, the Punic Wars, or the Roman civil wars, will serve to address topics like hoplites and the Roman legion; military education; slavery; health and daily life in camps; leaders and morale; hospitality, heralds, and embassies; gender roles; commemoration and memories of war; violence and trauma, etc.

Several questions will arise: Why did the Greeks and Romans fight wars — a breach of treaty, exploitation of local resources, booty, religion, dominion...? How did wars begin? And end? How did war affect art and architecture? How did encounters with other societies change the perception of war and bring about an evolution in warfare? What is known of diplomacy, peace-talks and treaties between allies or former enemies? How did ancient authors write about war? How is ancient warfare depicted in modern art?

This course is not about wars but about the impacts war had on society and how society changed the ways to wage war.