Undergraduate Programs
100 Level Units
AHST100 Egyptian Archaeology: An Introduction
(3 credit points)
(Dr Köhler)
This unit will deal with developments in Ancient Egyptian society from the
Prehistoric Period to the end of the New Kingdom as reflected in the archaeological
record. Themes studied will deal with both funerary and settlement archaeology
and treat such subjects as the development in tombs, dwellings, temples
and objects of daily use. The unit will also draw on the extensive excavation
activities of Macquarie University in Egypt.
AHST101 Myth in the Ancient World (3)
(Dr Plant)
An introduction to Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Near-Eastern society and culture
through the study of myth. The unit begins from the earliest creation myths
and examines the development of myth in literature and art. The study is
largely based upon Greek and Latin texts in translation as well as the representation
of myth in art; Near- Eastern, biblical, and Egyptian texts will be studied
too. The unit focuses on the relevance of key themes in myth to the cultures
in which the myths arose, investigating their roles in the religious, political
and social life of the classical world.
AHST102 Greek Society 500-300 BC: Oikos
and Polis (3)
(Dr Phillips)
An Introduction to the sources, methods and issues of Greek social and economic
history of the classical period with particular attention to Athens.
AHST103 Rome: From Republic to Empire (3)
(A/Prof. Hillard/Dr Beness)
This unit examines Roman history from 168 BC (the destruction of the ancient
Macedonian kingdom) to the dictatorship of Sulla. Political and social institutions
are examined together with the effect on these of Rome's domination of the
Mediterranean. The main questions raised are how and why chronic instability,
conflict and violence arose leading to civil war and the establishment of
military autocracy.
AHST104 Antiquity's Heirs: Barbarian Europe,
Byzantium and Islam (3)
(Dr Gillett)
How do the ancient world and the modern world fit together? Where did the
Roman Empire and its older neighbour, Persia, go? Late Antiquity (about
250-750 AD) was a period of profound transition which crucially shaped the
world we know today. This introduction examines how both Christianity and
Islam arose from the classical world, while charting the origins of western
European nations, the beginnings of Rome's 1000-year continuation in Byzantium,
and the creation of the Islamic world. Pivotal changes in society and culture
are studied through texts concerning figures such as Attila, St Patrick
and the earliest Islamic poets.
AHMG101 Greek Heroes and Heroines: Achilles
to Zorba (3 credit points)
(Drs Kefallinos/Plant)
This unit studies Greek heroes and heroines from antiquity to the present day.
It examines the concept of heroism from its ancient genesis in Greek mythology
to the creation of modern literary and cultural heroes. The unit analyses the
hero in ancient epic, Classical Greek drama, art and religion, then investigates
changing perceptions of heroism in Hellenistic and Byzantine times, including
the Christian re-evaluation of heroism, before proceeding to interpret modern
ideas of heroism.
Last updated October 2008