Greek History M.A. Reading List

READING LIST FOR M.A. COMPREHENSIVE EXAM - GREEK HISTORY

The following list specifies the required readings and options for the M.A. in Classical Antiquity, Special Field examination in Greek History. Students are expected to consult with an appropriate faculty advisor—who will become the chair of the examination committee—and personalize a reading list that will form the basis of their written examination. Students should finalize their list before the summer between their first and second years in the program.

This written exam will constitute half of the three-hour written exam in Classical Antiquity. The exam usually consists of three 30-minute sections. The first includes ID questions based mainly on the General Readings and the Inscriptions and Papyrus selections.The second section will be an essay; you will choose from multiple essay options either on broad topics and/or related to your chosen Thematic Books. The third section will be an essay based on your chosen Special Topic. You can ask the Graduate Director for copies of previous exams in Greek History.

You are more likely to succeed on the exam if you have supplemented your independent work on this reading list with courses in ancient Greek history, ideally here on the graduate level.

I.) General Reading

You should read Pomeroy, Burstein, Donlan, Roberts, and Tandy, A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society, Culture(5th edn.) carefully for a general overview of Greek history.

You should also read (or reread) the following translated ancient sources.

  1. Herodotus, The Landmark Historieswith introduction.
  2. Thucydides, The Landmark Thucydides with introduction.
  3. Xenophon, The Landmark Xenophon’s Hellenikawith introduction.
  4. J. M. Moore (ed.), Aristotle and Xenophon on Democracy and Oligarchy with all introductions.
  5. David D. Phillips (ed.), Athenian Political Oratory: Sixteen Key Speecheswith all introductions.
  6. Plutarch, The Rise and Fall of Athens(Penguin) orPlutarch, The Age of Alexander (Penguin) with introductions to the volumes and to individual Lives.

II.) Inscriptions & Papyrus

In consultation with your faculty advisor, you should select three important inscriptions: one each from Greek Historical Inscriptions 478-404 (eds. Robin Osborne and P.J. Rhodes), Greek Historical Inscriptions 403-323 (eds. P. J. Rhodes and Robin Osborne), and The Hellenistic World from Alexander to the Roman Conquest. 2nd ed.(ed. Michel Austin). (The last book contains other texts too, so be sure to choose an inscription or papyrus.) You should study the three documents carefully in conjunction with their introductions and explanatory material and read one recommended article about each one.

III.) Thematic Books

You should select two of the following books to read. In consultation with your faculty advisor, you should then find and read a book review of each of your choices, a detailed and critical review if possible.

  1. Pierre Vidal-Naquet, The Black Hunter: Forms of Thought and Forms of Society in the Greek World.1986/1981.
  2. Josiah Ober, Mass and Elite in Democratic Athens.1989.
  3. Victor Hanson, The Western Way of War: Infantry Battle in Classical Greece. 1989.
  4. Edward Cohen, Athenian Economy and Society: A Banking Perspective. 1992.
  5. David Cohen, Law Violence and Community in Classical Athens.1995.
  6. Michael Gagarin, Writing Greek Law. 2008.
  7. Vincent Azoulay, Pericles of Athens. 2014/2011. Trans. Janet Lloyd.
  8. Paul Kosmin,The Land of the Elephant Kings: space, territory, and ideology in the Seleucid Empire. 2014.
  9. Paulin Ismard,Democracy’s Slaves: A Political History of Ancient Greece. 2017/2015. Trans. Jane M. Todd.

IV.) Special Topics

In consultation with your faculty advisor, you should select one special period or topic from the following list. The faculty advisor will help you design a reading list for your chosen topic; this should include ancient texts in translation as well as important scholarly books and articles. As an example, I include a possible list for “Women’s History (Athens)” below.

  1. Alexander the Great
  2. Athenian Democracy
  3. Athenian Empire
  4. Greek Slavery
  5. History in Homer
  6. Male Homosexuality
  7. Ptolemaic Egypt
  8. Sparta
  9. The (short) Fourth Century (404-322)
  10. The Ancient Greek Economy
  11. Warfare and Society
  12. Women’s History (Athens)

Women's History (Athens) Reading List

Ancient Texts:
Aristophanes, Lysistrata, Ecclesiazusae, Thesmophoriazusae
Xenophon, Oeconomicus VII-X with Sarah Pomeroy, Xenophon, Oeconomicus: A Social and Historical Commentary, p. 31-40 and ad loc.
Lysias, On the Murder of Eratosthenes
Isaeus, On the Estate of Menecles, On the Estate of Ciron, On the Estate of Pyrrhus
[Dem.], Against Neaira

Modern Scholarship:

  1. de Ste. Croix, G. 1970. “Some observations on the property rights of Athenian women.” CR 20: 273-278.
  2. Schaps, David. 1977. “The Woman Least Mentioned.” CQ 27: 323–30.
  3. Cohen, D. 1989. “Seclusion, separation, and the status of women in classical Athens.” G&R 36: 3-15.
  4. Foxhall, L. 1989. "Household, gender and property in classical Athens." CQ 39: 22-44.
  5. Hunter, V. 1989. “The Athenian widow and her kin.” Journal of Family History 14: 291-311.
  6. Oakley, J. 2000. "Some ‘Other’ members of the Athenian household: maids and their mistresses in fifth-century Athenian art." In B. Cohen, ed., Not the Classical Ideal: Athens and the Construction of the Other in Greek Art,225-47.
  7. Gagarin, M. 2001. “Women’s Voices in Attic Oratory.” In Andre Lardinois and Laura McClure, Making Silence Speak: Women’s Voices in Greek Literature and Society, Princeton University Press, 2001, pp. 161–76.
  8. Lewis, S. 2002. The Athenian Woman: An Iconographic Handbook. London and New York.
  9. Johnstone, S. 2003. “Women, property, and surveillance in classical Athens.” ClAnt 22: 247-274.
  10. Connelly, J. 2007. Portrait of a Priestess: Women and Ritual in Ancient Greece.Princeton.
  11. Campa, N. T. 2019. "Kurios, Kuriaand the status of Athenian women." 䴳114: 257-79.