Religions of the Graeco-Roman
World

CLT 3371 section 03G0/Spring 2012

 

SYLLABUS


All readings, including downloads and links, are required and should be completed BEFORE class.

KEY TO READING ASSIGNMENTS:
ZP = Zaidman and Pantel Religion in the Ancient Greek City

RAG = Price Religions of the Ancient Greeks

RR = Warrior Roman Religion

SB = Warrior Roman Religion: A Sourcebook
Course Reserves = readings on the Ares system keyed to the class days (see main course webpage for details about accessing Ares)

 

Introducing Graeco-Roman Religion

class day

topic

reading assignment

M 1/9

What is ancient Graeco-Roman religion?

Chronology (download)

W 1/11

Prehistory of religion

ZP 3-23, 143-64; RAG 16-19

F 1/13

Before Greece and Rome: Mesopotamia and Egypt

Course reserves 3 (Burkert  1)

The Origins of Ancient Greek Religion

W 1/18

The Minoans

QUIZ 1

link: Minoan Religion
http://www.fhw.gr/chronos/02/crete/en/religion/index.htm
l

F 1/20

The Mycenaeans

link: Mycenaean Religion

http://www.fhw.gr/chronos/02/mainland/en/mg/religion/index.html
Course reserves
4 (Burkert 2)

M 1/23

Collapse & Renaissance

Course reserves 5 (Osborne)

W 1/25

Religion and society: the ancient Greek polis

RAG 76-81, 172-82

Sacred People, Places and Acts in Ancient Greece

F 1/27

Rituals

QUIZ 2

ZP 27-45, 164-72; RAG 172-9

M 1/30

Religious personnel

ZP 46-54, 121-8; RAG 67-76

W 2/1

Sacred space

ZP 55-62, 235-46; RAG 47-66

Social Contexts for Ancient Greek Religion

F 2/3

The household (oikos)

QUIZ 3

ZP 63-91; RAG 89-107

M 2/6

Magic and astrology

RAG 101-2; Theokritos Idyll 2 (download)

W 2/8

Church and state

RAG 82-8, ZP 92-101

The Ancient Greek Gods and their Festivals

F 2/10

The Greek pantheon

QUIZ 4

ZP 176-214

M 2/13

Personal religion: cults of Demeter and Asklepios

RAG 102-14; ZP 128-32

Homeric Hymn to Demeter (download)

W 2/15

Panhellenic religion: cults of Apollo and Zeus

Homeric Hymn to Apollo (download)

ZP 112-21, 129-40

Death and Theology in Ancient Greece

F 2/17

Death and burial

QUIZ 5

ZP 72-9; RAG 100-1

M 2/20

Non-Demeter mystery cults

RAG 114-25

W 2/22

The philosophical schools

RAG 126-42

F 2/24

Representing the sacred

QUIZ 6

ZP 215-28

Putting It All Together I

M 2/27

Review for exam 1

W 2/29

1st HOUR EXAM


F 3/2

go over exam

 

The Hellenistic World and The Origins of Italian Religion

M  3/12

Alexander and the dissemination of Hellenism

Course reserves (Griffiths)

W  3/14

Greece & Rome

RAG 143-59; Chronlology (download)

F 3/16

The Etruscans and their neighbors

Course reserves (Cornell); SB 56-7

M 3/19

Roman religion: sources, methods and concepts

RR xiii-xiv; SB 1-13

Religion in the Roman Household

W 3/21

The Roman pantheon

QUIZ 7

RR 1-14; SB 187-8

F 3/23

The family

RR 27-40; SB 24-30

M 3/26

Death and burial

SB 31-5

Religion in the Roman State

W 3/28

Astrology and magic

QUIZ 8

RR 93-104; SB 139-50

F 3/30

Priests, priestesses and rituals

RR 15-26, 41-54; SB 47-55

M 4/2

Pre-imperial state cults

RR 67-78; SB 59-69, 115-25

Tibullus Arval Hymn (download)

W 4/4

Politics and war

RR 55-64; SB 71-81

Developments in Roman Religion

F 4/6

Emperor-worship

QUIZ 9

RR 105-18; SB 127-38

M 4/9

Philosophy and Roman religion

SB 151-161

W 4/11

Ecstatic cults: Bacchus, Mithras, Isis and Cybele

RR 80-92; SB 91-7

The Transformation of Ancient Graeco-Roman Religion

F 4/13

Judaism and the Roman empire

QUIZ 10

RR 119-23; SB 163-172

M 4/16

The Graeco-Roman context of early Christianity

SB 173-83; RR 123-9; RAG 158-64

Acts of the Apostles (use your own text
    or LINK)

W 4/18

The Christianization of the Roman Empire

SB 183-6

F 4/20

The Twilight of Graeco-Roman religion

QUIZ 11

ZP 231-4; RAG 164-71

Putting It All Together II

M 4/23

Review for exam 2 (covers only material SINCE exam 1)

W 4/25

2nd HOUR EXAM