But our period of study in this unit opens in the eighth century BC, when the Greeks not only inhabited Greece itself (as well as the island of Crete, still a part of modern Greece), but also the coastline of Asia Minor.

In addition, the Greeks embarked on a process of colonisation, mainly in the eighth to sixth centuries BC, settling in Sicily, southern Italy, the Black Sea area, Africa, and along the coastline of what is now modern Spain and France.

It is important to bear in mind this geographical diversity when studying Greece; while more is known about Athens and Sparta than any other Greek cities, there is information (though admittedly much less) about the Greeks outside mainland Greece, and it is important to bear in mind the diversity within Greek culture.

On the whole, the Greeks shared the same language and religion - as Herodotos notes (8.144) - but even in these there were differences among them.

There were different dialects, and religious practices could vary from city to city.

In this unit of study, several important features of Greek history and culture are examined.

We look at the process of colonisation and the notable political development that occurred at around the same time: the rise of tyranny in many Greek cities.

In addition, political factors such as the development of democracy in Athens are considered.

This can be contrasted with the political system of Sparta, and the Spartans' way of life, with its emphasis on military training and the warrior ethos.

The nature of the city-state is studied, and the way in which Greek cities tended to be independent of one another.

Different types of political systems, tyranny, monarchy, oligarchy and democracy are examined.

The wars which took place between the Greeks and the Persians are also an important theme, and it is fortunate that the historian Herodotos has left such a detailed account of this struggle.

If this sounds like a good deal of political history, note that we place an equal importance on studying the society of the ancient Greeks.

Topics such as the Greek family, slavery, and religion are an important part of the unit, and students can gain an understanding of what it was like to be a Greek (and a non-Greek) in this period.

The material on Sparta looks at their social structure and how this differed from that of other Greek states.

History cannot be divorced from geography, and it is important to attempt to locate cities and places on a map of the Greek world, to build up an understanding of where various cities were in relation to one another, and the impact of geography on Greek history.

While history is more than a collection of dates and facts it is important to have an idea of when major developments and key events took place.

But where does the information for all these topics this come from?

You will probably start your initial reading by looking at the unit prescribed text book on Greek history: Dunstan.

You might like to read this in its entirety before commencing your studies.

Don't try to absorb everything you read, but try to build up a general picture of Greek history.

Use the Study Resources booklet (on your unit CD) to study individual topics.

But what you need to do in particular is to look at what the ancient Greeks themselves wrote about their society.

You are guided towards the ancient sources for Greek history at all times, and there is relevant material about these in the Study Resources booklet, as well as some extracts from the ancient sources themselves.

It is much more interesting to read Herodotos' account of the Persian Wars, for example, than simply to rely upon the summaries in modern text books.

For your essays you must read the relevant ancient sources and incorporate ideas from them into your essays.

In conclusion, while this unit of study of ancient Greece includes the political history of Greece, there are several topics on social history.

By looking at both the political and social history of Greece from c. 800 - 479 BC (the period referred to as the 'Archaic Age' or 'Archaic Period'), you should gain a sound knowlege of the ancient Greek world, and some appreciation of its profound effect on the development of western civilisation.

The Greek World in the eighth-sixth centuries BC
1.  The Greek colonisation movement
2.  The Greek tyrants

It emphasises the critical examination of ancient written, artistic, and archaeological evidence within the context of a survey of Greek history.

Our aim is to assist students not only to reach an understanding of the origins of Western society and why it evolved as it did, but also to acquire the following important skills:

critical analysis

clear oral and written communication (including the construction of a logical argument and the selection and use of evidence)

independent research (including the identification of appropriate evidence and the extraction of relevant information from both written and visual material).

While Ancient History 110 and 111 introduce students to the skills and knowledge described above, further development of them is available in our 200/300 level ancient history units.

These offer a wide choice of aspects of the ancient Mediterranean world, including the Near East and Egypt, Greece, Rome, and the Byzantine Empire, and they allow students to specialise in areas of particular interest.

A pass in Ancient History 110 and 111 qualifies a student for entry to any 200 level unit in Ancient History, History, Economic History, or Myth and Ancient Literature.

Full details are contained in the School Handbook, available on request from the School office.

PRESCRIBED BOOKS

It is important to be able to refer to a good standard history of ancient Greece at all times.

The ancient sources are crucial for your writing of essays, as you must be able to refer to the ancient sources (sometimes referred to as primary sources) in your written work.

Dillon, M. & Garland L., Ancient Greece: Social and Historical Documents from Archaic Times to the Death of Socrates, Routledge.

Herodotus, The Histories, Penguin.

Stanton, G. Athenian Politics c. 800-500 BC: A Sourcebook, Routledge.

Dunstan, W. Ancient Greece, Harcourt

Ancient Sources in Translation

Because of our emphasis on the use of evidence in this unit, we have prescribed important historical sources in translation - Herodotos and Dillon and Garland Ancient Greece (a selection of the most valuable ancient sources on each topic) - and we expect students to make constant reference in their written work to the evidence in these sources.

Beware of modern titles!

A number of the published translations of ancient sources have been given modern titles that do not correspond to the proper ancient title.

This applies mainly to the Penguin editions of ancient authors.

For example, the ancient author Plutarch wrote several parallel Lives, comparing in each pair of Lives a famous Greek with a famous Roman.

Many of these pairs of Lives have been translated and published by Penguin, but the Lives have been taken out of their pairs, and Greeks put with Greeks and Romans with Romans.

The Penguin translator (I. Scott-Kilvert) of those Lives which relate to Athenian politicians has put together several of the lives of Athenians relevant to the period down to the end of the fifth century and called the resulting volume, The Rise and Fall of Athens.

When using this volume, do not simply refer to a page number but refer to the life of the relevant individual, such as Themistokles.

Remember too that the introduction and notes in these modern translations are written by the editors and translators (and not the ancient authors themselves), and so they do not form part of the ancient work and, while they provide useful material for understanding the ancient author and his work, such introductions and notes cannot be regarded as "evidence".

ASSESSMENT

The assignment work submitted during the semester will account for 60% of the final mark, with the examination paper accounting for the remaining 40%.

Assignment Work (60%)

External Students:
One essay of 1250-1500 words, marked out of 20, worth 30%
One essay of 1250-1500 words, marked out of 20, worth 30%

Internal Students:
Two tutorial papers, of 1500 words, each marked out of 20, each worth 30%

The Final Examination (40%)
At the end of the semester both internal and external students will be required to sit a two (2) hour examination paper.
For information about the format of the examination paper see the examination paper in the introductory booklet or on your CD.

The Marking Scheme

The final assessment you receive will be expressed as a grade.

The following table sets out in percentage terms the sort of grades that are awarded.

Since each of the various types of assignments is marked out of a different maximum, to get an idea of how you are going in the course of the year in relation to the various gradings, simply convert the mark you receive for a particular sort of assignment to a percentage, and then compare it to the table.

0 - 49.9%    Fail
50 - 64.9%   Pass
65 - 74.9%   Credit
75 - 84.9%   Distinction
85 - 100%   High Distinction

So, for example, if for an essay you scored 14 out of 20, this would convert to 70% (which would place it in the middle of the Credit range).

Please note that a Credit grading represents "above average" performance, so that a mark of 14 out of 20 (as used in the example) would indicate a very respectable result.

Final Mark

Your final mark for the unit is arrived at by adding together the mark out of 60 for the assignment work and the mark out of 40 for the examination.

The pass mark is 50%.

THE EXAMINATION PAPER

In the examination, you will be required to write three essays.

You may write essays on the same topics for which you have written your two assignments.

Your assignments, in fact, provide you with two topics, which you can use to study for the examination.

Students need to work on at least one other topic in order to be able to answer three questions on the examination paper.

NO material (booklets, texts or translations) may be taken into the examination.

Examinations - special note:

Dr Matthew Dillon - unit co-ordinator
Email: mdillon@metz.une.edu.au

tel: wk: 02-6773 2049 within Australia
61-2-6773 2049 outside Australia
fax: 02-6773 3520 within Australia
61-2-6773 3520 outside Australia

Teaching Areas
Ancient history (Greek, Egyptian, & Roman)
Greek and Roman religion

Research Interests
Greek religion
Greek history

Major Publications
(ed.) with L. Garland. Ancient Greece. Social and Historical Documents from Archaic Times to the Death of Socrates (c. 800-399 BC), Routledge: London & New York, 1994, repr. 1996.

Pilgrims and Pilgrimage in Ancient Greece, Routledge, London and New York, 1997.

(ed.), Religion in the Ancient World: New Themes and Approaches, Hakkert, Amsterdam, 1996.