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    Overview

    An advanced study of the decades after Alexander’s death. Topics covered include historical sources, military tactics, chronology, Hellenistic kingship, ancient coinage.

    The death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE precipitated one of the most chaotic and bloody periods in history. We will study the initial struggle for power in Babylon and examine in depth the major military, political and social issues that develop as the Hellenistic Kingdoms are formed from the ruins of the Macedonian Empire.

    The colourful personalities of Alexander's generals - such as Ptolemy the Saviour, Antigonus the One-Eyed, Demetrius the Besieger, Cleitus the White, Eumenes, Cassander and Seleucus the Victor - and their violent reactions to each other form a sustained backdrop to the paper, and there is particular emphasis on the evolution of Hellenistic kingship and study of the origins of the ruler cult. Basic problems of historiography and chronology are introduced, but there are also cataclysmic land battles, bitter sieges, splendid naval battles and hundreds of elephants. All of the semester's work is based upon sources in translation.

    About this paper

    Paper title Advanced Studies in Alexander's Successors
    Subject Classical Studies
    EFTS 0.1667
    Points 20 points
    Teaching period Not offered in 2024, expected to be offered in 2025 (On campus)
    Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) $1,240.75
    International Tuition Fees Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website.
    Prerequisite
    72 300-level CLAS, GREK or LATN points
    Restriction
    CLAS 341
    Eligibility
    Suitable for advanced students from all disciplines, especially with an interest in History, Politics, Historiography, Archaeology, warfare and Ancient Studies of all types.
    Contact

    classics@otago.ac.nz

    Teaching staff

    Course Co-ordinator: To be confirmed when the paper is next offered.

    Paper Structure
    The paper has several key aims, including:
    • To gain insight into how Greek and Eastern cultures interacted after being assimilated by Alexander's expedition
    • To analyse the colourful personalities of Alexander's successors and their interaction with each other
    • To survey the military tactics and strategies of the period, the political manoeuvring and social aspects of the culture, such as sexuality and economics
    Internal Assessment 60%
    Teaching Arrangements
    Two 1-hour lectures per week
    Six 1.5-hour seminars (tutorials) approximately fortnightly throughout the semester.
    Textbooks

    Diodorus of Sicily. The Library, Books 16-20 (tr.) R. Waterfield (Oxford World’s Classics, 2019). [also prescribed for CLAS 241 and CLAS 341]

    Plutarch, The Age of Alexander (tr.) I. Scott-Kilvert and T. E. Duff, with introduction by T. E. Duff, (Penguin Books, 2011). [also prescribed for CLAS 241]

    Quintus Curtius Rufus, The History of Alexander (trans.) J. C. Yardley, with introduction and notes by W. Heckel (Penguin Books, 1984; repr. 2004). [also prescribed for CLAS 241]

    Graduate Attributes Emphasised
    Lifelong learning, Communication, Critical thinking, Information literacy, Self-motivation, Teamwork.
    View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.
    Learning Outcomes
    • To investigate the nature of ancient history and the methods and sub-disciplines used to analyse it
    • To investigate new evidence - especially epigraphic, archaeological and numismatic - which has become available in recent years
    • To debate and evaluate some of the scholarly interpretations and schools of thought on the patchy evidence, especially where conflicting conclusions have been drawn
    • To view the impact of the Alexander phenomena, or 'industry,' on popular culture and modern perceptions
    • An awareness of foreign cultures in a chronological context
    • The ability to think laterally in considering the numerous paradoxes and problems posed by the Alexander and Early Hellenistic era

    Timetable

    Not offered in 2024, expected to be offered in 2025

    Location
    Dunedin
    Teaching method
    This paper is taught On Campus
    Learning management system
    Blackboard
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