A study of the successors to Alexander. Topics covered include Alexander's death, the Diadoch Wars, Alexander's generals, polygamy, and the destruction of empires.
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.
| Paper title | After Alexander: the Struggle and the Chaos |
|---|---|
| Paper code | CLAS341 |
| Subject | Classical Studies |
| EFTS | 0.15 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Semester 1 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees (NZD) | $955.05 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- 18 200-level CLAS, GREK or LATN points
- Restriction
- CLAS 441
- Schedule C
- Arts and Music
- Eligibility
- Suitable for third-year 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
pat.wheatley@otago.ac.nz - More information link
- Teaching staff
- Course Co-ordinator: Associate Professor Pat Wheatley
- Paper Structure
- The paper has several key aims, including:
- To analyse and understand 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
- Teaching Arrangements
- Two lectures per week.
- Textbooks
Diodorus of Sicily. The Library, Books 16-20 (tr.) R. Waterfield (Oxford World’s Classics, 2019). [also prescribed for CLAS 241 and CLAS 441]
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
