This course surveys several important aspects
of classical civilization, in particular the cultural and intellectual.
Various people and facets of the Greek and Roman cultures have fascinated
Western men: for instance, Socrates, Alexander the Great, Greek mythology,
Roman imperial authority. Even more important are the ideas of the Greeks
and Romans, expressed in their law, religion, science, history, philosophy
and literature, which have served as a major influence in the development
of Western culture. During the quarter we shall consider topics of interest
and ideas of far-reaching influence in two ways. First, the instructor
will lecture on major political and intellectual development in the
classical world from the second millennium before Christ to the first
centuries of the Christian era. Second, the class will consider many
classical writings about man, his world, the unknown, from which the
student should be able both to appreciate the great influence of classical
culture on our own civilization and to understand some of the complexities
of classical thought. The course ends with a consideration, both through
lectures and discussions, of the foundations of Christianity as well
as its role in the Roman Empire and beyond.