This syllabus is enriched with links to the Perseus Project's World Wide Web site. Look up the Perseus editions of the required readings. The Perseus versions are equipped with helps linked to highlighted key words in the readings. Some of these highlighted terms connect you instantly to on-line encyclopedia entries, while others lead you to what other ancient authors have said about the same subject. You can follow these leads where ever your own personal curiosity might lead you, and to find information on any subject which you might like to pursue as a research paper topic. Electronic resources also allow you to cut and paste quotations and illustrations from the text directly into your research papers as you draft them on your word processor. (Don't forget your responsibilities for citing sources and giving credit when you do this!)
For an introduction to Perseus and for on line help using it, take a look at Perseus at Bates.
The present course is a study of ancient Greek religion from both a historical and an anthropological perspective. It follows a broadly historical outline and covers these important topics and periods:
At the same time this course takes an anthropological approach to the study of religion in ancient Greece. It attempts to understand religion as a system of symbols which provides people with a meaningful world in which to live. It also seeks to expolore how religions enable people to legitimate their view of the world by setting it in the context of a reality which transcends them.
From a historical perspective, the primary objectives of this course are
From an anthropological perspective, the primary objectives of this course are:
The wider our exposure to ancient evidence, the better equipped we are to do justice to ancient Greek thinking. Perseus is a superb resource for widening our exposure to ancient Greek thinking and religious experience. For example, several World Wide Web-based Perseus tools enable us to find instantly a wide range of evidence on any subject we might want to pursue in our reading:
Perseus is also available on the Bates College network in two versions. Perseus 1.0, the original version, and the new Perseus 2.0. Since the College is a beta-testing institution for Perseus 2.0, we will be using its greatly expanded resources in this course. For information:
| Jan 8 (M) | Method and Theory in the Interdisciplinary Study of Ancient Greek Religion Introduction to our World Wide Web home base and our Newsgroup |
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| Jan 10 (W) | An Introduction to MacIntosh computers and Perseus. |
| Jan 12 (F) | Starr, The Ancient Greeks, pp. 1-103 (pay particular attention to pp.
1-36 and 79-103). Explore the Perseus Atlas. Locate Minoan cities on the map of Crete. |
| Jan 15-19 (M-F) |
Kirk, Myth, pp. 84-118 (the nature of myths in Ancient Mesopotamia). Geertz, "Religion as a Cultural System," in Lessa & Vogt, pp. 78-89 |
| Jan 22-26 (M-F) | In-class study of Minoan artifacts from Palaces, Cave Sites & Tombs, and
Mountain-top shrines Chadwick, The Mycenaean World, Chapters 1, 5, and 6. Turner, The Forest of Symbols, pp. 19-47. |
| Jan 29 (M) | The Frescoes from Thera; hunting rituals & male coming of age; the birth of Zeus story |
| Jan 31 (W) | Video on Mycenae and the Bronze Age on the Mainland Guthrie, The Greeks and Their Gods, pp. 27-73. Hesiod, Theogony, pp. 66-67 (The account of the birth of Zeus, see also the Perseus On Line ed.). Groups Posting Class Notes: |
| Feb 2-5 (F-M) |
Hesiod, Theogony (including introduction. See also the Perseus on Line ed.).
Leach, "Cronus and Chronos," in Lessa and Vogt, Reader in Comparative Religion, pp. 109-113 (third edition; pagination varies in other editions). Enuma Elish: The Babylonian Creation Epic, in Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Texts, pp. 60-72. Groups Posting Class Notes: |
| Feb 7-9 (W-F) |
Fate and Magic: Alternative Ways of Dealing with Evil. Homer, The Iliad, opening lines of each book, plus Books l, 7, and 19. The Bible, I Samuel 17:1-54 (the story of David and Goliath). Evans-Pritchard, Witchcraft and Magic Among the Azande, pp. 63-83. Groups Posting Class Notes: |
| Feb 12 (M) | Rites of Sacrifice. Homer, The Iliad, Book 2
and Book
6 Groups Posting Class Notes: |
| Feb 14 (W) | Morality and Belief. Homer, The Iliad, Book 5,
Book 6,
Books
14-16. Groups Posting Class Notes: |
| Feb 16 (F) | Starr, The Ancient Greeks, chapter six, pp. 141-151, and Part III, pp.
193-211 (for general orientation). Guthrie, pp. 307-332. Plato, Republic, 10,614-end (The Myth of Er). The Derveni Papyrus (handout) Orphic Inscriptions (handout) Rice & Stambaugh, pp. 39-42, 161-164, 229-31 Groups Posting Class Notes: |
Feb 19-23 Winter Recess
| Feb 26 (M) | Guthrie, pp. 145-182. Rice & Stambaugh, pp. 195-209 Danforth, Firewalking and Religious Healing, Chapter 2. |
| Feb 28 (M) -Mar 1 (F) |
Euripides, The Bakkhai. See also the Perseus On Line edition.
Groups Posting Class Notes: |
| Mar 4 (M) | Starr, The Ancient Greeks, Part II, pp. 153-190 (for general
orientation). Guthrie, pp. 73-87 and 183-204 Rice & Stambaugh, pp. 93-106 Parke, pp. 72-89 Bolton, Aristeas of Proconnesus. |
| Mar 6-8 (W-F) | Philostratus, The Life of Apolonius of Tyana. Levi-Strauss, "The Sorcerer and his Magic," in Structural Anthropology, pp. 161-180. Groups Posting Class Notes: |
| Mar 11 (M) | Guthrie, pp. 205-241. The Odyssey, Book 11 (Odysseus in the underworld) in the Perseus On Line edition, or Rice & Stambaugh, pp. 221-245 |
| Mar 13-15 (W-F) | Guthrie, pp. 254-277 and 294-306 The Iliad, Book 23 (the funeral of Patroclos) in the Perseus On Line edition Groups Posting Class Notes: |
| Mar 18 (M) | Guthrie, pp. 242-253 (Chthonioi). Crapanzano, "Saints, Jnun, and Dreams." Edelstein, Asclepius (Testimonies). |
| Mar 20-22 (W-F) |
Rice & Stambaugh, pp. 69-80 Levi-Strauss, "The Effectiveness of Symbols," in Structural Anthropology, pp. 181-201. Groups Posting Class Notes: |
| Mar 25 (M) | Guthrie, pp. 277-294 and p. 306, number 6. Mylonas, Eleusis, pp. 224-243. Rice & Stambaugh, pp. 184-193 Leach, "Time and False Noses" in Lessa and Vogt, pp. 113-116 (third edition; pagination varies editions). |
| Mar 27-29 (W-F) | Mylonas, pp. 243-285 "The Hymn to Demeter," in Sargent, The Homeric Hymns, or in Rice & Stambaugh, pp. 171-183, or in the Perseus On Line edition. Groups Posting Class Notes: |
| Apr 1-3 (M-W) | Apuleius, The Golden Ass. |
| Apr 5 (F) | Turner, "Betwixt and Between," in The Forest of Symbols, pp.
93-111. Groups Posting Class Notes: |
Our class is going to carry out a coordinated class research project on the the significance of caves in ancient Minoan and Greek religion. Due date for completion of the whole project is March 29. Students will work in groups, conducting research on Perseus and in traditional sources. Each group will decide upon a group topic related to caves in Minoan and Greek religion. The papers of individuals in the group will be no more than five pages in length and will examine in depth some passage or passages from a primary source important to the group topic (e.g., Homer, Hesiod, Apollodorus) in light of the theoretical ideas and approaches discussed in class. Each group project will include a group-authored introduction, table of contents, and conclusion integrating the results of the individual papers. Further information regarding the time frame and use of the Greek Religion Newsgroup for this project will be posted in the Greek Religion Newsgroup. (40% of course grade)
Responses may be sent by e-mail to
rallison@abacus.bates.edu
Last Updated: January 7, 1996