Classics 160D3: Crime and Punishment in the Ancient World (Spring 2020) |
Jacques-Louis David, "The Death of Socrates," 1787
Instructor: | |
Time/Location: | online! |
Contact Info: |
Office: Cesar Chavez 410 |
OVERVIEWThis course explores the history of criminal justice systems in the ancient Mediterranean through close examination of select primary sources. Its primary focus is Greece and Rome, but it also covers the ancient Near East and Pharaonic Egypt. We move chronologically, geographically, and topically, treating a broad range of literary and archaeological evidence. Of central importance to the course is the issue of boundaries: between right and wrong, imprisonment and freedom, individual and state. Law codes from Mesopotamia, tomb robbery in the Egyptian New Kingdom, the trial and execution of Socrates, police in the streets of Rome, execution by gladiator, bandits in the Roman Empire, spiritual and allegorical punishment: the course encompasses it all! |
GOALSBy the end of this course, you should be able to:
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PREREQUISITESThere are no prerequisites. |
READINGSThe readings for this course will include selections from a number of texts which concern crime and punishment in the ancient world in one way or another: among these inscriptions from ancient Mesopotamia (Hammurabi's Code) and Egypt (papyri detailing a harem conspiracy and tomb robberies); classics of Greco-Roman literature, both prose (Plato's Apology, the speeches of Lysias and Demosthenes, etc.) and poetry (Sophocles' Oedipus the King; Hesiod's Works and Days, et al.); Roman law codes (the Theodosian Code); the autobiography of an emperor (the Res Gestae of Augustus) as well as letters written to one (Pliny's Letters, book 10); and even accounts of trips to hell (Virgil's Aeneid; Dante's Inferno). The full list of readings appears below (see the Course Schedule). There is one required text for this course:
This is a sourcebook of primary readings for CLAS 160D3 available from Cognella/University Readers. Students can buy the book at the UA Bookstore or order it directly from the publisher at the following url: store.cognella.com. (NOTE: The course textbook may be listed under my name as the course text for BOTH CLAS 160D3 ["Critical Concepts in Culture"] AND HIST 203 ["The Ancient Mediterranean: Power and Identity"] on the Cognella website. This is the correct book for both/either of these classes!) I will have a copy of the textbook available for student use in my office during office hours. Any additional reading assignments for the course will be hyperlinked to this page (see below) or posted on the course D2L site. Many (most?) of the readings will be in .pdf format. To view/download them, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader (free download available here). |
GRADINGGrading for the course will be based on the following breakdown:
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OTHER (IMPORTANT!) COURSE POLICIES: READ CAREFULLY
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VARIOUS UNIVERSITY POLICIES:
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COURSE SCHEDULEThere are fifteen assigments in CLAS 160D3. Each assignment consists of readings to do, PowerPoints to view (and listen to! there is audio), a reading worksheet to complete, a quiz to take and a discussion to participate in. As noted above, in addition to these fifteen basic assignments there are three short papers to complete. You will be able to complete each of the papers after completing a set number of basic assignments (specific details on what you will be able to do when can be found in the table below). Since this is an online course, it is in large part self-paced, but not completely. Whereas you are welcome to work as far ahead as you like, and finish the course super-early, there are also non-negotiable due dates for every assignment in the course, so you can't, say, wait until the last couple of weeks of the semester and do everything then. Here's an outline of what is due when:
There are a couple of things worth pointing out in the schedule above. You will note that all assignments for this course are due on Thursdays at 11:59 p.m. with the exception of initial discussion posts. These are always due on Wednesdays at 11:59 p.m. to give everyone in each discussion section ample time to read and respond to other students' posts. What follows is a list of assignments for CLAS 160D3 during the spring semester. Check this page often, as readings and assignments are subject to change. I will also (of course!) give you all a heads-up over email or on the course D2L page if a major shake-up is imminent. |
Assignment | Topic |
1 | Mesopotamia (1): Life and Law in the Ancient Near East VIEW (D2L): PowerPoints on Mediterranean Geography and Ancient Babylon READ (D2L): Samuel Greengus, "Legal and Social Institutions of Ancient Mesopotamia" (pp469–484 of J.M. Sasson, ed., Civilizations of the Ancient Near East, vol. 1 [New York, 1995]); Introduction, Hammurabi's Laws; (Bauschatz): Hammurabi's Laws (pp1–28) COMPLETE (D2L): Reading Worksheet #1, D2L Quiz #1, Discussion #1 |
2 | Egypt (1): Law, Society and Officials VIEW (D2L): PowerPoints on Ancient Egypt and the Pharaoh and Vizier READ (D2L): David Lorton, "Legal and Social Institutions of Pharaonic Egypt" (pp345–362 of J.M. Sasson, ed., Civilizations of the Ancient Near East, vol. 1 [New York, 1995]); (Bauschatz): the Instruction Addressed to King Merikare (pp29–44); information on the vizier Rekhmire; (Bauschatz): the Regulation Laid Upon the Vizier Rekhmire (pp45–55) COMPLETE (D2L): Reading Worksheet #2, D2L Quiz #2, Discussion #2 |
3 | Egypt (2): Crime and Punishment (Mostly Punishment) VIEW (D2L): PowerPoints on Papyrology and Greek History READ: info on the Judicial Turin Papyrus and P.Leopold II-Amherst; (Bauschatz): the Judicial Turin Papyrus (pp57–69); P.Leopold II-Amherst (pp71–74); basic info on The Eloquent Peasant; (Bauschatz): The Eloquent Peasant (pp75–92) COMPLETE (D2L): Reading Worksheet #3, D2L Quiz #3, Discussion #3 |
4 | Ancient Greece (1): History, Law and Society VIEW (D2L): PowerPoints on Sparta and Athens READ (D2L): Douglas MacDowell, "Greek Law" (pp589–606 of M. Grant and R. Kitzinger, eds., Civilization of the Ancient Mediterranean: Greece and Rome, vol. 1 [New York, 1988]); (Bauschatz): Xenophon, Constitution of the Spartans (pp93–107) COMPLETE (D2L): Reading Worksheet #4, D2L Quiz #4, Discussion #4 |
5 | Ancient Greece (2): Poetic Justice VIEW (D2L): PowerPoints on Greek Religion and Epic Poetry READ: basic info on Hesiod; (Bauschatz): Hesiod, Theogony (pp109–152); (Bauschatz): Hesiod, Works and Days (pp153–183) COMPLETE (D2L): Reading Worksheet #5, D2L Quiz #5, Discussion #5 |
6 | Ancient Greece (3): Murder, etc., in Athens VIEW (D2L): PowerPoints on Crime and Punishment in Ancient Greece and Ancient Oratory READ (Bauschatz): Lysias 1, On the Murder of Eratosthenes (pp185–192); (Bauschatz): Antiphon 1, Accusation of Poisoning against the Stepmother (pp193–198); (Bauschatz): Demosthenes 54, Against Conon for Battery (pp199–209) COMPLETE (D2L): Reading Worksheet #6, D2L Quiz #6, Discussion #6 |
7 | Ancient Greece (4): Plato, Socrates and the Great Defense VIEW (D2L): PowerPoints on Greek Philosophy and the Persian Wars READ: basic info on Plato and Socrates; (Bauschatz): Plato, Apology of Socrates (pp211–240); (Bauschatz): Plato, Crito (pp241–253) COMPLETE (D2L): Reading Worksheet #7, D2L Quiz #7, Discussion #7 |
Spring Break | |
8 | Ancient Greece (5): Divine Punishment VIEW (D2L): PowerPoints on Greek Tragedy and the Peloponnesian Wars READ: basic info on Sophocles and ancient Thebes; (Bauschatz): Sophocles, Oedipus the King (pp255–326) COMPLETE (D2L): Reading Worksheet #8, D2L Quiz #8, Discussion #8 |
9 | Ancient Greece (6): Busting and Booking in Ptolemaic Egypt VIEW (D2L): PowerPoints on the Hellenistic Period and Early Roman History READ: basic info on the Ptolemies; (Bauschatz): Ptolemaic papyri on policing (pp327–354) COMPLETE (D2L): Reading Worksheet #9, D2L Quiz #9, Discussion #9 |
10 | Ancient Rome (1): Law and Society VIEW (D2L): PowerPoints on the "Roman Revolution" and the Late Roman Republic READ (D2L): Alan Watson, "Roman Law" (pp607–629 of M. Grant and R. Kitzinger, eds., Civilization of the Ancient Mediterranean: Greece and Rome, vol. 1 [New York, 1988]);(Bauschatz): the Twelve Tables (pp355–363) COMPLETE (D2L): Reading Worksheet #10, D2L Quiz #10, Discussion #10 |
11 | Ancient Rome (2): Rulers and Ruled VIEW (D2L): PowerPoints on Augustus and Roman Provinces READ (Bauschatz): The Deeds of the Divine Augustus (pp365–373); info on Pliny the Younger and the emperor Trajan; (Bauschatz): Pliny, Epistles, book 10 (X) (pp375–404): Letters 19–20, 29–34, 56–60, 65–66, 78, 96–97 COMPLETE (D2L): Reading Worksheet #11, D2L Quiz #11, Discussion #11 |
12 | Ancient Rome (3): the Spectacle of Punishment VIEW (D2L): PowerPoints on Roman Entertainment and First Century Emperors READ: info on Roman gladiators; (D2L): Chapters 1–3 (pp1–15) of E. Clark, "Capital Punishment in Ancient Rome" (Honors Thesis, Classics, Xavier University, 2005); info on Tertullian; (Bauschatz): Tertullian, On the Spectacles (pp405–430) COMPLETE (D2L): Reading Worksheet #12, D2L Quiz #12, Discussion #12 |
13 | Ancient Rome (4): Robbers and Frauds VIEW (D2L): PowerPoints on Sexond Century Emperors and Mystery Religions READ: biography of Apuleius; Apuleius, The Golden Ass, summary and analysis of books 1–3; (Bauschatz): The Golden Ass 4.1–27, 6.25–32 and 7.1–13 (pp431–452); biography of Lucian; (Bauschatz): Lucian, Alexander the Quack Prophet (pp453–472); more information on Glykon COMPLETE (D2L): Reading Worksheet #13, D2L Quiz #13, Discussion #13 |
14 | Ancient Rome (5): Late Antique Law VIEW (D2L): PowerPoints on the Crisis of the Third Century and Magic READ: basic info on late antiquity and the Theodosian Code; (Bauschatz): Theodosian Code, Book 9, Titles 2–17 (pp473–499) COMPLETE (D2L): Reading Worksheet #14, D2L Quiz #14, Discussion #14 |
15 | Ancient Rome (6): Hell VIEW (D2L): PowerPoint on the Fall of the Roman Empire and the Afterlife in the Ancient World READ: basic info on Virgil; summary of the Aeneid, books 1–5; (Bauschatz): Virgil, Aeneid, book 6 (pp501–533); Dante, short biography; Inferno: summary; (Bauschatz): Inferno, Cantos i–v (pp535–562) COMPLETE (D2L): Reading Worksheet #15, D2L Quiz #15, Discussion #15 |