Alice Hu
Latin epic, early imperial Latin literature, Greek tragedy.
Thomas P. Landvatter
Classical archaeology, Hellenistic and Roman Egypt and Near East, identity and ethnicity in the ancient world.
Ellen G. Millender
Greek and Roman history, Greek historiography, archaic and classical Sparta, women in the ancient world.
Nigel J. Nicholson
Greek and Latin literature, literary theory.
Sonia A. Sabnis
Latin and Greek literature, imperial prose. On sabbatical 2021–22.
Laura Zientek
Latin and Greek literature, imperial poetry and philosophy, landscape studies.
The field of Greek, Latin, and ancient Mediterranean studies focuses on the ancient Greek and Roman Mediterranean, as well as the wider Greek and Roman world. It embraces the study of Greek and Latin language and literature as well as the history and material culture of both ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. The study of the ancient world is inherently interdisciplinary, appealing to students interested in history, literature, archaeology, art history, religion, philosophy, theatre, and even linguistics and anthropology. Each year the department offers courses in Greek and Latin at all levels. Additionally, at least two 300-level courses in ancient history, archaeology, or literature in translation are taught on a rotating basis.
Greek, Latin, and ancient Mediterranean studies majors choose one of two concentrations: 1) Greek and Latin language and literature, or 2) history and archaeology of the ancient Mediterranean (HAAM). Students who wish to study language and literature while pursuing another major may minor in Greek, Latin, or Greek and Latin.
In consultation with their advisers, prospective majors should enroll in Greek or Latin in their first or second year and should take at least one ancient history or archaeology course in their second year. Students with a background in Greek or Latin should take a scheduled placement exam during orientation week to determine their appropriate level.
The range of senior thesis topics open to majors is very broad: philological or literary analyses of classical literature, historiography, or philosophy; explorations of problems in Greek or Roman history, historiography, political theory, or ancient philosophy; investigations into the nature and function of Greek or Roman society and thought; and archaeological and art historical analyses of ancient Mediterranean material culture. Majors, accordingly, routinely bring into their study of the ancient Mediterranean methodological perspectives and theoretical models from other disciplines, including linguistics, anthropology, religion, philosophy, political science, and comparative race and ethnicity studies. Majors are encouraged to take advantage of courses in these and other departments that will further their disciplinary interests.
Greek, Latin, and ancient Mediterranean studies majors and minors are strongly urged to consider attending the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies (ICCS) during one semester of the junior year. The ICCS, of which Reed College is a member, is located in Rome and focuses on Roman material culture, history, and archaeology. It offers courses in Greek and Latin literature, Italian, and Renaissance and baroque art history.
Greek, Latin, and ancient Mediterranean studies majors have also spent a semester of their junior year at the College Year in Athens (CYA) program, which offers courses in Greek literature, history, archaeology, and art, as well as Latin literature. Some have also spent the whole of their sophomore or junior year at Oxford University; Trinity College, Dublin; or University College, Cork. Those students who are interested in archaeology are strongly encouraged to get archaeological fieldwork experience, either through one of these study-abroad programs or through field schools recommended by the department.
In addition to serving majors and minors, the department provides courses for students from other majors who wish to study the history, archaeology, and literature of the ancient Mediterranean. Courses offered by the department satisfy distribution requirements; some courses apply toward Group I, and others apply toward Group II.
A major in Greek, Latin, and ancient Mediterranean studies prepares students for graduate work in the discipline, whether in classics programs, ancient history programs (within classics programs or within history programs), archaeology and ancient Mediterranean studies programs, or ancient philosophy programs. It is also excellent preparation for the professional study of fields such as law, communications, information and library studies, and curatorial studies.
Requirements for the Major with Concentration in Greek and Latin Language and Literature
1. Greek (111, 112, 210), 311, and 312 or Latin (110, 210), 311, and 312.
2. Two units in the other language.
3. Any two ancient Mediterranean studies (ANME) courses numbered 370–389 (history and archaeology).
4. Ancient Mediterranean Studies 470.
Recommended but not required:
1. Additional units in 300-level classics courses, including Advanced Greek or Advanced Latin.
2. Additional work in the other language.
3. French, German, or both.
4. Relevant courses in other subjects such as anthropology, art history, linguistics, literary theory, philosophy, religion, and comparative race and ethnicity studies.
Requirements for the Major with Concentration in History and Archaeology of the Ancient Mediterranean
1. Any two of Ancient Mediterranean Studies 370–379 (history).
2. Any two of Ancient Mediterranean Studies 380–389 (archaeology).
3. Latin 110 and 210 or Greek 111, 112 and 210. (Students with prior experience who place into 210 or 311 must complete either one year of language at placement level or two years of the other language.)
4. Two further 300-level courses in ancient Mediterranean studies, Greek, or Latin, or, with the approval of the department, two units in one of the following areas:
a) Anthropology: 211 plus one other unit.
b) History: any two units (including courses with a historical focus or methodology in other departments).
c) Religion: any two units.
d) Art history: Art 201 plus one other unit.
e) Humanities 220, or two units from Humanities 211, 212, 231, and 232.
5. Ancient Mediterranean Studies 470.
Recommended but not required:
1. Statistics.
2. Other relevant courses in subjects such as anthropology, art history, or history.
3. French, German, or both.
A Minor in Greek, Latin, or Greek and Latin
The goal of the Greek, Latin, and ancient Mediterranean studies minors is to ensure work in Greek or Latin language at the advanced level, and to provide various options to students with different levels of preparation that reflect achievement of that standard.
Requirements for the Greek Minor
Five units from Greek 111, 112, 210, 311, and 312. At least one unit must be from Greek 311 or 312.
Requirements for the Latin Minor
Five units from Latin 110, 210, 311, and 312. At least one unit must be from Latin 311 or 312.
Requirements for the Greek and Latin Minor
- Six units from Greek 111, 112, 210, 311, 312, Latin 110, 210, 311, and 312. At least two of these units must be from Greek 311 and 312 or Latin 311 and 312.
- At least two units must be in each language (at least two units must be in Greek and at least two units must be in Latin).
Greek
Greek 111 - First-Year Greek: Part I
Full course for one semester. This course offers a study of the elements of ancient Greek grammar and syntax, introduces students to the cultures that used ancient Greek, and conducts first readings in Greek prose and poetry. Conference.
Greek 112 - First-Year Greek: Part II
Full course for one semester. This course offers a study of the elements of ancient Greek grammar and syntax, introduces students to the cultures that used ancient Greek, and conducts first readings in Greek prose and poetry. Conference.
Not offered 2021–22.
Greek 210 - Second-Year Greek
Two unit yearlong course; one unit per semester. This course offers a review of grammar and continued readings in Greek prose and poetry. Authors read in second-year Greek may include Xenophon, Lysias, Lucian, Hippocrates, Homer, and Euripides. Second-year Greek aims to strengthen students’ language skills while also introducing students to different analytic tools and methods that make use of these skills. Prerequisite: Greek 111 and 112 or equivalent. Conference.
Greek 311 - Advanced Greek
Full course for one semester. Two advanced Greek seminars are offered every year. These seminars utilize and expand the linguistic and interpretive skills that students have developed in first- and second-year Greek. Students analyze primary texts in the original and in translation, and employ and critique relevant scholarship and theory that aids the reading and understanding of these texts. A wide range of seminars is offered over a four-year period. While some seminars are organized around specific works, others focus on authors, genres, and periods or places. Recent seminars have explored fifth-century Athenian tragedy, the development of historiography and ethnography, the politics and representation of athletics, the transformation of Greek literature in the Hellenistic world, and the Hellenistic urban environment. Prerequisite: Greek 210 or equivalent. Conference. May be repeated for credit.
Greek 312 - Advanced Greek
Full course for one semester. See description for Greek 311. Prerequisite: Greek 210 or equivalent. Conference. May be repeated for credit.
Latin
Latin 110 - First-Year Latin
Two unit yearlong course; one unit per semester. This course offers a study of the elements of Latin grammar and syntax, introduces students to the cultures that used Latin, and conducts first readings in Latin prose and poetry. Conference.
Latin 210 - Second-Year Latin
Two unit yearlong course; one unit per semester. This course offers a review of grammar and continued readings in Latin prose and poetry, typically Cicero’s rhetoric and Vergil’s Aeneid or Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Second-year Latin aims to strengthen students’ language skills while also introducing students to different analytical tools and methods that make use of these skills. Prerequisite: Latin 110 or equivalent. Conference.
Latin 311 - Advanced Latin
Full course for one semester. Two advanced Latin seminars are offered every year. These seminars utilize and expand the linguistic and interpretive skills that students have developed in first- and second-year Latin. Students analyze primary texts in the original and in translation, and employ and critique relevant scholarship and theory that aids the reading and understanding of these texts. A wide range of seminars is offered over a four-year period. While some seminars are organized around specific works, others focus on authors, genres, and periods or places. Recent seminars have explored the genre of Roman love elegy and how it changed in the hands of its different practitioners, the reception of Roman love poetry in English, the politics of bodily change, epic and encyclopedism in relation to the imperial power exercised both on and by the Roman elite male, the decay of the Roman Republic, and the formation of the imperial system. Prerequisite: Latin 210 or equivalent. Conference. May be repeated for credit.
Latin 312 - Advanced Latin
Full course for one semester. See description for Latin 311. Prerequisite: Latin 210 or equivalent. Conference. May be repeated for credit.
Ancient Mediterranean Studies
Ancient Mediterranean Studies 362 - Classical Mythology
Full course for one semester. An examination of the origins, function, and significance of myth in Greek and Roman literature and culture. The course will begin by considering different theoretical approaches to myth, and then move to an analysis of particular Greek and Roman myths. Authors and works may include Homer, Homeric Hymns, Hesiod, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Plato, Virgil, Ovid, Seneca, and Apuleius. Prerequisite: first semester of Humanities 110. Conference. Cross-listed as Literature 362.
Not offered 2021–22.
Ancient Mediterranean Studies 371 - The Greek World from 776 to 404 BCE
Full course for one semester. This course offers a chronological survey of archaic and classical Greek history and civilization from the traditional foundation of the Olympic games in 776 BCE to the fall of the Athenian Empire in 404 BCE. After beginning with a brief look at Bronze and Dark Age Greece, we will cover the following topics: the rise of the polis; Greek colonization; the “Age of Revolution”; hoplite warfare, aristocracy, and the spread of tyranny; the rise of Athens and Sparta; the Persian Wars; the development of Athens’ democracy and empire; the causes and course of the Peloponnesian War; the development of ethnography and historical inquiry; and the nature of Greek social relations, with an emphasis on slavery and gender dynamics in Athens and Sparta. Emphasis is placed on the interpretation of ancient evidence, including primary literary works, inscriptions, and relevant archaeological material. Prerequisite: sophomore standing or consent of the instructor. Lecture-conference. Cross-listed as History 391.
Not offered 2021–22.
Ancient Mediterranean Studies 373 - The Rise and Fall of the Roman Republic
Full course for one semester. This course offers a chronological survey of Republican Roman history from Rome’s consolidation of power on the Italian peninsula in 266 BCE to the death of the Emperor Augustus in 14 CE. We will begin with a consideration of Rome’s rapid growth from 264 to 146 BCE and the various theories concerning the factors behind Roman imperial expansion. We will then explore the political, social, economic, and cultural repercussions of Rome’s transformation into the leading power in the Mediterranean and the various factors that led to the fall of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire under Augustus. During the semester we will cover the following topics: the structure and evolution of the Roman constitution; the development of the “professional” Roman army and its political ramifications; changing gender relations in Roman society; imperial governance; the growth and practice of slavery; Rome’s cultural interaction with Greece and the East; the social and cultural function of gladiatorial combat; Rome’s relations with its allies; the politicization of the Roman people and the rise of “popular” politicians; and the Augustan settlement. Emphasis is placed on the interpretation of ancient evidence, including primary literary works, inscriptions, and relevant archaeological material. Prerequisite: sophomore standing or consent of the instructor. Lecture-conference. Cross-listed as History 393.
Not offered 2021–22.
Ancient Mediterranean Studies 375 - Special Topics in Ancient Mediterranean History
Full course for one semester. Each special-topics course offers an intensive study of a particular topic or period of the history of the ancient Mediterranean world. Prerequisite: sophomore standing or consent of the instructor. Lecture-conference. Cross-listed as History 395. May be repeated for credit.
Not offered 2021–22.
Ancient Mediterranean Studies 377 - Women in the Ancient World
Full course for one semester. This course examines the female experience in the ancient Mediterranean from the middle of the eighth century BCE to the second century CE. We will begin by briefly considering some main themes in women’s history and the applicability of gender as a category of historical analysis to the study of the ancient world. We will then turn to a close analysis of the available literary, documentary, and archaeological evidence that illuminates ancient attitudes toward women, women’s daily lives, the female life cycle, and the various practical and symbolic roles that women played in Greece, Rome, and the broader Mediterranean world. Topics include the portrayal of women in ancient myth, literature, and art; the political, legal, economic, and social status of women; women’s roles in state and private religious activities; women in the family and household organization; women’s education and female literacy; philosophical treatments of gender; scientific knowledge and folklore concerning gender and sexuality; and the function of gender in ancient ideologies. The course follows these topics chronologically, with special emphasis given to the coincidences and conflicts between literary images of women and the realities of their everyday experience recoverable through documentary and archaeological evidence. Prerequisite: Humanities 110. Conference. Cross-listed as History 397.
Ancient Mediterranean Studies 381 - Archaeological Method and Theory
Full course for one semester. This course investigates theoretical approaches to the study of material culture and the philosophical foundations of archaeology as a discipline. Topics to be covered may include the history of archaeology; cultural, historical, processual, and postprocessual approaches to archaeology; middle-range theory; behavioral archaeology and formation processes; the nature and definition of style; archaeologies of identity; field methodology; and archaeological research design. In addition to reading major foundational theoretical works, students will engage with specific archaeological case studies drawn from both the ancient Mediterranean and elsewhere. Prerequisite: Humanities 110, or consent of the instructor. Lecture-conference.
Not offered 2021–22.
Ancient Mediterranean Studies 382 - Material Culture and Empire: The Archaeology of the Roman World
Full course for one semester. This course considers the archaeology and material culture of the Roman Empire, including the city of Rome, Italy, and the provinces. This course is theoretically grounded in the archaeology of empire, but will also be content-based, covering major sites throughout the empire and classes of material culture. Topics to be covered may include the origin and development of the city of Rome; imperial display; daily life in the Roman Empire; the archaeology of the Roman economy; the archaeology of cult and religion; provincial archaeology and the relationship between center and periphery; the archaeology of border regions; and methodological and disciplinary issues in approaching a vast territorial empire. Throughout the course, emphasis will be placed on the archaeology of identity in an imperial context. Prerequisite: Humanities 110, or consent of the instructor. Lecture-conference.
Not offered 2021–22.
Ancient Mediterranean Studies 383 - Contact and Exchange in the Mediterranean: The Archaeology of the Greek World
Full course for one semester. This course considers the archaeology and material culture of the Greek world, centering on the Aegean and the wider eastern Mediterranean and Near East, as well as other areas of Greek settlement. The focus will be both theoretical and content-based, covering important sites, objects, and classes of material culture. Topics to be covered may include the development of urban and public space; monumental architecture; sculpture and other fine arts; houses, households, and the archaeology of daily life; Greek colonization and city foundations; ceramics and the use of pottery as archaeological evidence; and funerary practices. Throughout the course, emphasis will be placed on the interaction between Greeks and other groups in the Mediterranean, and the material effects of that interaction. Prerequisite: Humanities 110, or consent of the instructor. Lecture-conference.
Ancient Mediterranean Studies 385 - Mummies, Urns, and Ancestors: The Archaeology of Death and Burial
Full course for one semester. This course examines archaeological approaches to human death and burial, introducing how archaeologists use the material remains of mortuary practice to analyze ritual, social, economic, and ideological institutions, structures, and identities in past societies. Using case studies drawn from ancient Egypt and the wider ancient Mediterranean, this course will present a theoretical grounding for the archaeological investigation of human burial, including bioarchaeological and osteological approaches. From the perspective of funerary practice, we will examine social structure, class, and rank; religion and belief systems; ethnicity and cultural identity; age, sex, and gender; and memory and ancestor veneration. This course will also consider aspects of archaeological ethics as it relates to the study of human remains. Lecture-conference.
Ancient Mediterranean Studies 389 - Special Topics in Archaeology
Full course for one semester. Each special-topics course offers an intensive study of a particular archaeological topic. Prerequisite: Humanities 110, or consent of the instructor. Lecture-conference.
Not offered 2021–22.
Ancient Mediterranean Studies 470 - Thesis
Two unit yearlong course; one unit per semester.
Ancient Mediterranean Studies 481 - Independent Reading
One-half or full course for one semester. Prerequisite: approval of instructor and division.