Classics Department & Archaeology Program
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Requiring no Greek or Latin language
Undergraduate Courses
CLS 0026 The Archaeological History of Egypt. (Cross-listed as History 15 and Archaeology 26.) Illustrated survey of 3,000 years of ancient Egyptian civilization (3,000 -332 B.C.), following a chronological path, with excursions into Egyptian art, history, politics, hieroglyphs, and the development of modern Egyptology. Field trips to the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts Egyptian galleries included. Der Manuelian
Satisfies the Arts Distribution Requirement and was previously approved under former number for Classical Culture Area, African and African-American Culture, and the World Civilization requirement.
CLS 0027 Introduction to Classical Archaeology. (Cross-listed as Archaeology 27 and Art History 19.) The great sites and monuments of the ancient Mediterranean from preclassical times to the fall of the Roman Empire; their discovery and interpretation; their place in the reconstruction of the social, political, and artistic history of their time. Topics include the excavation and analysis of materials from Troy, Bronze Age Crete, and Mycenae; the archaeological evidence of the rise of Greece, and particularly Athens, in the first half of the first millennium B.C.; the misunderstood contribution of Hellenism in art, literature, and civilization; the Etruscan phenomenon; the essentially Roman qualities of the first four centuries of the Christian era; and the archaeological and documentary evidence for the transition from paganism to Christianity. Some attention to the disciplines of epigraphy and numismatics, as well as to the peripheral island civilizations of Malta, Sardinia, and Cyprus. Spring. Blake
CLS 0029 Archaeology of Palestine. (Cross-listed as Archaeology 29, Art History 18, Judaic Studies 77.) Introduction to the archaeology of Palestine from the Persian period to the Muslim conquest (586 B.C.-640 A.D.), including the influence of Greco-Roman civilization on the local cultures; the rise of diverse groups within Judaism, such as the sect that composed the Dead Sea Scrolls; the development of Rabbinic Judaism; the rise of Christianity; and the spread of Islam.
CLS 0031 Classics of Greece. A study of major Greek literary works in translation. Authors include Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Herodotus, Thucydides, and Plato. Fall and spring. Members of the department
CLS 0032 Classics of Rome. A study of major literary works of ancient Rome in translation. Authors include Cicero, Caesar, Suetonius, Vergil, Ovid, Petronius, and Apuleius. Fall and spring. Members of the department
CLS 0037 History of Ancient Greece. (Cross-listed as History 16.) The historical development of ancient Greece and the interaction of society, politics, and culture in Greek civilization, from the Mycenaean civilization commemorated by Homer to the conquests of Alexander the Great and the diffusion of the Greek way of life in the succeeding Hellenistic Age. Special attention given to the relationship of the Greeks to other peoples of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East and to examination of literary and documentary sources. Fall. Hirsch
CLS 0038 History of Ancient Rome. (Cross-listed as History 17.) The history of ancient Rome, tracing Rome's rise from an insignificant Italian community to the ruler of the Mediterranean world, and ending with the transfer of the imperial capital to Constantinople in A.D. 330. Emphasis on the interaction of Rome with various foreign peoples, and examination of literary and documentary sources. Spring. Hitchner
CLS 0045 Western Political Thought I. (Cross-listed as Political Science 45 and Philosophy 45.) Central concepts of ancient, medieval, and early modern political thought. Ideas of Thucydides, Aristophanes, Plato, and Aristotle during the rise and fall of Athens, Greece. Subsequent transformations of political philosophy, related to the decline of the Roman empire and the origins and development of Christian political doctrine, and the new political outlook of those who challenge the hegemony of Christianity. Analysis of how premodern political thought helped structure future political debate. Devigne, Sullivan
CLS 0055 Greek and Roman Tragedy (Cross-listed as Drama 0053) Study of plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripdes and of the contexts in which they were performed. Mahoney, Reid
CLS 0056 Greek and Roman Comedy (Cross-listed as Drama 0054) Study of plays of Aristophanes, Menander, Plautus, and Terence and in the contexts in which they are performed. Mahoney, Reid
CLS 0065 Journey of the Hero. Investigation of the motif of the journey of a hero, be it physical, psychological, or both, in the Western literary tradition, from its origins in the classical epics of Homer and Vergil to its adaptation in medieval and modern literature. Halpern
Satisfies the Humanities Distribution Requirement and Classics Culture Area.
CLS 0075 Classical Mythology. Exploration of the world of Greek and Roman myth, and of its living influence on our culture. The basic nature of myth, its essential human meaning, its manifestations in dream and ritual. Focus on selected myths of creation in Genesis, Ovid, Milton, and Mary Shelley. All myths traced from ancient sources to modern reincarnation in literature, art, and film. Halpern
CLS 0083, 0084 Special Topics in Classical Literature. Exploration of special topics in Greek, Roman, Egyptian, or other ancient literature in translation. Der Manuelian, Halpern, Mahoney, Reid
Satisfies the Humanities Distribution Requirement and Classics Culture Area
CLS 0085, 0086 Special Topics in Ancient History. Exploration of special topics in Greek, Roman, or Egyptian History. Der Manuelian, Hirsch, Hitchner
Satisfies the Social Sciences Distribution Requirement and Classics Culture Area
CLS 0087, 0088 Special Topics in Old World Archaeology. Exploration of special topics in Greek, Roman, or Egyptian archaeology. Blake, Der Manuelian, Hitchner
Satisfies the Arts Distribution Requirement and Classics Culture Area
CLS 0091, 0092 Special and Independent Studies in Classics. Courses offered on an ad hoc basis and open to all undergraduates or guided individual study of an approved topic. Credit as arranged.
Courses for Undergraduate and Graduate Students
CLS 0120 Introduction to Egyptian Hieroglyphs I.
Introduction to the fundamentals of Middle Egyptian, the classical stage of Egyptian hieroglyphs used throughout much of ancient Egyptian history. Step-by-step lessons in the Egyptian writing system, grammar, and culture, with weekly vocabulary and exercises. Possible visit(s) to the Egyptian galleries of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, to read ancient hieroglyphic inscriptions on the original monuments. Prerequisite: Classics 26, Archaeology 26, or History 15 Der Manuelian
Satisfies the Humanities Distribution Requirement and Classics Culture Area
CLS 0121 Introduction to Egyptian Hieroglyphs II.
Building on basics of ancient Egyptian grammar learned in Classics 120, “Introduction to Egyptian Hieroglyphs I”, readings will explore selected Egyptian texts in the original hieroglyphs. Special emphasis will fall on classical tales of the Middle Kingdom (The Shipwrecked Sailor; The Story of Sinuhe, etc.), but we may also read passages from royal decrees, autobiographies, legal documents, letters, and military texts. Visits to the Egyptian galleries of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in order to read some of the ancient hieroglyphic inscriptions on the original monuments may also be included. Prerequisites: Classics 120 or consent. Der Manuelian
Satisfies the Humanities Distribution Requirement and Classics Culture Area
CLS 0135 Social Life in Greece and Rome. Study of one aspect of society in antiquity through the literary and material sources; for example, women, education, athletics, slavery. Members of the department
CLS 0136, 0137 Classical Biography. The life of one individual of the classical period; readings in translation of the ancient biographical and autobiographical materials, as well as other literary and historical documents relating to that time. Prerequisite: consent. Members of the department
CLS 0140 Classical Epic. Analysis of epics of Homer, Apollonius, and Vergil. The epic hero in different ages, changing and continuing themes in epics, and readings from oral epic poetry of other cultures. Reid, Halpern
CLS 0141 Classical Historians. Readings of ancient historians in translation with study of their differing aims, methods, and reliability. Nonliterary sources examined and evaluated. Crane, Hirsch, Hitchner
CLS 0146 Ancient Greek and Roman Medicine. The historical development of ancient Greek and Roman medicine with emphasis on methodology and sources; an assessment of the influence of ancient medicine on the development of modern clinical medicine. Topics covered include ancient views and practices with regard to anatomy, physiology, surgery, pharmacology, the etiology of disease, and medical deontology. A case study of an assigned hypothetical Greek patient to be treated according to Hippocratic theory and therapeutics is a required project. Phillips
CLS 0151 Ancient Philosophy. (Cross-listed as Philosophy 151.) History of Western philosophy from its Greek beginnings in the sixth century B.C. with major emphasis on the works of Plato and Aristotle. Prerequisite: Philosophy 1 or consent. Fall.
CLS 0153 Thucydides and International Relations. A detailed case study of Thucydides' history, multipolar and bipolar international systems, imperialism, and competing theoretical paradigms of the classical period. Prerequisite: Recommended (one of the following): Classics 31, 37; or Political Science 45, 51. Crane
CLS 0155 Greek and Roman Tragedy (Cross-listed as Drama 0153) For advanced undergraduates and graduate students, in-depth study in conjunction with Classics 55. Mahoney, Reid
CLS 0156 Greek and Roman Comedy (Cross-listed as Drama 0154) For advanced undergraduates and graduate students, in-depth study in conjunction with Classics 56. Mahoney, Reid
CLS 160 The Giza Pyramids: Archaeology, History, and Technology.
(Cross-listed as Archaeology 160) Seminar examining aspects of the Giza Pyramids (2,500 BCE) and surrounding cemeteries in their archaeological and historical context with illustrated lectures and students seminar presentations. Includes participation in the Museum of Fine Arts’ scholarly website “Giza Archives Project” (www.gizapyramids.org). Prerequisite: Classics 26, Archaeology 26, or History 15. Der Manuelian
Satisfies the Social Sciences Distribution Requirement , Classical Culture Area, and African and African-American Culture Area.
CLS 163 Aegean Archaeology. (Cross-listed as Archaeology 163 and Art History 103.) The study of the sites and monuments of the Aegean area from the Neolithic period to the end of the Bronze Age, with special emphasis on the art of the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations. Museum trips will be part of the course. Prerequisite: Classics 27 or consent.
CLS 164 Greek Art and Archaeology. (Cross-listed as Archaeology 164 and Art History 101.) The development of Greek art from the Geometric Age through the fourth century B.C., studied in architecture, sculpture, pottery, painting, and selected sites. Museum trips will be part of the course. Prerequisite: Classics 27, or Art History 1, or consent.
CLS 167 Tyrrhenian Archaeology. (Cross-listed as Archaeology 167 and Art History 105.) The study of ancient Italy from prehistoric times to the Roman Republic. Special emphasis may be placed on the Etruscan civilization, its possible origins, and its context in the Mediterranean world as shown by its artistic development. Museum trips will be part of the course. Prerequisite: Classics 27 or consent.
CLS 168 Roman Art and Archaeology. (Cross-listed as Archaeology 168 and Art History 106.) The study of Imperial Rome and its provinces, with attention to the Hellenistic background and subsequent contributions to urban development, architecture, sculpture, or painting. Museum trips will be part of the course. Prerequisite: Classics 27, or Art History 1, or consent.
CLS 176 Ancient Medicine Seminar. Topics in ancient medicine and its transmission. Topics may include aspects of surgery, gynecology, veterinary medicine, spiritual healing, and dentistry. Especially recommended for premedical, predental, preveterinary, and community-health program students. Prerequisites: Classics 146 and consent. Phillips
CLS 0183, 0184 Advanced Special Topics in Classical Literature. Exploration of special topics in Greek, Roman, Egyptian, or other ancient literature in translation.
Der Manuelian, Halpern, Mahoney, Reid
Satisfies the Humanities Distribution Requirement and Classics Culture Area
CLS 185, 186 Seminar in Ancient History. Exploration of special topics in Greek or Roman history, e.g., Athens in the Age of Pericles, Persia and the Greeks, Roman France, Christians and Jews in the Roman world. Instruction in the critical use of available material and in the collation of evidence from different sources. Hirsch
CLS 187, 188 Problems in Classical Archaeology. (Cross-listed as Archaeology 187, 188.) Study and interpretation of material remains of antiquity with varying emphases: historical, artistic, documentary. Techniques in the recovery of material and remains and the changing aspects of the discipline of archaeology are considered. Prerequisites: Classics 27 and consent.
CLS 0189 Seminar in Ancient Philosophy. Studies in particular schools, topics, or periods of ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, including attention to the ancient and modern sources and their critical use. All readings in translation.
CLS 0191, 0192 Advanced Special Study or Seminar in Classics.
For graduate students and qualified upperclassmen. Credit as arranged.
CLS 0193, 0194 Undergraduate Thesis Research and Writing in Classics.
For qualified undergraduates. Credit as arranged.
Graduate Courses
CLS 0291, 0292 Graduate Seminar. Presentation of individual reports on basic topics to a seminar group for discussion and criticism. Credit as arranged.
CLS 0293, 0294 Special Topics. Guided individual study of an approved topic. Credit as arranged.
CLS 0295, 0296 Thesis. Guided research on a topic that has been approved as a suitable subject for a master's thesis. Two courses.
CLS 0401-PT Master's Continuation, Part-time.
CLS 0402-FT Master's Continuation, Full-time.
Undergraduate Courses
LAT 0001 Elementary Latin I. A course for students beginning the study of Latin and for those who wish to review basic elements of the language. Emphasis on inflection, syntax and the reading of selected passages from Latin authors. Setnik
LAT 0002 Elementary Latin II. A continuation of Latin 0001. This course includes further syntax and grammar and techniques for building vocabulary. Readings from Latin authors of increasing difficulty.
Prerequisite: Latin 1 or placement. Setnik
LAT 0003 Intermediate Latin. After a formal grammar review, there will be readings from Latin authors such as Ovid, Petronius, and Apuleius. Prerequisites: Latin 1, 2 or its equivalent in secondary school Latin. Fall. Sentik, Mahoney
LAT 0021 Latin Prose. Selections from Caesar, Cicero or Petronius. Prerequisite: Latin 3 or AP/Achievement scores or placement. Phillips
LAT 0022 Latin Poetry. Selections form Catullus or Ovid. Prerequisite: Latin 3 or AP/Achievement scores or placement. Merzlak
LAT 0091 Special Topics in Latin. Study of Latin texts from the classical or medieval period. Members of the department
LAT 0092 Special Topics. Guided individual study of an approved topic. Variable credit. Members of the department
Courses for Undergraduate and Graduate Students
LAT 0101 Latin Epic. Reading from Vergil's Aeneid, Lucan's Pharsalia, or later epics of Statius or Valerius Flaccus. Reid
LAT 0102 Roman Drama. Reading from the comedies of Plautus and Terence or from the tragedies of Seneca. Reid
LAT 0103 Latin Historians. Readings from Livy, Sallust, Tacitus, or Suetonius.
LAT 0104 Latin Philosophy and Oratory. Readings from Lucretius, Cicero, or Seneca. Phillips, Halpern
LAT 0105 Roman Satire. Readings from Horace, Persius, and Juvenal. Reid
LAT 0106 Latin Lyric, Elegiac, or Epigrammatic Poetry. Readings from the Odes of Horace, the Elegies of Ovid, Tibullus, Propertius, or the Epigrams of Martial.
LAT 0181, 0182 Latin Seminars.
LAT 0191, 0192 Special Studies or Seminar in Latin. For advanced students in Latin. Credit as arranged.
LAT 0193, 0194 Undergraduate Thesis Research and Writing in Latin. For qualified undergraduates. Credit as arranged.
Undergraduate Courses
GRK 0001 Elementary Ancient Greek I. Introduction to the elements of the Greek language passing as soon as possible to the reading of Greek texts. Mahoney, Setnik
GRK 0002 Elementary Ancient Greek II. A continuation of Ancient Greek I. Emphasis on the reading of Greek texts.. Prerequisite: Greek 0001 or placement. Mahoney, Setnik
GRK 0007, 0008 Greek Classics. Readings in Homer, Herodotus, Plato, or the dramatists. Students are guided in collateral reading in the history of Greek literature. Prerequisite: Greek 1, 2. Two courses. Fall and Spring. Crane, Hirsch, Mahoney, Reid
Courses for Undergraduate and Graduate Students
GRK 0101 Greek Epic. Readings from Homer's Iliad or Odyssey, Hesiod's Theogony or Works and Days, or Apollonius's Argonautica.
GRK 0102 Greek Drama. Readings from the plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, or Menander.
GRK 0103 Greek Historians. Readings from the histories of Herodotus, Thucydides, or Xenophon. Hirsch
GRK 0104 Greek Philosophy. Readings from Dialogues of Plato. Reid
GRK 0155, 0156 Readings in Greek Drama. For advanced undergraduates and graduate students in Greek. Taken in conjunction with Classics/Drama 55 and 56. Readings in Greek and a research paper will be required. Mahoney, Reid
GRK 0181, 0182 Greek Seminar.
GRK 0191, 0192 Special Studies or Seminar in Greek. For advanced students in Greek. Credit as arranged.
GRK 0193, 0194 Undergraduate Thesis Research and Writing in Greek. For qualified undergraduates. Credit as arranged.
Undergraduate Courses
ARCH 0026 The Archaeological History of Egypt. (Cross-listed as History 15 and Classics 26.) Illustrated survey of 3,000 years of ancient Egyptian civilization (3,000 -332 B.C.), following a chronological path, with excursions into Egyptian art, history, politics, hieroglyphs, and the development of modern Egyptology. Field trips to the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts Egyptian galleries included. Der Manuelian
Satisfies the Arts Distribution Requirement and was previously approved under former number for Classical Culture Area, African and African-American Culture, and the World Civilization requirement.
ARCH 0027 Introduction to Classical Archaeology. (Cross-listed as Art History 19 and Classics 27.) The great sites and monuments of the ancient Mediterranean from preclassical times to the fall of the Roman Empire; their discovery and interpretation; their place in the reconstruction of the social, political, and artistic history of their time. Topics include the excavation and analysis of materials from Troy, Bronze Age Crete, and Mycenae; the archaeological evidence of the rise of Greece, particularly Athens, in the first half of the first millennium B.C.; the misunderstood contribution of Hellenism in art, literature, and civilization; the Etruscan phenomenon; the essentially Roman qualities of the first four centuries of the Christian era; and the archaeological and documentary evidence for the transition from paganism to Christianity. Some attention to the disciplines of epigraphy and numismatics, as well as to the peripheral island civilizations of Malta, Sardinia, and Cyprus. Spring. Blake
ARCH 0029 Archaeology of Palestine. (Cross-listed as Art History 18, Classics 29, and Judaic Studies 77.) Introduction to the archaeology of Palestine from the Persian period to the Muslim conquest (586 B.C.-640 A.D.), including the influence of Greco-Roman civilization on the local cultures; the rise of diverse groups within Judaism, such as the sect that composed the Dead Sea Scrolls; the development of Rabbinic Judaism; the rise of Christianity; and the spread of Islam.
ARCH 0030 Prehistoric Archaeology. (Cross-listed as Anthropology 30.) Survey of human culture from the earliest paleolithic hunters and gatherers to the formation of states and the beginnings of recorded history. Course provides an introduction to archaeological methods, a worldwide overview of prehistoric ways of life, and a more detailed analysis of cultural development in the New World.
ARCH 0051, 0052 Special Topics in Archaeology. Exploration of special topics in archaeology through a lecture course or seminar. Prerequisites: Archaeology/Classics 27 or Archaeology/Anthropology 30. Fall and spring. Archaeology program faculty
ARCH 0091, 0092 Archaeological Research. Guided library, laboratory, or field research in archaeology. Five to ten hours per week (variable credit), including one hour per week consultation with the adviser. Final written or oral presentation. Prerequisite: consent. Fall and spring. Archaeology program faculty
Courses for Undergraduate and Graduate Students
ARCH 0128 Mesoamerican Archaeology. (Cross-listed as Anthropology 128.) An introduction to the archaeology of pre-Columbian cultures of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Focus is on the origins of village life, the development of social complexity, emergence of states, ritual, religion, and culture collapse. Cultures studied include the Olmec, the Maya, the Zapotec, and the Aztec through artifacts, architecture, murals, inscribed monuments, hieroglyphs, and codices. Sullivan
ARCH 0160 The Giza Pyramids: Archaeology, History, and Technology.
(Cross-listed as Classics 0160) Seminar examining aspects of the Giza Pyramids (2,500 BCE) and surrounding cemeteries in their archaeological and historical context with illustrated lectures and students seminar presentations. Includes participation in the Museum of Fine Arts’ scholarly website “Giza Archives Project” (www.gizapyramids.org). Prerequisite: Classics 26, Archaeology 26, or History 15. Der Manuelian
Satisfies the Social Sciences Distribution Requirement , Classical Culture Area, and African and African-American Culture Area.
ARCH 0163 Aegean Archaeology. (Cross-listed as Art History 103 and Classics 163.) The study of the sites and monuments of the Aegean area from the Neolithic period to the end of the Bronze Age, with special emphasis on the art of the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations. Museum trips will be part of the course. Prerequisite: Archaeology/Classics 27 or consent.
ARCH 0164 Greek Art and Archaeology. (Cross-listed as Art History 104 and Classics 164.) The development of Greek art from the Geometric Age through the fourth century B.C., studied in architecture, sculpture, pottery, painting, and selected sites. Museum trips will be part of the course. Prerequisite: Archaeology/Classics 27, Art History 1, or consent.
ARCH 0167 Tyrrhenian Archaeology. (Cross-listed as Art History 105 and Classics 167.) The study of ancient Italy from prehistoric times to the Roman Republic. Special emphasis may be placed on the Etruscan civilization, its possible origins, and its context in the Mediterranean world as shown by its artistic development. Museum trips will be part of the course. Prerequisite: Archaeology/Classics 27 or consent.
ARCH 0168 Roman Art and Archaeology. (Cross-listed as Art History 106 and Classics 168.) The study of Imperial Rome and its provinces, with attention to the Hellenistic background and subsequent contributions to urban development, architecture, sculpture, or painting. Museum trips will be part of the course. Prerequisite: Archaeology/Classics 27, Art History 1, or consent.
ARCH 0187, 0188 Problems in Classical Archaeology. (Cross-listed as Classics 0187, 0188.) Study and interpretation of material remains of antiquity with varying emphases: historical, artistic, documentary. Techniques in the recovery of material and remains and the changing aspects of the discipline of archaeology are considered. Prerequisites: Archaeology/Classics 27 and consent.
ARCH 0191, 0192 Advanced Special Study or Seminar in Archaeology.
For advanced students in Archaeology. Credit as arranged.
ARCH 0193, 0194 Senior Thesis in Archaeology. Intensive investigation designed and carried
out by the student, culminating in a written thesis and oral defense under the supervision of a thesis adviser. Usually two semesters. Prerequisites: archaeology major and consent. Fall and spring. Archaeology program faculty