Aristocracy and democracy in the Greek world 550-450 BC

The course studies the history and archaeology of the far reaching changes that occurred in the culture of the Greek polis states (and in particular Athens) between the heyday of the archaic aristocracies in the later sixth century and the emergence of the new demos culture in the first half of the fifth century, which involved far more people in the political process all across the Greek world, in aristocracies as well as democracies. The central themes of aristocracy and democracy are pursued throughout the period, as well as the history of the interacting archaic states and individuals; the Achaemenids and the Greek collision with Persia; competing models of social and political culture after the invasion; the archaeology of sanctuaries and cities; the demes, and cemeteries of Attica; and the visual revolution in statues, reliefs, and painted images. Typically, there would be classes on: 1. Aristocracy and Democracy; 2. Aristocratic Lifestyles; 3. Sanctuaries and Contests; 4. Tyrants; 5. Kingdoms of the East; 6. Athenian Ideology c. 510-475; 7. The Persian War; 8. Democratic Politics c. 475-450. (Convenor: J. Ma, Corpus)