CLASSICS 219: Methods and approaches for ancient historians

Course Description

The interests and evidence used by classical historians have evolved over the past 50 years from a discipline based largely on literary texts and interested in political and military history. In recent decades interest have shifted to include a heavier emphasis on economic, social and cultural history encompassing issues of gender, cultural representation and identity, and economic performance. Whereas the traditional historiography of the earlier 20th c largely coincided with our elite male-authored texts, the newer interests require different types of evidence and analytic skills. This proseminar offers a very brief exposure to a wide range of approaches and evidence, including demography, numismatics, material culture, epigraphy, law, and digital tools. The expectation is that you will identify those that you will need for your research and will pursue them in future coursework or summer workshops.