Ancient World Studies

Who we are and what we do is all tangled up in our identity. This subject considers how identities are constructed and maintained through mediated processes of self and other. The subject investigates the myriad demands and devices that figure in constructing our senses of self and other (including language, leisure, beliefs and embodied practices). By exploring identity in diverse contexts, across time and place, the subject maps varying conceptions of self and other and how these conceptions are constructed and maintained. A key focus is on how these mediated conceptions of self and other are translated into material practices of inclusion, exclusion, discrimination, violence and criminalisation.

Language plays a central role in the central disciplinary areas in the humanities and social sciences. This subject gives students tools for thinking about language in a range of disciplines, including linguistics, history, sociology, politics, literary studies, anthropology, language studies, psychology and psychoanalytic theory. It shows how language can be analysed as a system, but also how language features centrally in politcal and social contexts: for example, in the processing of the claims of asylum seekers, in developing views of ethnicity, race and nation, and in colonialism; and in the construction of gendered and sexual identity. The role of language in the psyche, and the process of acquisition of languages in children and in adults, are also important topics. Knowing how to think about language, and familiarity with the main thinkers who have discussed language in a range of humanities and social science disciplines, provide an indispensable basis for study in any area of the Arts degree.

The idea of power is a way to grasp the character of social relations. Investigating power can tell us about who is in control and who may benefit from such arrangements. Power can be a zero-sum game of domination. It can also be about people acting together to enact freedom. This subject examines the diverse and subtle ways power may be exercised. It considers how power operates in different domains such as markets, political systems and other social contexts. It also examines how power may be moderated by such things as regulation and human rights. A key aim is to explore how differing perspectives portray power relations and how issues of power distribution may be characterised and addressed.

Reason, many believe, is what makes us human. Until recently, most scientists and philosophers agreed that the ability to use the mind to analyse and interpret the world is something intrinsic to the nature of our species. Reason has a long and extraordinary history. We will explore a number of inter-related themes: the nature of reason from Ancient Greece to our contemporary world; the ever shifting relationship between reason and faith; reason's place in the development of scientific experimentation and thinking; shifting perspectives about the uses of Reason and, finally, how reason relates to theories of the mind, exploring the tensions between reason, the passions and the will.

Reason will take you on a journey from Plato's cave to the neuro-scientists' lab. We will visit revolutions in science, thinking and politics. We will explore the impact of some of the great philosophers of history, including Plato, Aristotle, Hume, Bentham, Coleridge, Marx, Nietzsche, Foucault and many more besides. By the end of this subject you will have a deep understanding of the importance of the idea of reason to human history and philosophy. You might, even, be able to answer the question: 'does reason exist?'

Reason is an Arts Foundation Subject and we will argue that understanding the history and philosophy of reason provides great insights into many aspects of the humanities from political philosophy to understanding history. We will, of course, be paying particular attention to the foundational skills that will help you successfully complete your Arts major: particularly critical thinking and argument development.

This subject will provide students with an introduction to the complexity, challenges and richness of Australian Indigenous life and cultures. Drawing on a wide range of diverse and dynamic guest lecturers, this subject gives students an opportunity to encounter Australian Indigenous knowledges, histories and experiences through interdisciplinary perspectives. Across three thematic blocks - Indigenous Knowledges, Social and Political Contexts and Representation/Self-Representation - this subject engages contemporary cultural and intellectual debate. Social and political contexts will be considered through engagement with specific issues and a focus on Indigenous cultural forms, which may include literature, music, fine arts, museum exhibitions and performance, will allow students to consider self-representation as a means by which to disrupt and expand perceptions of Aboriginality.

Humans grapple with representations of themselves and their contexts. They also like to imagine other possible worlds. We use words, language, images, sounds and movement to construct narratives and stories, large and small, about the trivial and the profound, the past and the future. These representations can help us to understand worlds but they can also create worlds for us. This subject explores how different genres such as speech, writing, translation, film, theatre and art generate representations of social life, imagination and the human condition. A key aim of the subject is to develop a critical appreciation of how language, images and embodied gestures are used to construct empowering and disempowering discourses.

This subject is an introduction to the grammar and reading of Syriac. It covers grammatical concepts and paradigms, sentence formation and translation and reading simple texts. Background information on the cultural context in which Syriac was spoken is woven into the subject matter. The aim is for students to acquire the elements of the grammar, syntax and vocabulary of Syriac, and attain reading skills sufficient to begin reading literary and dramatic texts.

This subject will introduce students to the archaeology, history, and literature of the earliest civilisations - one situated in the Nile Valley (Pharaonic Egypt), and the other in the plains of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (Mesopotamia – modern Iraq and Syria). Neighbouring cultures in Greece, Persia, and Turkey will also be introduced. These vastly different, but interconnected societies, have stirred our imaginations for millennia, inspiring those who have shaped history, including Alexander the Great and Napoleon. They will be compared in terms of their monuments, art, mythology, epic narratives, languages, history, and social institutions. Their highly visible legacy, uncovered by generations of archaeologists and historians, will also be examined to define further the processes that developed these complex societies.

This subject will introduce students to ancient Greek and Roman culture. Through a study of ancient literary texts, art, and society, students will explore the mythic origins, heroic archetypes, gods and goddesses, monuments and societies of the Greeks and Romans. The subject will focus on the apex of classical Greek civilisation in the fifth century BC, and the end of the Roman Republic and beginning of the early Imperial period in the first centuries BCE and CE. The subject will cover topics such as the Homeric poems, Greek and Roman mythology, ancient theatre, literary and artistic culture, sexuality and gender roles, militarism and imperialism, and the fate of marginalised groups, such as women, slaves, freedmen, prostitutes, gladiators and stage performers. The subject will also consider the ways in which modern Western culture has inherited and appropriated aspects of ancient civilisation, claiming it as a model in fields ranging from epic film and architectural design to political structure and imperial aspiration.The subject is taught through a series of lectorials, workshops, and object or media-based seminars. In addition to these classes, there is approximately one hour per week of online lectures and discussion materials for students to work through in their own time.

This subject is designed for students with no previous knowledge of Ancient Egyptian writing or language. It introduces students to the writing and grammar of Ancient Egyptian through word formation, sentence formation, transliteration and translation, and the reading of simple hieroglyphic texts. Background information on ancient Egyptian culture is woven into the subject matter throughout the semester. The aim is for students to acquire the basic elements of the grammar, syntax, vocabulary and writing system of Ancient Egyptian, and to attain reading skills sufficient to begin reading simple literary and non-literary hieroglyphic texts. Students who successfully complete this subject may progress to Ancient Egyptian 2.

In this subject, students consolidate the basic elements covered in Ancient Egyptian 1, and are introduced to more complex grammar and syntax, as well as some of the issues involved in interpreting an ancient language. Increasingly difficult texts are read from a variety of sources. Background information on ancient Egyptian culture is woven into the subject matter throughout the semester. By the end of the subject, students should have a sufficient grasp of the language and script to read hieroglyphic texts of moderate difficulty with vocabulary assistance. Students who successfully complete this subject may progress to Ancient Egyptian 3.

This subject is an introduction to Akkadian grammar and the cuneiform writing system. It covers grammatical concepts and paradigms, sentence formation and translation and reading simple texts. Background information on the ancient Mesopotamian context in which Akkadian was spoken is woven into the subject matter. The aim is for students to acquire the elements of the grammar, syntax and vocabulary of Akkadian, knowledge of cuneiform script and attain reading skills sufficient to begin reading historical, literary and dramatic texts.

This subject builds on students’ knowledge of the Akkadian language and develops text reading skills. The subject covers the transliteration and translation of Akkadian documents from the cuneiform script. Significant time is spent on understanding the documents’ historical and cultural subject matter, as well as reinforcing the grammar of the Akkadian language. The aim is for students to be able to read more difficult Akkadian compositions and comment on grammatical, historical and cultural aspects of the texts.

This subject is an introduction to the grammar and reading of Syriac. It covers grammatical concepts and paradigms, sentence formation and translation and reading simple texts. Background information on the cultural context in which Syriac was spoken is woven into the subject matter. The aim is for students to acquire the elements of the grammar, syntax and vocabulary of Syriac, and attain reading skills sufficient to begin reading literary and dramatic texts.

The turbulent and exciting history of the Roman Republic roughly spanned some five centuries: from its humble beginnings around 500 BCE to the assassination of Julius Caesar on the Ides of March 44 BCE. The first part of this subject celebrating this formative period in world history discusses early Rome; the social, political and religious institutions of the Republic as they gradually emerged from 509 to 264 BCE; and the Roman conquest of Italy and its significance. The second part concerns the high point of the Roman Republic, approximately the period from 264 to 133 BCE, including discussions of the Punic Wars and the conquest of the Mediterranean, and its tremendous consequences for the Republic. The third and final part deals with the Republic’s troubled last century and surveys the ill-fated Gracchan reforms; the first full-fledged breakdown of the Republican system and the Sullan reaction; the social, economic and cultural life of this period; the rise of the great dynasts; and Caesar’s temerarious attempt to establish a New Order.

The subject concentrates on mainland Greece and the Mediterranean from the Bronze Age to the end of the Classical Period, examining what we know about the history and archaeology of these fascinating periods of ancient Greek history. The main emphases will be on the rise and fall of Bronze Age civilisations such as the Minoans and Mycenaeans, the Archaic and Classical periods of Ancient Greek history from ‘Homer' to the conquests of Alexander the Great, the political, socio-economic and cultural changes within Greek Civilization, and the noteworthy developments in material culture in the light of archaeological evidence. The emergence of the polis system, debates on political systems such as democracy, oligarchy and tyranny, the critical role of religion, the interaction with non-Greeks and the resulting efflorescence of the Greek literary and philosophical tradition will be examined. The art and archaeology of the Greeks in the wider Mediterranean region will also be studied. Furthermore, the political and military history of Archaic and Classical Greece, as well as the extraordinary advances in Greek science, literature and philosophy during the same periods will be explored. There is detailed examination of modern scholarship on ethnicity, politics, warfare, colonisation, migration and acculturation.

This subject will focus on mythical narratives from the ancient Greek and Roman traditions. Students will explore some of the central patterns and themes in classical mythology. These include narratives of birth and creation, war and the warrior, fire and flood, animals, gods and humans. We will explore how these symbolic themes are incorporated into a diverse range of myths, including stories of the birth of the cosmos, Zeus's rule over the world, the foundation of cities and peoples, and hero myths in which men confront monsters. We will also be concerned with the story of Troy, which is the quintessential Greco-Roman myth, and the many classical tales of metamorphosis. We will engage directly with these narratives in the surviving literary sources (especially epic and drama), and in classical art, which is a major source for the Greek and Roman myths.

This subject requires students to access reading and lecture materials online, the Winter offering also requires students to participate in regular online seminars.

The Egyptians are one of the most fascinating peoples of the ancient world. This subject will study the distinctive character of Egyptian civilisation which emerged in the Nile valley during the early third millennium BCE and survived right through until the spread of Christianity. Through a systematic survey spanning the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms students will be introduced to the historical and cultural achievements of dynastic Egypt. Object-based learning is an important focus of this subject. Knowledge acquisition will be reinforced through the study and handling of authentic ancient objects in the classroom. Study of the monuments, reliefs, inscriptions, literature and material remains of the royal rulers of the period covered by the native Egyptian dynasties from about 2950-332 BCE (with the brief interruptions of foreign rule) will provide students with a unique insight into the power and authority of one the ancient world’s most enduring empires.

This subject will focus on the gods and the goddesses, heroes and villains from ancient Egypt and neighbouring lands. Students will explore some of the mythical stories that emerged from the lands of the Nile and Mesopotamia, which predate those found in classical mythology by several thousand millennia. Among the central patterns and themes that will be studied are the creation of the cosmos, the search for immortality, and hero myths in which men confront monsters. The characters we will meet along the way include deities such as Isis and Osiris, the formidable goddess Inanna, and the quintessential Near Eastern hero, Gilgamesh. We will engage directly with these narratives in the surviving literary sources, and in art, which are major source for Egyptian and Near Eastern myths.

This subject examines the ideas of pre-Socratic philosophers, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. We focus specifically on the philosophical innovations of the Ancient Greeks, both in their contributions of radically new ideas and radically new methodologies. Specific questions to be discussed will include: What makes philosophy different from mythology? What is knowledge and how is it possible? What is the epistemological value of a definition? What is the nature of the soul and mind? What is virtue and what is its relation to happiness? What is the good life for a human being? These questions grew out of one another for the Greeks, and we will trace that development. We will also think about the relevance of Ancient Greek philosophical positions to our own lives and our own understanding of the world. In doing so, we will test the staying power of Plato and Aristotle’s thought and, more importantly, put into action the Socratic sentiment that the unexamined life is not worth living.

This subject is designed for students who have completed Ancient Egyptian 1 and 2 or the equivalent. In this subject, further work is undertaken on writing, grammar and syntax to revise, consolidate and extend students' knowledge of the language and its complex script, with the aim of enabling students to translate Egyptian hieroglyphic texts critically and independently. In particular, this subject focuses on a thorough overview of the Egyptian verbal system. Students are exposed to increasingly difficult texts (some now consisting of multiple sentences) from a variety of sources. Background information on ancient Egyptian culture is woven into the subject matter throughout the semester. By the end of the subject, students should have a sufficient grasp of the language and script to read literary and non-literary Middle Egyptian hieroglyphic texts of moderate difficulty solely with the aid of a dictionary and reference-grammar. Students who successfully complete this subject may progress to Ancient Egyptian 4.

This subject is designed for students who have completed Ancient Egyptian 3. In this subject, final work is undertaken on writing, grammar and syntax to revise, consolidate and complete students' knowledge of the language and its complex script, with the aim of enabling students to translate Egyptian hieroglyphic texts critically and independently. In particular, this subject focuses on a thorough overview of Egyptian participles and clauses. Students are exposed to increasingly difficult texts (most now consisting of multiple sentences) from a variety of sources. Background information on ancient Egyptian culture is woven into the subject matter throughout the semester. By the end of the subject, students should have a sufficient grasp of the language and script to read most literary and non-literary Middle Egyptian hieroglyphic texts solely with the aid of a dictionary and reference-grammar.

This course concentrates on the development of Rome from a small village into the center of a vast Empire, through the lens of artworks and archaeology. It examines a wide variety of themes (urbanism, public and private architecture, religion, economy) and sources of material evidence (pottery, coins etc.) to provide insight into the Roman World. Focus will be both on the overall structures, as well as on regional variation, and we will examine various groups within Roman society, from the upper levels to the common man. Specific emphasis will be placed on a number of key sites, both in Italy (Rome, Pompeii, Ostia) and in the Roman provinces. Furthermore, we will deal with the enduring importance (and misuse) of the Roman past in modern-day society.

This subject is an introduction to the grammar and reading of Syriac. It covers grammatical concepts and paradigms, sentence formation and translation and reading simple texts. Background information on the cultural context in which Syriac was spoken is woven into the subject matter. The aim is for students to acquire the elements of the grammar, syntax and vocabulary of Syriac, and attain reading skills sufficient to begin reading literary and dramatic texts.

This subject combines traditional classroom teaching and learning with hands-on fieldwork and workshop exercises to enable students to develop a working knowledge of practical archaeology and its methods within the context of modern research and archaeology in Australia and the Old World (the Near East, Mediterranean and Europe). The subject assumes no prior knowledge of archaeology. It will introduce students to some of the main fieldwork, scientific and interpretive methods involved in practical archaeology. Students will use the University's extensive classics and archaeology collection to develop their practical skills and knowledge about how we can record and interpret the past from archaeological data.

Note: The tutorials are organised according to four ‘blocks’ (each approx. 3 hours duration): surveying; fieldwork (simulated excavation); artefact analysis; and study of standing monuments.

The journey to the underworld, the existence of an afterlife, the survival of the bereaved, the mummification of the dead, the sacrifice of virgins, communicating with ghosts - the ancient world blossomed with myths and rituals associated with all these things. This subject focuses on these topics in the literature and material culture of antiquity, including the Egyptian Book of the Dead, the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh, Homer, Greek tragedy, Roman epic, epitaphs commemorating the deceased, and archaeological evidence from funerary and other ritual contexts. On completion of this subject students should have an understanding of ancient myths and death-rituals, have assessed critically the relevant literary and material sources, and have learned the major scholarly approaches to death, bereavement and the afterlife in the ancient world.

This subject is designed to give students an understanding and knowledge of the variability of past civilisations by comparing their accomplishments and inner structures. Using a combination of texts and archaeology, it will compare the life cycle (rise and fall) of Egyptian, Near Eastern and Persian civilisations. Students will examine cultural elements such as belief systems, daily routines, gender roles, power and authority, which will provide an insight into the distinctive worldviews that shaped each civilization. Material culture, historical documents, language and literature, will be combined to address major issues such as the social evolution of complex societies and their eventual collapse, themes which resonate in the contemporary world.

The aim of this subject is to introduce students to the archaeology and ancient history of the Mediterranean from the end of the Peloponnesian Wars between Athens and Sparta in 404 BC to the incorporation of Egypt in the Roman Empire after the death of Cleopatra (30 BC). From an overview of how Pericles transformed Athens the course will move on to examine how Macedonia came to dominate mainland Greece until the time of Alexander the Great and look at the fragmentation of his empire. We shall examine the archaeology of other Greek cities, such as Miletus, Ephesus, Syracuse and Alexandria, and many further examples from Italy, Sicily, Spain, etc. to see how they developed over the period. The subject will also explore the differences in material culture between the Classical and Hellenistic periods, and how and why the centre of Greek culture shifted after Alexander the Great’s time to the Near East. Particular attention will be paid to Ptolemaic Egypt, especially Alexandria and its renowned library.

At the height of its power and splendour, the mighty Roman Empire stretched from the Syrian borders to the Portuguese Atlantic and from the Sahara to the hills of Scotland, and comprised many peoples, from Germans to Greeks and Arabs, from Celts to Jews. This hotchpotch of peoples and cultures thus constituted history’s first and only Mediterranean superpower, a startling achievement lasting some four hundred years. This subject will introduce students to imperial Rome’s social, political, cultural and religious history. First we will discuss the Julio-Claudian period (44 BCE-68 CE), including the aftermath of Caesar’s assassination and Octavian’s stunning rise to absolute power. The second part concerns the long second century (69-192 CE), the apex of Empire. Part three highlights the Severan Dynasty and the crises of the third century (193-284). Last but not least, we will scrutinize the last century of the Mediterranean Empire, from its reinvention by Diocletian to the definitive separation of West and East at the death of Theodosius I in 395 CE.

Ancient World Studies encourages a broad approach to the interpretation of the past, integrating both texts and material remains to understand past cultures, thinking, and behaviour. These remains consist of fragmentary archaeological remains, including the ordinary debris of daily life, luxury items, art, architecture, and texts. Texts, which are also sometimes fragmentary, include the literary, historical, political, and religious documents of the Classical world and the ancient Near East in translation. This subject will draw on students’ previous academic experience of these diverse categories of data in teaching them appropriate methods and theories drawn from literary studies, anthropology, archaeology, and art history required to promote an integrated and balanced approach to the combined interpretation of textual, symbolic, and archaeological evidence in both historic and in prehistoric periods. Students will also be given practical advice in preparing for the future, whether they are planning a non-academic career, or for honours and post-graduate study.