Ancient Greek Warfare
Classics · 3 hrs Lecture
No prerequisites listed, you can take this course without prior coursework.
Where CLAS-2951 counts
Counts toward 4 more as one option among several, not as a course you must take:
Read from the departments' own calendar pages, where 50 of 208 programs are only partly machine-readable, so treat these as a minimum rather than the full list. Confirm with an academic advisor.
Description
This course introduces students to the aspects of warfare in the Greek world. Students are exposed to key literary sources, like the historians Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, and Polybius; poets and dramatists like Homer, Tyrtaeus, Aeschylus and Sophocles; and military manuals like Xenophon's Cyropaedia, Aeneas Tacticus' Tactica, and Philo Mechanicus' On Sieges. Students consider alternative bodies of evidence, like the physical remains of Greek fortifications. Key themes include the origins of the phalanx, the impact of warfare on the physical and mental wellbeing of soldiers, the place of the Peloponnesian War in Greek history, and the logistical capabilities of Alexander's army.
Restrictions
Students may not hold credit for this course and HIST-2951.
Cross-listed
HIST-2951(3).
From the 2026-27 undergraduate calendar. Always verify details on WebAdvisor or with an academic advisor before registering.