CLA 131 — Ten Great Battles of Antiquity
Quarter: Spring
Instructor(s): Patrick Hunt
Date(s): Apr 2—Jun 4
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Tuesdays
Class Meeting Time: 7:00—8:50 pm (PT)
Tuition: $550
Refund Deadline: Apr 4
Unit(s): 2
Status: Closed
Quarter: Spring
Day: Tuesdays
Duration: 10 weeks
Time: 7:00—8:50 pm (PT)
Date(s): Apr 2—Jun 4
Unit(s): 2
Tuition: $550
Refund Deadline: Apr 4
Instructor(s): Patrick Hunt
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Closed
This course will take a close and engaging look at 10 battles that shaped the ancient world and the imperial ambitions of ancient civilizations, including the Egyptians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Greeks, Persians, and Romans, among others. The memorable, if not decisive, battles we will study will include Qadesh (circa 1274 BCE), Nineveh (612 BCE), Thermopylae (480 BCE), Marathon (490 BCE), Issus (333 BCE), Cannae (216 BCE), Cartagena (209 BCE), Alesia (52 BCE), Actium (31 BCE), and Masada (73 CE). Placing these battles in the larger contexts of the surrounding wars in which they were fought, the course will focus on the strategy and tactics of the military commanders who led these legendary battles, showing how they outwitted their enemies and innovated within the framework of ancient warfare. The course will also look at the propaganda campaigns waged by the various sides, which created dramatic narratives and cultural myths. These narratives and myths shaped perceptions of these battles during ancient times. In some cases, they continue to shape the cultural memory of these great battles up to the present day.
PATRICK HUNT
Former Director, Stanford Alpine Archaeology Project; Research Associate, Archeoethnobotany, Institute of EthnoMedicine
Patrick Hunt is the author of 26 books and is a lecturer for the Archaeological Institute of America. He received a PhD from the Institute of Archaeology, University College London. Hunt is an elected Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the Explorers Club, and he is an explorer and expeditions expert for National Geographic. His Alps research has been sponsored by the National Geographic Expeditions Council. Textbooks for this course:
(Required) Patrick Hunt, Hannibal (ISBN 978-1439102183)
(Required) Patrick Hunt, When Empires Clash: 12 Great Battles of Antiquity (ISBN 978-1942614135)
(Required) Patrick Hunt, When Empires Clash: 12 Great Battles of Antiquity (ISBN 978-1942614135)