These notes have been placed here for the convenience of my students. They aren't meant as a substitute for attending lectures, and I have not included everything I'll say in class.
I hope that posting these will allow students to worry less about note-taking, and to relax, listen, and ask questions. Most of the names and dates are here; so are some of the most important interpretations and explanations I'll be putting forward. For the whole story, though, you'll still have to show up for lectures.
Sept. 11 Introduction to the course (no notes)
Sept. 13 Prehistory to the Agricultural Revolution
Sept. 18 An Early Town -- Catal Huyuk
Sept. 20 General Characteristics of Mesopotamian Civilization
Sept. 25 Sumer and Akkad to the Time of Sargon
Sept. 27 Gilgamesh
Oct. 2 Nomads and Citizens in the Second Millenium B.C.
Oct. 4 Women and Men in the Second Millenium B.C.
Oct. 11 Early Egypt
Oct. 16 Pharoahs and Pyramids
Oct. 18 Early Developments --Metalworking
Oct. 23 Early Developments -- Writing
Oct. 25 Civilization Spreads to the West
Oct. 30 Akhenaten
Nov. 1 Ancient Israel
Nov. 6 The Assyrian and Babylonian Empires
Nov. 8 Cities of the Western Mediterranean
Nov. 13 Politics in Archaic Greece
Nov. 15 Sparta and Athens
Extra material The Republics of Ancient IndiaNov. 20 The Persian Empire
Nov. 22 The Persian War
Nov. 27 Periclean Athens
Nov. 29 Peloponnesian War
Jan. 10 Early Rome and Carthage
Jan. 15 The Macedonian Conquest of Greece
Jan. 17 Alexander's Conquests
Jan. 22 The Successor States and Hellenistic Culture
Jan. 24 Greek Learning in its Historical Context
Jan. 29 The Roman Conquest of Italy
Jan. 31 The Punic Wars
Feb. 5 The Conquest of Greece and the Roman Response to the Greeks
Feb. 7 Roman Imperialism
Feb. 12 Origins of the Roman Revolution: The Gracchi to Sulla
Feb. 14 Roman Politics in the Era of Cicero and Caesar
Feb. 19 & 21 Winter Study Week
Feb. 26 The Victory of Augustus
Feb. 28 The Empire of Augustus
Mar. 5 Latin Literature
Mar. 7 The Arena
Mar. 12 The Early Emperors
Mar. 14 Jews and Christians in the First Century A.D.
Mar. 19 The Good Emperors
Mar. 21 Egypt and Gaul: Two Roman Provinces in the 2nd Century
Mar. 26 The Military Emperors
Mar. 28 The Spread of Christianity
Apr. 2 The Age of Diocletian and Constantine
Apr. 4 The Christian Empire