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Alexander the Great, King of Macedon (356-323 BCE) is one of the most famous, and complex, figures of Greek antiquity. Bringing under his rule virtually all of Greece as well as the continent of Asia from the Aegean coast to the Indus River in modern Pakistan, the power he achieved in his thirteen-year reign was unrivalled, and the world he left behind him was dramatically altered. In the process of creating his vast empire, he fought, bargained, drank and talked with Greeks, Macedonians, Egyptians, Persians, Jews and Indians. In this course we shall read the ancient Greek accounts of his life, death and deification; toward the end of the semester we shall turn our attention to three mediaeval versions of Alexanderis life, part of the tradition known as the eAlexander Romancei, written by a Persian, a Jewish and a French author respectively. In this tradition Alexander explores Africa and visits the very gates of the Garden of Eden, becomes a deep-sea diver and a cosmonaut. We shall consider history, biography, portraiture, myth and fiction as many different modes of recording and thinking about the past, and explore the ways in which Alexanderis brief imperial reign affected the lore and memory of numerous non-Greek peoples more than a millennium after it had drawn to a close. No previous knowledge of ancient history is assumed. The course has three main goals: to study in depth the history of Alexanderis life and accomplishments; to analyze the generic distinctions between history, biography, myth and fiction and to think about the different needs they serve; and, finally, to develop the ability to read and compare sources with a critical eye.
COURSE FORMAT: Discussion
Level: UGRD Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: HA CLAS Grading Mode: Graded
Prerequisites: NONE
Last Updated on MAR-19-2004
Copyright Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459