Ancient Greece has given us more than the Athenian Acropolis, Alexander the Great and elegant statues. The ways we think about history, philosophy and democracy find their origins in ancient Greece. Greek mythology and legend have inspired artists and entertained millions. Drama and the literary novel find their origins in ancient Greece. The language of Greek art and architecture have influenced European art since the Renaissance.

 

Our language is full of Greek words: can you identify the eight Greek words in these paragraphs? ("Greece" is not one of them!) Ancient Greece passed its culture on to the Romans, and its language and philosophy to the early Christians. Until the 1950s, a knowledge of ancient Greece was considered essential for an educated European.

 

Course outline

 

Meet the Ancient Greeks (Evening 1)

• When and where

• Houses, clothes, food

• Family, work, leisure

 

The Greek Story, Part 1 (Evening 2)

• Heroes and warriors

• Kings, tyrants and oligarchs

• Greeks abroard

• Greece vs the Persians

 

The Greek Story, Part 2 (Evening 3)

• Emerging empires

• Athens vs Sparta

• Greeks in Italy

• Alexander the Great

 

Running Ancient Greece (Evening 4)

• Democracy and its alternatives

• Trade and agriculture

• ​Warfare

 

Relating to the Divine (Evening 5)

• Religion and belief

• Myths and legends

 

Greek Art and Architecture (Evening 6)

• Temples, columns, pediments.

• Sculpture

• Painting

• Jewelry and miniatures.

 

The Origins of Literature (Evening 7)

• Ancient Greek language

• Epics and lyric

• Tragedy and comedy

• Describing the world

 

Philosophy; The Greek Heritage (Evening 8)

• Understanding the world

• Socrates, Plato & Aristotle

• After Alexander: kings and Romans

• Renaissance and beyond.

 

Museum Visit (Optional evening 9)

• R.D. Milns Antiquities Museum, University of Queensland, St Lucia 

• Optional, $16 extra