Schedule of Topics and Readings
Key: BIA = Snowden, Blacks in Antiquity Pharaohs = The World of the Pharaohs Lefkowitz = Not Out of Africa Africa in the Ancient World Schedule of Topics and Readings Key: BIA = Snowden, Blacks in Antiquity Pharaohs = The World of the Pharaohs Part I:Introduction: Who were the Ancient Africans? Week I Sept. 2 Why Africa and Blacks in Antiquity? Sept. 4 Nomenclature for Africans and Blacks Read Vergil's Moretum (hand-out) Week II Sept. 7 Physical Descriptions of Blacks in Antiquity: Textual Evidence Read BIA 1-22 Sept. 9 Artistic Image of Blacks in Antiquity Read BIA 22-29, Xenophanes handout Sept. 11 Africa and Ethiopians in Greek Mythology Read BIA 144-155, Ovid and Phoenix hand-outs Part II: Egypt Week III Sept. 14 The Old Kingdom Read Pharaohs 13-19 and 60-89 Sept. 16 Hieroglyphs Read handouts on Egyptian inscriptions Sept. 18 The Middle Kingdom Read Pharaohs, 90-125, Horace. Odes III.30 (hand-out) Week IV Sept. 21 The New Kingdom Read Pharaohs 126-177, Herodotus II-III.66 Print Resource Report Due. Sept. 23 The Late Kingdom and the Nubian Pharaohs Read BIA, 113-115, 2 Chronicles 9:1-12 Sept. 25 Blacks in Egypt Read BIA 121 Week V Sept. 28 Greeks and Egyptians: Aeschylus, Suppliants Part III:“Black” Athena Sept. 30 "Black" Athena: African Origins of Greek Civilization? Read Herodotus, Book I; and review Book II, 49-58; 171; 282; 282; IV, 147; V, 58, introduction to Black Athena I (on reserve); also Sienkewicz review (in Magill’s Literary Annual) Oct. 2 The Afrocentric Controversy Read Lefkowitz, pp. 1-90 Electronic Resource Report Due. Week VI Oct. 5 The Afrocentric Controvery Cont. Read Lefkowitz, pp/. 91-175 Oct. 7 “Was Cleopatra Black?” Read Newsweek Sept. 23, 1991:42-50 Oct. 9 Ancient Images of Africa and Egypt: Euripides’ Helen Week VII Oct. 12 Modern Images of Africa and Egypt: Verdi’s Aida FOX LECTURE 7:30 P.M. Oct. 14 FIRST UNIT EXAM Part IV: Greece and Africa Oct. 16 The Bronze Age and Homer Read BIA 101-102, 122, Homer, Odyssey 1.22-25 (Eurybates) Oct. 19 Advising Day. NO CLASS Oct. 21 Archaic Greece: First Encounters--Cyprus and Naucratis Read BIA 103-104, 122-123 Oct. 23 No class. Fall Break Week IX Oct. 26 No class. Fall Break Oct. 28 Brainstorming for Individual Project Oct. 30 Research Day for Individual Project
Week X Nov. 2 Classical Greece Read BIA 105-107, 123-125, Herodotus. Books VII-VIII Nov. 4 Hellenistic Greece: Alexandria and Cyrene Read BIA 107-109, 126-129, Asclepiades hand-out Part V: Rome and Africa Nov. 6 Introduction: Dido and Aeneas Read Vergil. Aeneid I.
Week XI Nov. 9 Carthage and Rome: The Punic Wars Read BIA 125-126, 130-131; Livy's description of Hannibal in Book XXI Nov. 11 Slavery in the Ancient World Read Seneca. Epistle XLVII (hand-out), Aesop hand-outs Nov. 13 Rome and African Monarchs: Cleopatra, Masinissa and Jugurtha Read BIA 109-112, 131-136, Horace. Odes. I.37 (hand-out)
Week XII Nov. 16 Cleopatra Read Smithsonian Magazine Feb. 1997:57-63; Bevan 344-361 Nov. 18 Rome and Meroe Read BIA 115-116, Apuleius, books 1-2 Nov. 20 Axum and the Blemmyes Read BIA, 116-120, 136-141, Apuleius, books 3-4
Week XIII Nov 23 Roman North Africa Read BIA 141-143, Apuleius, books 5-6 Nov. 25 Roman North Africa Cont. Read Apuleius, books 7-8 Nov. 27 No class. Thanksgiving break Part VI: Blacks in Antiquity
Week XIV Nov. 30 Blacks in Daily Life: Entertainers and Athletes Read BIA 156-168, 182-188, 192-195, Latin Poetry hand-outs Dec 2 Blacks in Religion: ISIS Read BIA 189-192, Apuleius, books 9-10 Dec. 4 Blacks in the Old Testament Read Numbers 12:1-15, Jeremiah 38-39, 1 Kings 10:1-13, Song of Solomon
Week XV Dec. 7 Christianity and the Ethiopians Read BIA 196-215, Acts 8:26-40, hand-outs from Church Fathers Individual Project Due Dec. 9 Before Color Prejudice Read BIA 169-182, 216-218 Dec. 11 SECOND UNIT EXAM
EXAM WEEK Dec. 17 Oral Reports and Course Evaluation 1 P.M.
This material has been published on the
web by Prof. Tom
Sienkewicz for his students at Monmouth College. If you have any
questions, you can contact him at
toms@monm.edu. |