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Classics/History 240G: Ancient Societies Africa in Antiquity
"Africa is always producing something new." an ancient Greek proverb
This Ancient Societies course deals with contacts between the Graeco-Roman world and the African continent and its people from the Stone Age through the Arabic invasion of North Africa in the 7th century AD. Special attention will be given to topics such as the following: anthropological knowledge of Blacks in the ancient world; racial attitudes in antiquity; Egyptian civilization; the Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage; the ancient African kingdoms of Nubia and Meroe; Africa in classical mythology; and Africa and Blacks in ancient religious movements, including Christianity. This course is, in large part, a survey history of the ancient Mediterranean with an African focus. It deals not only with dates and events but with people and their everyday lives. Various evidence will be discussed, including readings in translation from ancient Greek and Latin texts; painting; sculpture and archaeological remains. |