DSBcB42 From Cyrus to Alexander: through the History of Achaemenid Persia

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2019
Extent and Intensity
4/0/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
doc. Mgr. Michal Habaj, PhD. (lecturer), Mgr. et Mgr. Markéta Melounová, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. et Mgr. Markéta Melounová, Ph.D.
Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Jitka Erlebachová
Supplier department: Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
each even Wednesday 12:00–15:40 A21, except Wed 13. 11., except Wed 27. 11. ; and Wed 6. 11. 12:00–15:40 A21, Wed 4. 12. 12:00–15:40 A21
Prerequisites
Reading of Herodotus.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 14 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
Teaching the students how the main sources work, what are their goals, show the the way of historical thinking necessary for taking part in this kind of research.
Learning outcomes
Students will recognize important parts of Persian history, will be able to work with sources and learn to work actively and think in new ways.
Syllabus
  • The course will focus on the history of Achaemenid Persia and analyze the sources that relate to that issue. Students will learn about the most famous sources, such as royal inscriptions, Persepolis Fortification Tablets, as well as ancient literature. The whole historical survey will not only be given as a story, but as an analysis of these sources in their historical and mental context. The interconnection of Achaemenid history with the history of Greece will be accented, because it was precisely the Persian empire that influenced the most the story of classical Greece among the neighboring neighbors without doubt.
Literature
    required literature
  • HABAJ, Michal. Kambýses II. : od tradície k histórii. Vydanie prvé. Kraków: Spolok Slovákov v Poľsku, 2016, 185 stran. ISBN 9788374909129. info
  • VALACHOVIČ, Pavol and Michal HABAJ. Staroveké civilizácie Chetiti a Peržania. Vyd. 1. Trnava: Univerzita sv. Cyrila a Metoda v Trnave, 2013, 203 s. ISBN 9788081055003. info
    recommended literature
  • From Cyrus to Alexandera history of the Persian Empire. Edited by Pierre Briant - Peter T. Daniels. Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbraun, 2002, xx, 1196 p. ISBN 9781575065748. info
  • FRYE, R. The History of Ancient Iran. München: Beck, 1983.
  • GOMBÁR, Eduard and Lukáš PECHA. Dějiny Iráku. Vyd. 1. Praha: NLN, Nakladatelství Lidové noviny, 2013, 701 s. ISBN 9788074222498. info
  • The Oxford handbook of ancient Iran. Edited by Daniel T. Potts. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013, xxx, 1021. ISBN 9780199733309. info
  • KUHRT, A. The Persian Empire. London: Routledge, 2007.
Teaching methods
Lecturing and working with sources.
Assessment methods
There will not be a final evaluation. The students must take active part in the final discussion at the end of every lecture and read the recommended literaure.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught once in two years.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2019, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2019/DSBcB42