DSBcB039 An Expedition in the Footsteps of Alexander the Great's Campaign

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2019
Extent and Intensity
0/0/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
PhDr. Bc. Jiří Kouřil, M.Sc., Ph.D. et Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Jarmila Bednaříková, CSc.
Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Jitka Erlebachová
Supplier department: Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of the history of the ancient world.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 25 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/25, only registered: 0/25, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/25
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
The course is an active expedition, which will consist of traveling, as far as possible, through the most accurate routes that Alexander the Great traveled during his campaigns in Europe and Asia. Some parts will be possible to cross by the local transport line, but it will rather be traveling on foot and sleeping in tents. In the significant places associated with Alexander, but also with history in general, it will be possible to stay longer (Thebes, Troy, Tyros, Jerusalem, Cairo, ...) and to stay in hostels here. In the important places associated with Alexander and the places of the battles, there will be presented professional historical interpretations.
We will try to put individual expeditions into various projects, thus reducing the student costs, but in general it will be a low-cost travelling. The course will repeat, but it will always follow another route (so multiple enrollment is possible). During the expedition the video-diary will also be created; it will be made available to students as well.
Learning outcomes
After successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:
- define the route of the campaign of Alexander the Great,
- orientate in military tactics and combat techniques of Alexander,
- understand some specialist terms,
- understand the personality of Alexander the Great,
- understand the difficulty of this campaign for its participants,
- orientate in the primary sources and specialist literature dealing with this topic.
Syllabus
  • Walking through the route (only safe areas) of Alexander's campaign. Dangerous areas will be omitted. All areas of these campaigns included following areas (not all of them or their parts will be able to go through in this course!):
  • - Greece
  • - Bulgaria
  • - Romania
  • - Republic of Macedonia
  • - Albania
  • - Turkey
  • - Syria (no)
  • - Lebanon
  • - Israel
  • - Gaza Strip (no)
  • - Egypt
  • - Iraq (no)
  • - Iran
  • - Turkmenistan
  • - Afghanistan (no)
  • - Uzbekistan
  • - Tajikistan
  • - Pakistan
  • - India
Literature
    required literature
  • ARRIANOS, Flavios. Tažení Alexandra Velikého. Edited by Jaromír Bělský. Vydání I. Praha: Svoboda, 1972, 347 stran. info
  • CURTIUS RUFUS, Quintus. Histories of Alexander the Great. Edited by J. E. Atkinson, Translated by John Yardley. 1st pub. Oxford: Oxford University, 2009, xiv, 274. ISBN 9780199557639. info
  • PLUTARCHOS. Životopisy slavných Řeků a Římanů. 2. Praha: Odeon - nakladatelství krásné literatury a umění, 1967, 808 s., [3. info
  • VAVŘÍNEK, Vladimír. Alexandr Veliký. Praha: Svoboda, 1967, 267 s. URL info
  • HABAJ, Michal. Alexander Veľký. Vydanie prvé. Trnava: Univerzita sv. Cyrila a Metoda v Trnave, Filozofická fakulta, 2015, 333 stran. ISBN 9788081057267. info
    recommended literature
  • ANSON, Edward M. Alexander the Great : themes and issues. 1st pub. London: Bloomsbury, 2013, xiii, 226. ISBN 9781441113900. info
  • CARTLEDGE, Paul. Alexandr Veliký : historik lovcem nové minulosti. Edited by Lubomír Synek, Translated by Helena Synková. Vyd. 1. Praha: Academia, 2007, 308 s. ISBN 9788020014320. info
  • GARLAND, Robert. Wandering Greeks : the ancient Greek diaspora from the age of Homer to the death of Alexander the Great. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2014, xxi, 319. ISBN 9780691161051. info
  • DROYSEN, Johann Gustav. History of Alexander the Great. Edited by G. W. Bowersock - A. Brian Bosworth, Translated by Flora Kimmich. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 2012, xxi, 605. ISBN 9781606180235. info
  • The nature of Alexander (Orig.) : Alexandr Veliký. info
  • RENAULT, Mary. Alexandr Veliký. Vyd. 1. Praha: Brána, 1996, 217 s. ISBN 80-85946-39-4. info
Teaching methods
Lecture, discussion, active participation.
Assessment methods
Active participation in the expedition (or its greater part) and creation an itinerarium of the journey.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught annually.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: exkurze.
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2018, Spring 2020, Spring 2021.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2019, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2019/DSBcB039