ARCH 02070: Troy Rocks! The Archaeology of an Epic
Rhode Island Hall 008
Instructor: Jeffrey Becker
Office: Rhode Island Hall, room 009; Office telephone: 401.863.2008
Office Hours: Tuesdays 11:00-12:00, Wednesdays 13:00-14:30 or by appointment.
Course wiki: [link]
Course Description
The place called Troy has captured the human imagination for millennia. The story of its fall and the tales of both its inhabitants and besiegers have caught the attention of artists and their audiences from the bard Homer to Homer Simpson to Brad Pitt and back again. It seems we are drawn to the struggle that is Troy and the Trojan War, to the paragons of virtue, and the archetypes of other, less noble human traits. The idea of the siege seemingly without end, the feuds among defenders and besiegers alike, and, perhaps above all, the story of deities intervening in human events grant a certain universal (and timeless) appeal to the story. It is not surprising, then, that the search for Troy has been a long one – where did these events take place? Did Homer’s Trojan War really take place? What links might there have been between the end of the Bronze Age in the Aegean and the time of Homer? This first-year seminar will engage the archaeology of Troy from a number of perspectives, with the ultimate goal being to contextualize the events and the place in such a way that students will emerge from the course with a contextualized view of Troy, the Trojan War, and its place in Western culture.
Required textbooks
- Homer. The Iliad. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. ISBN-13: 978-0385059411.
- Euripides. Trojan Women. Trans. A. Shapiro and P. Burian. ISBN-13: 978-0195179101.
- Sophocles. Philoctetes. Trans. C. Phillips. ISBN-13: 978-0-19-513657-9.
- Aeschylus. The Oresteia: Agamemnon; The Libation Bearers; The Eumenides. Trans. R. Fagles. ISBN-13: 978-0140443332.
- Jonathan Shay. 1995. Achilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character. Simon & Schuster. ISBN-13: 978-0684813219.
- Michael Wood. 1998. In search of the Trojan War. (updated edition). University of California Press. ISBN-13: 978-0520215993.
Brown University Library Resource Guide for Archaeology library.brown.edu/gateway/lrg.php?id=47&task=db.
ARTstor
We will use the ARTstor image database for our course. This database, accessible through the Brown University Library website, will provide access to images, plans, reconstructions relate to our work in class. You can navigate to the ARTstor by visiting https://library.brown.edu/, clicking on ‘Databases A to Z’, and searching for ARTstor. You will be provided with a login and password for our course folders.
Assignments and Evaluation
The graded assignments in the course will be as follows. The percentage value, weighted, for each assignment is indicated.
o Examinations. There will be two (2) examinations in the course; one will be at the midpoint of the semester, the other will be a final exam scheduled according to the university’s final exam calendar. 40%
o Quizzes. There will be two (2) short, announced quizzes in the course. 15%
o Class participation and attendance 10%
o Written assignments. There will be a series of written assignments, as outlined below. The due dates are indicated on the course schedule. More details and instructions on the written assignments will be distributed in class and also via the course wiki. In addition to these written assignments there will also be two (2) assignments for which you will be asked to prepare, but that do no entail a written component. 35%
- Reading archaeology: comparing Bronze Age sites. Due in class on 19-Oct.
- This assignment will involve a close ‘reading’ of archaeological site plans for Bronze Age centers in the Mediterranean. Each student will choose 2 geographically distinct sites and, with digital plans provided via the course wiki, will write a narrative version of the site plan, that is a concise, but accurate description of the nature of the site. (500-750 words).
- Reading primary source documents: “The Ahhiyawa Question”. Due in class on 28-Oct.
- For this assignment we will read and analyze in close details the translations of several primary documents. These are Hittite texts that concern a debate known as “the Ahhiyawa Question”. Each student will read the texts in a close manner and will write an essay (750-1000 words) responding to the prompt accompanying the texts on the course wiki.
- Analyzing iconography. Due in class on 11-Nov.
- For this assignment each student will choose an image (or two) for a close reading and analysis. Images provided by the ARTstor database and/or course wiki will provide the starting point for this iconographic study. The assignment will have two parts:
- Part I. A clear, concise narrative description of the iconography chosen and its style, execution, and setting.
- Part II. A contextualization of the iconography – why did the artist choose the scene(s)? What representational strategies are at work? Why?
- Ajax commentary. Due in class on 2-Dec.
- In reading Shay’s Achilles in Vietnam we see one approach to reading and analyzing an ancient text. Your assignment is to read Sophocles’ Ajax (available via the course wiki) and write a paper (1200-1500 words) that will use Shay’s approach as a model. To what extent does Ajax’s experience reflect the realities of warfare? How does Ajax’s experience as warrior compare to that of Achilles?
- “Echoes of Troy”. Due in class on 9-Dec.
- For this, the final assignment of the course, each student is required to find an evocation of Troy and the Trojan War in some modern or post-modern medium. Ideally this will not be just a screenshot of Brad Pitt dressed as Achilles, but rather a thoughtful exercise that will cause us all to ask ourselves about what evocations mean and how this applies to our study of the Trojan War. Having chosen their respective ‘echo’, each student will briefly present his/her choice to the class at our final meeting.
- Assignments without an explicit written component (scheduled as marked on the course schedule).
- Staged readings. There will be a number of occasions on which we will have staged readings from ancient texts in class. The instructor will assign groups / parts and we will use the ‘performances’ to form the basis of our discussion. Some staging and props may be necessary in some cases.
- Schliemann close reading and discussion. An inquiry into the life, career, and activities of H. Schliemann will be central to our course. Schliemann’s writing are available online; we will select some pages from his work and use these as a basis for discussion in class.
Grading and evaluation
Grades and evaluations will be carried out in accordance with Brown University policies.
Written work: the instructor’s evaluation of written work will be carried out based on the following criteria. Examinations will also be evaluated along there lines. It goes without saying that each student must be the sole author of his/her work and no form of plagiarism will be tolerated.
Criteria for evaluation:
- Organization
- Style / Grammar / Syntax / Spelling
- Focus / Clarity
- Works cited / citations / illustrations (if applicable)
- Quality of thought / originality
Films and Media
As a class we will coordinate a few optional occasions on which to meet outside of class time to view films and/or visual media related to the Trojan War.
Course Administration and Expectations
- Attend class! The importance of attendance cannot be stressed enough. Material covered in lectures will be part of the examinations, and there will be in-class material that is not covered by assigned readings. Attendance at all lectures is mandatory.
- Readings: It is expected that you will have completed the assigned readings prior to coming to class.
- Policy on late assignments: Any assignment that is submitted past the posted due date (all due dates are published in this syllabus) will be penalized at the rate of 10 points per diem. No assignment will be accepted after five (5) days have elapsed from the stated due date. In that case, the assignment will be scored as a zero (0) and awarded no points.
- Policy on make-up examinations: As a rule, make-up examinations will not be offered except in the case of extenuating, documented emergencies or official University-sanctioned events. For a qualifying make-up opportunity to be offered, the student must: (1) notify the instructor prior to the absence, (2) provide the aforementioned documentation, and (3) complete the make-up within one week. Vacation and/or travel plans do not constitute a valid excuse for missing an examination. *
Academic conduct: It is expected that all students will observe proper academic conduct in this course. All work submitted in this course must be your own! As a rule there should be no collaboration among students on work submitted for a course grade. Further, no cheating will be tolerated. During exams no talking or use of written notes will be permitted. All suspected misconduct will be referred to the dean’s office.
- Student Accommodation: Brown University is committed to full inclusion of all students. Students who, by nature of a documented disability, require academic accommodations should contact the professor during office hours. Students may also speak with Disability Support Services at 401-863-9588 to discuss the process for requesting accommodations.
- Classroom decorum: Please maintain an appropriate decorum in class. This means, among other things, being polite and respectful to your classmates and the instructor. Please ensure that your cell phone/pda/ipod/blackberry/etc. is turned off and silenced. If you use your PC during class, please make sure you use it for class related purposes (i.e. note taking) and not for web surfing purposes. Please do not consume food prodigiously or noisily during class, and please clean up after yourself when you leave the classroom.
- If problems arise, or you experience difficulties with the material, please see the instructor sooner rather than later.
- Most importantly, enjoy the course and have a good semester!
