East Hall 220
T 7:30-9:45

Mr Lehmann
Office Hours: 11:00-12:00 TTh
East Hall 210, 677-5218
clehmann@usd.edu clehmann.org

This graduate seminar on Alexander the Great will direct students' attention to the biography of one of history's most fascinating individuals and the host of historical, biographical, and historiographical problems associated with his life and times and with the persistence of the Alexander myth even into the twenty-first century. In addition, though they need not have expertise in the ancient and modern languages of classical scholarship, students will learn the highly specialized set of research skills used by classical philologists and historians. They will become familiar with the major problems associated with his biography and Nachleben, and they will learn critically to evaluate the principle sources and the modern scholarship.

Procedures

After the initial meeting, students will present the results of their analysis of particular problems. The instructor will assign those problems to each student on a weekly basis, identifying essential sources and bibliography. The presentations will be oral but accompanied by a one-page handout consisting of an outline of the presentation and a bibliography of primary and secondary sources. Each student will prepare five of these presentations, which together count for 50% of the final grade.

Each student will prepare a research paper of some 25-30 pages addressing comprehensively most of the problems discussed in the seminar, including those presented by the other students. At the final meeting (28 April) each student will summarize his or her results. The final written version of the paper is due at the end of that week (1 May).

All written work will conform to Chicago Style; see K L Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 7th ed (Chicago: Univ of Chicago Press, 2007), or The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th ed (Chicago: Univ of Chicago Press, 2010).

Click here for required statements concerning freedom of learning, cheating, diversity, ADA policy, and outcomes of learning.

Problems

The Alexander Historians

Methodology: the Eunuch Bagoas

Methodology: Alexander and Rome

Methodology: Alexander and the Jews

Alexander's Bildung: the Macedonian Background

Alexander's Bildung: the Greek Background

The Macedonian Monarchy

The Macedonian Army

The Achaemenid Empire

The League of Corinth

The Assassination of Philip/Alexander's Accession

Revolt of Greece 335

Imperial Government: the Greek Cities

Imperial Government: the Asian Peoples

Alexandria

Sources of Authority: Greek

Sources of Authority: Oriental

Fourth-Century Warfare and Siegecraft

Statistics: Size of Armies, Numbers of Casualties

Granicus

Issus

Gaugamela

The Indian Campaign

Alexander at Babylon, Persepolis, and Ecbatana

Alexander as General

Macedonian Discontent: Philotas/Parmenio

Macedonian Discontent: Callisthenes and the Pages

Macedonian Discontent: Harpalos and Cleomenes

Greek Discontent: Revolt of Agis

The Gordian Knot

Alexander's Divinity: the Oracle of Ammon

Alexander's Divinity: Divine Honors

Alexander's Aims

Alexander's Sexuality

Alexander's Vision of Unity andBrotherhood

Alexander's Last Plans

Death