Special Topic in Ancient History 1 (ANCH3540)

Course overview

This course will examine a special topic in Ancient History determined by the research backgrounds of the teaching staff. It affords a special opportunity to experience research topics, methods and outcomes in Ancient History at an advanced level.

ANCH3540 War and Games in Democratic Athens

ﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠ This third-year course of 3 hours per week investigates the endlessly fascinating and complex relationship between war, games and democracy in ancient Athens. In addition to democratic politics, the overriding passions of the Athenian people were the waging of war and the staging of agōnes or games as part of religious festivals. By the time Athenian democracy was consolidated, war dominated the politics of this famous city and the lives of the dēmos or people. Athens of the fifth and fourth centuries BC waged wars almost constantly, was Greece’s premier innovator in military affairs and dominated the eastern Mediterranean militarily. This classical polis was famous for spending more time and money than any other city-state on state-sponsored festivals. Many Athenian religious celebrations had agōnes (‘contests’) in a wide variety of athletic, equestrian, musical or dramatic events and it was out of such games that the new genres of ancient theatre emerged.

ﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠ War and Games in Democratic Athens considers in detail the institutions and the history of this pair of public activities, the pattern of citizen participation in each, and the perceptions that ordinary citizens had of war and games. This course also explores some ways in which each activity supported or undercut the other and how the military and cultural innovations of the classical Athenians were closely connected to the practices of their dēmokratia or democracy. It deals in translation with the main classes of evidence for classical Athenian history, teaches the skills that are required for independent research in Ancient History, considers the utility of social-science theory for the Humanities, and introduces many of the latest controversies and current pressing problems in the historiography of ancient Athens.

ﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠﾠ War and Games in Democratic Athens is equally suited for those who wish to consolidate their expertise in Ancient History before they graduate or for those who are developing their skills in order to continue their own investigations of ancient Greece as an Honours or Higher-Degree-Research (HDR) student. The skills that you will develop in this course will be critical ones for those who go on to work in the public or private sector after university.

Course requirements

Assumed background

ANCH3540 War and Games in Democratic Athens

ﾠ

There are no compulsory prerequisites for this course. Students can acquire some background knowledge for this third-year ‘capstone’ course by taking ANCH2040 The World of Classical Athens: Politics and Society and/or ANCH1240 The Rise of Ancient Greece: Greek History to the Fourth Century BC.

Recommended prerequisites

We recommend completing the following courses before enrolling in this one:

ANCH1240, ANCH1250

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

ANCH3020

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

Aims and outcomes

ANCH3540 War and Games in Democratic Athens

This third-year 'capstone' course aims:

1 To investigate the institutional, social and cultural history of war and games in democratic Athens during the classical period

2 To understand the characteristics and utility of the major classes of evidence for classical Athenian history

3 To rehearse the skills which are required for independent research in Ancient History

4 To introduce social-science theory as an aid for Humanities-based research

5 To canvass some of the latest controversies and important pressing problems in the historiography of ancient Athens

6 To ready students for independent study as honours or higher degree research students

7 To rehearse general skills that are required for graduate-level jobs in the public and private sectors

8 To introduce aspects of the cultural history of indigenous Australians. 

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment details

Tutorial participation

Mode

Activity/ Performance

Category

Participation/ Student contribution

Weight

5%

Learning outcomes

L01, L03, L04, L07, L08

Task description

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

Tutorial Papers

Mode

Written

Category

Essay/ Critique, Tutorial/ Problem Set

Weight

50% 25% per tutorial paper

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07, L08

Task description

Submission guidelines

Via Turnitin

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Executive Summary

Mode

Written

Category

Essay/ Critique

Weight

5%

Due date

9/06/2025 2:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L08

Task description

Submission guidelines

Via Turnitin

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Research Essay

Mode

Written

Category

Essay/ Critique

Weight

40%

Due date

9/06/2025 2:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L06, L07, L08

Task description

Submission guidelines

via Turnitin

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

Tutorial Participation Assessment Criteria

Your tutorial participation will be assessed according to the following criteria: 

1.     Evidence of participation in discussions.

2.     Evidence of preparation for the tutorial, most notably through completing the set readings.

3.     Quality of contributions to discussions.

4.     Fostering of group discussions, through courteous and respectful interactions with staff and     students. 

5.     Attendance is necessary to fulfill the above criteria, as per the course requirements, but marks cannot be awarded for attendance alone.

To achieve a grade of 7 (High Distinction, 85-100%), your attendance will be flawless and your participation exceptional. This grade reflects exceptional levels of preparation, mastery of course materials, and very high quality contributions to, and fostering of, group discussions. You should be able to engage with your peers very effectively.

To achieve a grade of 6 (Distinction, 75-84) your attendance will be excellent and your participation very substantial. This grade reflects excellent levels of preparation, knowledge of course materials, and high quality contributions to, and fostering of, group discussions. You should be able to engage with your peers effectively.

To achieve a grade of 5 (Credit, 65 – 74%), your attendance and participation will be good. This grade reflects proficient levels of preparation, good knowledge of course materials, and good quality contributions to, and fostering of, group discussions.

To achieve a grade of 4 (Pass, 50 – 64%) your attendance and participation will be satisfactory. This grade reflects adequate levels of preparation and knowledge of course materials, and an acceptable quality of contributions to, and fostering of, group discussions.

To achieve a grade of 3 (Marginal Fail, 45 – 49%) your attendance and participation will be unsatisfactory. This grade reflects irregular attendance and/or participation and superficial knowledge of course materials and basic levels of preparation. However, when in attendance, there is evidence of your ability to demonstrate developing achievement in contributions to, and fostering of, group discussions.

To achieve a grade of 2 (Fail, 25-44%), your attendance and participation will be very unsatisfactory. This grade reflects irregular attendance and/or participation, minimal knowledge of course materials, little evidence of preparation, and mixed to low quality of contributions to, and fostering of, group discussions.

To achieve a grade of 1 (Low Fail, 0-24%), your attendance and participation will be unsatisfactory. This grade reflects irregular attendance and/or participation, an no evidence of preparation, and little or no evidence of quality of contributions to, and fostering of, group discussions.

Essay Assessment Criteria

Your essay will be assessed according to the following criteria: 

1. Ability to construct a well-reasoned argument.

2. Depth and breadth of knowledge and understanding of central issues.

3. Ability to form a well-structured essay. 

4. Engagement with academic sources and evidence. 

5. Insight and/or creativity in interpreting texts or constructing a point of view or argument.

6. Capacity to produce a coherent and well-written essay using correct grammar and syntax.

7. Appropriately referenced, as per discipline conventions. 

To achieve a grade of 7 (High Distinction, 85-100%), your essay should reflect an exceptional level of achievement. It should demonstrate that you have undertaken extensive, high-level research, that you are able to form a very rigorous, well-organised argument, and that your discussion is original and creative. It should also demonstrate that you are able to evaluate and organise data and/or evidence in a critical manner and that you have a sophisticated and insightful understanding of problems and issues. Your essay should be very well written, clear and concise, pay strict attention to discipline conventions and have minimal, if any errors in referencing, expression, grammar, spelling and punctuation.

To achieve a grade of 6 (Distinction, 75 – 84%), your essay should reflect an advanced level of achievement. It should demonstrate that you have undertaken wide research, that you are able to form a rigorous, well-organised argument, and that your discussion is coherent and convincing. It should also demonstrate that you are able to evaluate data and/or evidence in a perceptive manner, and that your understanding of problems and issues is perceptive and insightful. Your essay should be well written, clear and concise, follow discipline conventions and have few errors in referencing, expression, grammar, spelling and punctuation.

To achieve a grade of 5 (Credit, 65 – 74%) your essay should reflect a proficient level of achievement. It should demonstrate that you have undertaken the expected level of research, that you are able to develop or adapt convincing arguments and justify them adequately, that you are able to evaluate data and/or evidence in a proficient manner, and that you have a proficient understanding of problems and issues. The presentation and referencing of your essay will largely follow discipline conventions, perhaps have some errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation, and demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively.

To achieve a grade of 4 (Pass, 50 – 64%) your essay should reflect a functional level of achievement. It should demonstrate that you are able to apply fundamental concepts and skills, that you have undertaken a basic level of research and have the basic ability to evaluate data and/or evidence, to identify problems and issues, to offer insights and to develop routine arguments. Your organisation, writing, referencing, spelling and grammar will be adequate and use some of the discipline conventions to communicate appropriately. 

To achieve a grade of 3 (Marginal Fail, 45 – 49%), your essay should reflect developing levels of achievement. It should demonstrate that you have a superficial knowledge of fundamental concepts and skills, that you have undertaken a basic level of research, made some attempt to evaluate data and/or evidence, to identify problems and issues, and to offer insights. Your arguments, while underdeveloped, show your emerging ability to apply knowledge and skills. Your organisation, writing, spelling and grammar will be adequate, perhaps poor, and your referencing and use of discipline conventions poor/and or inconsistent. Alternatively, your essay may, in part, be well written and suggest human engagement and achievement but (whether actually developed with the help of AI or not) will (a) mostly exhibit the stereotypical and/or superficial understanding characteristic of generative AI text and/or (b) mostly fail, in a manner characteristic of generative AI text, to develop a sustained (multi-layered) argument: This grade is assigned for a total (sum of all the assessment components) in the range 45-49%. See assessment components for specific grading criteria.

To achieve a grade of 2 (Fail, 25-44%) your essay will reflect deficiencies in skill acquisition and in your understanding of the fundamental concepts of the course. It will demonstrate that you have not undertaken adequate research, that you are unable to evaluate data and/or evidence, to identify problems and issues, or to offer insights adequately. Your arguments will be unsupported and/or inappropriate, your organisation and writing will be poor and/or inappropriate, and referencing and use of discipline conventions poor/and or inconsistent. Alternatively, your essay may suggest developing or higher achievement but (whether actually developed with the help of AI or not) will (a) exhibit the stereotypical and/or superficial understanding that is characteristic of generative AI text and/or (b) may fail to develop, in a way that is characteristic of generative AI text, a sustained (multi-layered) argument: This grade is assigned for a total (sum of all the assessment components) in the range 25-44%. See assessment components for specific grading criteria

To achieve a grade of 1 (Low Fail, 0-24%), your essay will reflect that you have failed to meet the minimum learning requirements and skill acquisition for this course. Your essay will demonstrate an absence of research, evaluation of data and/or evidence, and lack argumentation. Use of discipline conventions will be absent, poor or inappropriate, and written expression poor or inappropriate.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Additional assessment information

• Failure to submit all major assessment items (those worth 15% and above) will result in a maximum grade of 2 (Fail).
• By submitting work through Turnitin you are deemed to have accepted the following declaration:‘I certify that this assignment is my own work and has not been submitted, either previously or concurrently, in whole or in part, to this University or any other educational institution, for marking or assessment’.
• All students must ensure that they receive their Turnitin receipt on every submission of assessment items. YOU MUST CHECK THAT THE RECEIPT CONFIRMS THAT SUBMISSION HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL.
• A valid Turnitin receipt will be the only evidence accepted if assessments are missing.ﾠWithout evidence, the assessment will receive the standard late penalty, or after 7 calendar days, will receive zero. In the case of a Blackboard outage, please contact the Course Coordinator as soon as possible so that they can confirm the outage with ITS.
• It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that they are submitting assessment items on a device that is capable of the task, and that appropriate internet bandwidth and speed is available. If you cannot be sure that your device or internet will enable you to complete or submit an assessment task, you must come onto campus and use one of the University Computers in the Library or Computer Labs.
• Plagiarism, and asking or paying someone else to do your work is cheating and constitutes academic misconduct. See ECP Section 6.1
• Feedback against the assessment criteria in the form of comments on your script will be provided through Turnitin or on your script directly.
• For information on assessment remarks see: https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/manage-my-program/exams-and-assessment/querying-result

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

The following books are valuable points of reference for many of the topics that War and Games in Democratic Athens covers. They are available for 2-hour loans in the high-use area of the Central Library and, in most cases, can also be accessed as e-resources

N. T. Arrington 2015, Ashes, Images and Memories: The Presence of the War Dead in Fifth-Century Athens, Oxford (Oxford University Press).

S. Blundell 1995, Women in Ancient Greece, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and London (Harvard University Press).

D. Boedeker and K.A. Raaflaub (eds.) 1998, Democracy, Empire and the Arts in Fifth-Century Athens, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and London (Harvard University Press).

J. Cargill 1981, The Second Athenian League: Empire or Free Alliance, Berkeley.

N.B. Crowther 2004, Athletika: Studies on the Olympic Games and Greek Athletics, Hildesheim.

E. Csapo and W.J. Slater 1994, The Context of Ancient Drama, Ann Arbor (University of Michigan Press).

J. Davidson 2007, The Greeks and Greek Love, London (Weidenfeld and Nicolson).

J.L. Friend 2019, The Athenian Ephebeia in the Fourth Century BCE, Boston and Leiden (Brill).

C.W. Fornara 1983, Archaic Times to the End of the Peloponnesian War, Cambridge (Cambridge University Press).

Gabrielsen, V. 1994, Financing the Athenian Fleet: Public Taxation and Social Relations, Baltimore (Johns Hopkins University Press).

M. Golden 1998, Sport and Society in Ancient Greece, Cambridge (Cambridge University Press).

--- 2008, Greek Sport and Social Status, Austin (The University of Texas Press).

M.H. Hansen 1991, The Athenian Democracy in the Age of Demosthenes, trans. J.A. Crook Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Oxford (Blackwell).

P. Harding 1985, From the End of the Peloponnesian War to the Battle of Ipsus, Cambridge (Cambridge University Press).

D.G. Kyle 1987, Athletics in Ancient Athens, Leiden (Brill). ﾠ

--- 2007, Sport and Spectacle in the Ancient World, Malden, Melbourne and London (Blackwell Publishing).

V.D. Hansen (ed.) 1991, Hoplites: The Classical Greek Battle Experience, London and New York (Routledge).

S. Hornblower 2002, The Greek World 479-323 BC, 2nd edn, London and New York (Routledge).

T.K. Hubbard 2003, Homosexuality in Greece and Rome: A Sourcebook of Basic Documents, Berkeley (The University of California Press).

P. Hunt 2010, War, Peace and Alliance in Demosthenes’ Athens, Cambridge (Cambridge University Press).

Joint Association of Classical Teachers 2008, The World of Athens: An Introduction to Classical Athenian Culture, revised by R. Osborne, 2nd edn, Cambridge (Cambridge University Press).

R. Just 1989, Women in Athenian Life and Law, London and New York (Routledge).

D. Larmour 1999, Stage and Stadium: Drama and Athletics in Ancient Greece, 92-133, Hildesheim

N. Loraux 1986, The Invention of Athens: The Funeral Oration in the Classical City, trans. A. Sheridan, Cambridge, Massachusetts (Harvard University Press).

D.M. Lewis, J. Boardman, S. Hornblower and M. Ostwald (eds.) 1994, The Cambridge Ancient History: Volume 6: The Fourth Century BC, Cambridge (Cambridge University Press).

D.R. McCann and B.S. Strauss (eds.) 2001, War and Democracy: A Comparative Study of the Korean War and the Peloponnesian War, Armonk, New York, and London (M.E. Sharpe).

J.D. Mikalson 2005, Ancient Greek Religion, Oxford, Malden and Melbourne (Blackwell).

S.G. Miller 2004a, Ancient Greek Athletics, New Haven and London (Yale University Press).

--- 2004b, Arete: Greek Sport from Ancient Sources, 3rd edn, Berkeley and Los Angeles (University of California Press).

S. Mills 1997, Theseus, Tragedy and the Athenian Empire, Oxford (Oxford University Press).

J.S. Morrison, J.F. Coates and N.B. Rankov 2000, The Athenian Trireme: The History and Reconstruction of an Ancient Greek Warship, 2nd edn, Cambridge (Cambridge University Press).

J. Neils (ed.) 1992, Goddess and Polis: The Panathenaic Festival in Ancient Athens, Hanover, New Hampshire, and Princeton (Princeton University Press).

T.H. Nielsen 2007, Olympia and the Classical Hellenic City-State Culture, Copenhagen (The Royal Danish Academy).

O. Palagia and A. Choremi-Spetsieri (eds.) 2007, The Panathenaic Games: Proceedings of an International Conference Held at the University of Athens, May 11-12, 2004, Oxford (Oxbow).

R. Parker 1996, Athenian Religion: A History, Oxford (Oxford University Press).

--- 2005, Polytheism and Society at Athens, Oxford (Oxford University Press).

D.J. Phillips and D.M. Pritchard (eds.) 2003, Sport and Festival in the Ancient Greek World, Swansea (The Classical Press of Wales).

D.M. Pritchard (ed.) 2010, War, Democracy and Culture in Classical Athens, Cambridge (Cambridge University Press).

--- 2013, Sport, Democracy and War in Classical Athens, Cambridge (Cambridge University Press).

--- 2015, Public Spending and Democracy in Classical Athens, Austin (University of Texas Press).

--- 2019, Athenian Democracy at War, Cambridge (Cambridge University Press).

--- (ed.) 2024, The Athenian Funeral Oration: After Nicole Loraux, Cambridge (Cambridge University Press).

A. Powell 2001, Athens and Sparta: Constructing Greek Political and Social History from 478 BC, London and New York (Routledge).

O.W. Reinmuth 1971, The Ephebic Inscriptions of the Fourth Century BC, Leiden.

P.J. Rhodes 1981, A Commentary on the Aristotelian ‘Athenaion Politeia’, Oxford (Oxford University Press).

--- 2006, A History of the Classical Greek World, Malden, Melbourne and Oxford (Blackwell Publishing).

P.J. Rhodes and R. Osborne 2003, Greek Historical Inscriptions 404-323 BC, Oxford (Oxford University Press).

J. Roisman 2005, The Rhetoric of Manhood: Masculinity and the Attic Orators, Berkeley (University of California Press).

Sealey, R. 1976, A History of the Greek City-States ca. 700-338 BC, Berkeley, London and Los Angeles (University of California Press).

P. Sabin, H. van Wees and M. Whitby (eds.) 2007, The Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Warfare: Volume 1: Greece, the Hellenistic World and the Rise of Rome, Cambridge (Cambridge University Press).

L.J. Samons (ed.) 2007, The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Pericles, Cambridge (Cambridge University Press).

T.F. Scanlon 2002, Eros and Greek Athletics, Oxford (Oxford University Press).

A. Schwartz 2009, Reinstating the Hoplite: Arms, Armour and Phalanx Fighting in Archaic and Classical Greece, Stuttgart (Franz Steiner Verlag).

B. Sparkes (ed.) 1998, Greek Civilization: An Introduction, Malden and London (Wiley-Blackwell).

J. Swaddling 2004, The Ancient Olympic Games, 3rd edn, London (The British Museum Press).

R, Thomas 1989, Oral Tradition and Written Record in Classical Athens, Cambridge (Cambridge University Press).

L.A. Tritle (ed.) 1997, The Greek World in the Fourth Century, London and New York (Routledge).

R.W.B. Tyrell 2004, The Smell of Sweat: Greek Athletics, Olympics and Culture, Wauconda, Illinois (Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers).

H. van Wees (ed.) 2000, War and Violence in Ancient Greece, London and Swansea (The Classical Press of Wales).

--- 2004, Greek Warfare: Myths and Realities, London (Duckworth).

J.J. Winkler and F.I. Zeitlin (eds.) 1990, Nothing to Do with Dionysos? Athenian Drama in Its Social Context, Princeton (Princeton University Press).

L.B. Zaidman and P. S. Pantel 1992, Religion in the Ancient Greek City, trans. P. Cartledge, Cambridge (Cambridge University Press).

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.