War and Society: From Classical Greece to the Roman Empire 2900-HAMC-WSF-KL
Clausewitz’s famous quote, “war is simply the continuation of political intercourse with the addition of other means,” defines war as a political instrument. And indeed, for the millennia before Clausewitz’s statement, rulers have seen war as the continuation of, or as, their policy. War was, and is, a main cause for major geopolitical changes. However, how war is viewed and conducted, and how armies are formed, is inherently shaped by religion, culture, technology, society and zeitgeist. The current course will examine warfare from the classical Greek world to the late Roman Period by assessing the changing and constant nature of warfare. Throughout the course, the students will learn to analyse the key military campaigns, conflicts and cultures that reshaped the world during the said millennium. This will be done by highlighting the reasons for war, how armies were formed, how wars were fought, the cultural place of war in each society and the technological advances that changed the face of wars, and the consequences of the said conflicts.
Each lesson will focus on a society, or two societies, that were constantly in conflict during a certain period and will examine the available technology of the period. Their strategy, ethos, and military culture will be discussed, and the societal and economic reasonings behind the structuring of their armies. As part of the debate, 1 or 2 main campaigns will be presented as case studies to illustrate the information learned.
After this course, the students will be able to read and analyse primary sources and be able to ascertain their reliability and the motives behind the writings of the sources. Furthermore, the students will be able to critically view the available material, be encouraged to form their own opinions and debate them in class. Lastly, the course will aid the students in understanding the complexity of warfare, its ripple effect throughout history and its social role throughout the period.
Rodzaj przedmiotu
Założenia (opisowo)
Koordynatorzy przedmiotu
Efekty kształcenia
The student will learn new skills and methodologies of the Historical and Archaeological fields and better understand such data to use it effectively in future research. Furthermore, the student will gain vast information on the region and its inhabitants during the said period.
Kryteria oceniania
Attendance, tasks through the semester, participation in debates in the class, and a final paper that will be presented in class or/and submitted for assessment.
Literatura
Sekunda, N. V. 2012. War and Society in Greece. In The Oxford Handbook of Warfare in the Classical World, 199-215. Oxford University Press.
Serrati, J. 2012. The Hellenistic World at War: Stagnation or Development?. In The Oxford Handbook of Warfare in the Classical World, 179-198. Oxford University Press.
Colin A. 2012. War and Society in the Roman Empire. In The Oxford Handbook of Warfare in the Classical World, 261-276. Oxford University Press.
McDonough, S. 2012. Military and Society in Sasanian Iran. In The Oxford Handbook of Warfare in the Classical World, 601-620. Oxford University Press.
Hoyos, D. 2012. The Second Punic War. In The Oxford Handbook of Warfare in the Classical World, 688-707. Oxford University Press.
Lee, A. D. 2012. Roman Warfare with Sasanian Persia. In The Oxford Handbook of Warfare in the Classical World, 708-725. Oxford University Press.Olbrycht, M., 2021. Parthian Warfare Under the Early Arsacids. A Companion to Greek Warfare, 49, p.185.
Olbrycht, M. J. 2021, Parthian Warfare Under the Early Arsacids, in: Waldemar Heckel, F. S. Naiden, E. Edward Garvin, John Vanderspoel (eds.), A Companion to Greek Warfare, 185-201, Wiley-Blackwell.
Rich, J. 2007. Warfare and the Army in Early Rome. In P. Erdkamp (Ed.), A companion to the Roman army, 5-23, Blackwell.
Erdkamp, P. 2007. The means of war and state formation in the Roman Republic. In P. Erdkamp (Ed.), A companion to the Roman army, 96-113. Blackwell.
Gilliver, K. 2007. The Augustan Reform and the Structure of the Imperial Army. In P. Erdkamp (Ed.), A companion to the Roman army, 181-200. Blackwell.
Whitby, M. 2007. Army and Society in the Late Roman World: A Context for Decline? In P. Erdkamp (Ed.), A companion to the Roman army, 515-531. Blackwell.
Bartosz Kontny. 2024. The archaeology of war: studies on weapons of barbarian Europe in the Roman and migration period. Warsaw Studies in Archaeology 1. Turnhout: Brepols; ebook OpenAccess 10.1484/M.WSA-EB.5.134697.
Valentina A. Grasso. 2023. Pre-Islamic Arabia. Societies, politics, cults and identities during Late Antiquity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Davies, R. W. “The Roman Military Diet.” Britannia 2 (1971): 122-42. DOI: 10.2307/525803.
González-Salinero, Raúl. Military Service and the Integration of Jews into the Roman Empire. Leiden: Brill, 2022.
Olshanetsky, Haggai. “Keeping Kosher: The Ability of Jewish Soldiers to Keep the Dietary Laws as a Case Study for the Integration of Minorities in the Roman Army.” The Jewish Quarterly Review 113.1 (2023): 59-82. DOI: 10.1353/jqr.2023.0012
Roth, Jonathan P. “Jews and the Roman Army: Perceptions and Realities.” Pages 409-20 in The Impact of the Roman Army (200 B.C.-A.D. 476): Economic, Social, Political, Religious and Cultural Aspects: Proceedings of the Sixth Workshop of the International Network Impact of Empire (Roman Empire, 200 B.C.-A.D. 476), Capri, March 29-April 2, 2005. Edited by Lukas de Blois, Elio Lo Cascio, Olivier Hekster, and Gerda de Kleijn. Leiden: Brill, 2007.
Speidel, M. Alexander. “Roman Army Pay Scales.” Journal of Roman Studies 82 (1992): 87-106. DOI: 10.2307/301286.
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