Classics 494PI - Herodotus & the Persian Wars

Our goal is to read all of Herodotus? Histories (in English) with particular attention to themes such as historical inquiry, democracy, and ethnographic and cultural differences among peoples of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. We will spend some time on Herodotus? account of the Persian Wars and examine how his major themes inform his account. We will focus on the origins of the conflict between Western culture and that of the Near East, mainly the wars between the Persians and the Greeks. We will also pay attention to Herodotus' writing style and methodology. Recommended (but not required) pre-requisite: Classics 100 or 200. Satisfies the Integrative Experience requirement for BA-Clsics majors.