The Fire, the Gold and the Ice of the North
Online Ancient Greek Course, December 11th, 2021-January 22nd, 2022
With the arrival of winter, Schola Humanistica offers a course in Attic Greek centered on the North and its peoples, both real and mythical, who are described by Herodotus in book IV of the Histories. We will examine the elusive Aristeas of Proconnesos, who when thought to be dead in his homeland, he wandered far and wide through the lands of the Hyperboreans and the Arimaspi, and wrote of the remarkable sights of this journey in an epic poem. We will learn of the attire of the Scyhthians and how they memorialized the most important among their dead. All of this is described in minute detail in a passage by Herodotus; it stands out as one of the more grisly descriptions to be found in ancient literature.
In addition to the fourth book of Herodotus Histories we weil also evaluate some works of Pindar, Aristophanes, and Lucian of Samosata. The texts will be presented in five videos of an hour each, made available at the convenience of the viewer between December 11th, 2021 and January 22nd, 2022. We will also send you a printable packet with all the texts for the course.
To facilitate group interaction, there will also be an option to participate in four live seminars with our instructors and course participants. Each meeting will center on one of the themes for the course and will furnish you with an opportunity to converse with other participants and interact with them, even if virtually. In addition, optional exercises designed to refine conversational capacity with the language will be provided.
Colloquia
Schedule | Topic |
Saturday, December 11th 2021, h. 17:00-18:15 CET | Ice and Winter |
Saturday, December 18th 2021, h. 17:00-18:15 CET | Nomads |
Saturday, January 8th 2022, h. 17:00-18:15 CET | Scynthians In Athens |
Saturday, January 15th 2021, h. 17:00-18:15 CET | Mythical Peoples |
Lessons
Orario | Argomento |
First Lesson, from December 11th | The Journeys of Aristeas |
Second Lesson, from December 18th | The Land of Ice |
Third Lesson, from December 25th | Attire of the Scythians |
Fourth Lesson, from January 1st, 2022 | Burial of Princes |
Fifth Lesson, from January 8th, 2022 | Stories of Anacharsis and Scyles |
Last day to register:
December 11th, 2021