'Greeks at War: Homer at Troy' online course

Would you like to gain a broad-based understanding of warfare in ancient Hellas through Hómēros' account of the Trojan War in the Iliad and receive a certificate as well by joining the course that kicked off on April 27? Colgate University’s free online course examines different accounts of Ancient Hellenic Warfare and you can join the course for free (yes, even a day late--sorry about that. News travels slow when you fall ill).

Hómēros'  account of the Trojan War in the Iliad explores the effects of warfare upon Hellenes and Trojans alike. It illustrates not only the challenges that the combatants faced, but also the plight of innocent victims – women, children, and the elderly. Though the Iliad is often regarded as a kind of Greek national epic, Hómēros'  is remarkably even-handed in his treatment of the two sides, even seeming to favor the Trojans over the Hellenes at times. He repeatedly emphasizes the horrors of war and his varied descriptions of deaths on the battlefield are unparalleled in both intensity and, paradoxically, poetic charm. The primary objective of warfare in the imaginary time period depicted by Homer is to attain personal glory through acts of individual prowess, with the good of the community seen as a secondary goal.

The course explores the idea that war is both universal and particular. The Vietnam War was not the same as the Iraq War. In every war, some things are the same, while some are different. Intense suffering and horrific acts are inevitable. However, the mode of fighting, the resources, the arms, the equipment, the treatment of prisoners, the command structure, and the ideology driving men and women to fight all differ. Students will learn:

• The causes and contentions of the Trojan War through the eyes of Homer
• What made the Trojan War unique and historically significant
• What links the experience of this war to the men and women serving their country today, as well as innocent civilians caught up in the crossfire

The course is taught by Robert Garland, who  is the Roy D. and Margaret B. Wooster Professor of the Classics at Colgate University, where he has taught since 1986. A British citizen by birth, he obtained his B.A. from Manchester University, his M.A. from McMaster University, and his Ph.D. from University College London.  He is a Fulbright Scholar, a former Junior Fellow at the Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington D.C., a Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J., and former Benjamin-Meaker Distinguished Professor at Bristol University. As a historian of Greece and Rome,  he has published numerous books, including 'The Greek Way of Death', 'The Piraeus', 'The Greek Way of Life', 'Introducing New Gods', 'Religion and the Greeks', 'The Eye of the Beholder: Deformity and Disability in the Graeco-Roman World', 'Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks', 'Celebrity and the Greeks', 'Julius Caesar', 'Surviving Greek Tragedy', and 'Hannibal'. His most recent book is 'Wandering Greeks', published by Princeton University Press (2014), an investigation of refugees and other displaced persons in the Greek world.

CLICK HERE to enrol.