Ancient Greece - Origins

10 weekly sessions online, on Mondays at 10am - 12pm, starting from Monday 5 October

Overview

The Ancient Greeks are one of the most fascinating of civilisations, and this course explores the very earliest stages of Greek culture. It begins with an examination of ancient Crete and the Minoan and Mycenaean civilisations that flourished there in the 2nd millennium BCE. Following the Bronze Age Collapse after 1200BC Greece is often said to enter a “Dark Age” but as the first millennium progressed the emergence of a distinctive art style and the re-introduction of writing pointed the way to the glories to come

This course aims to provide participants with an introduction to the earliest period of Greek history. It will introduce an overview of the period from 2000-560BCE and will explain the artistic achievements, literary works of Homer and Hesiod and the belief systems of the period.

This course is for anyone with an interest in ancient history and culture.

Syllabus

Week 1. Rise of the Minoans
Week 2. The Heyday of the Minoans
Week 3. Coming of the Mycenaeans
Week 4. The “Dark Ages”
Week 5. The Gods of Greece
Week 6. Creation Myths
Week 7. The Years 800-725BCE
Week 8. The Years 725-650BCE
Week 9. The Years 650-600BCE
Week 10 The Years 600-560BCE

Course lecturer

Michael Tunnicliffe studied Theology at Birmingham (B.A & M.A) and at Cambridge (M.Litt) and holds a diploma in Judaism and Jewish Christian Relations from Birmingham and a Certificate in Egyptology from Manchester. He is a long established tutor for Continuing Education and teaches courses in the areas of History and Theology both online and face to face.

Course fee

Standard fee: £165
Concession fee: £85