The first major Attic prose author is one of the most challenging: Thucydides, the general who served his city with honor, and was later ostracized by it, gives one of the first truly historical accounts of war. The Peloponnesian War details the great conflict between Athens and Sparta that tore Greece apart, and forms part of the basis of Attic prose, yet is infamously challenging. In this course, we will focus on Pericles’ Funeral Oration, a historical speech embellished by Thucydides that is both touching as well as a resounding defense of the Athenian form of government and democracy itself. We will be paraphrasing his language in a simpler, more prosaic Attic style (as seen in Plato, Aristophanes and the early orators), and understand how Thucydides’ high-brow style is, in fact, not so hard to read once you understand how it works.
Course details:
- Sessions last 2 hours
- 1 session per week
- Course lasts 4 weeks
- Term runs Nov. 15 – Dec. 13
How ALI courses work:
- ALI courses are live, online classes run by ALI Ancient Greek professors. Learn Ancient Greek from anywhere.
- Classes run on a trimester basis.
- Fall: September – December
- Spring: January – April
- Summer: May – August
- We want to make sure you’re completely satisfied. If you don’t love your first Ancient Greek class, we guarantee a 100% refund. After that, in weeks 2 – 4, refunds will be made on a pro rata basis, based on however many class sessions you’ve attended. We cannot issue refunds after the fourth week of classes.
- Read more on our FAQ page and check out our academic calendar page to see a more detailed schedule
