Unit I
IN THIS LESSON
Before the rise of Classical Greece, there was a calamitous fall.
Topics discussed:
Basic details about the material
The running theme of the course
Historical context for understanding Iron Age Greece
For lesson transcripts, go to zencastr.com/The-Luxury-of-Virtue.
Focus Questions
Philosophy has taken many different forms throughout history, in what ways might the ancient philosophy covered in this class differ from contemporary philosophy?
How could one differentiate between the ethics of ancient philosophy and the type of ethics that is studied in academic philosophy today?
How might the physical environment facilitate the development and spread of ideas and culture?
What is a phonetic alphabet? How could this be advantageous?
Define the following religious concepts: ritual sacrifice, taking the auspices, oracles, mystery cults.
How did the growth and spread of Greek colonies lead to the development of specific socio-culutral practices, such as rational argumentation?
Further Reading
Erich Cline, 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed: Revised and Updated.
Erich Cline, After 1177 B.C.: The Survival of Civilizations.
Roderick Beaton, The Greeks: A Global History.
David Anthony, The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World.
Brian Muraresku, The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name.