HST 328 ANCIENT HEROES
This course examines the historical and social contexts surrounding ancient conceptions of heroes and heroism, through a study of mythological and historical figures in antiquity: Gilgamesh, Odysseus, the 300 Spartans, Socrates, Alexander, Spartacus, Julius Caesar, Arminius, gladiators and Simeon Stylites. Focal themes include the societal values, longings and ideals which these characters embodied, and their representations in ancient sources and modern literature/popular culture.