HONR 1210 - Polis, Republic, and Empires

4 credit hours
The vast variety of human societies across the globe that existed thousands of years ago (roughly 3000 BCE - 500 CE) are a historical laboratory of experiments with government by relatively many, by relatively few, and by a sole ruler, among other systems. Along with these political questions, the dynamics of cultural expression, religious framework, economic organization, and social hierarchy in these communities of the remote past can be both familiar and strange to us. In this course you will encounter one or more of these ancient societies in historical context as you learn the theory and methods of historical inquiry. You will study critically the ways in which historical narratives are constructed from written and material evidence, and you will consider what understandings about the past are useful for improving the ongoing human experiment.