| The History of Ancient Greek Civilization Part II: 5 Monday Evenings March 1 - 29, 2010 Course Fee: $60 per person Fee includes course syllabus / lecture notes. TIME: 7:00 - 8:30 pm LOCATION: FOUNDERS' HALL St. Martin’s Episcopal Church 717 Sage Road Houston, TX 77056 Click for registration form. |
The History of Ancient Greek Civilization
An Adult Education Lecture Series by
Dr. William J. Neidinger
An Adult Education Lecture Series by
Dr. William J. Neidinger
Dr. Neidinger holds degrees from Fordham University, University of Madrid, and Rice
University. He is an archaeologist with the Texas Foundation for Archaeological &
Historical Research (TFAHR), and has been directing excavations in the Mediterranean
area for the past 25 years. During this time he has also lectured extensively at
universities, colleges, adult education programs, and churches across the state of
Texas. He is currently working on TFAHR archaeological excavations in the Republic
of Macedonia. For information on Dr. Neidinger’s current and upcoming projects,
please visit www.tfahr.org.
Many of Dr. Neidinger’s lectures are available on DVD and CD. For purchasing
information, please see www.stylusproductions.com.
University. He is an archaeologist with the Texas Foundation for Archaeological &
Historical Research (TFAHR), and has been directing excavations in the Mediterranean
area for the past 25 years. During this time he has also lectured extensively at
universities, colleges, adult education programs, and churches across the state of
Texas. He is currently working on TFAHR archaeological excavations in the Republic
of Macedonia. For information on Dr. Neidinger’s current and upcoming projects,
please visit www.tfahr.org.
Many of Dr. Neidinger’s lectures are available on DVD and CD. For purchasing
information, please see www.stylusproductions.com.
The Great Shah-n-Shah, the King of Kings, Master of the Earth Xerxes, the
Lord of the Four Quarters dismissed them (the Greeks) as a gaggle of
impudent rabble rousers. It was a mistake his predecessors and ancestors
also had made. The Lord of the Four Quarters descended upon the Greeks
with an army and navy of over a million men, the legend says. One year
later his armada lay at the bottom of the sea and the bones of his soldiers
lay scattered all over Greece.
Ever a fractious bunch, the ancient Greeks could pull together when
occasion demanded and perform incredible feats. But many suspected that
it was, in fact, their perennial fractiousness that propelled them to their
landmark accomplishments in war, politics, art, architecture, philosophy
and theology.
They worshipped the same gods, they spoke mutually intelligible dialects,
they had a common literary heritage, they all hailed Achilles as the greatest
of warriors, they traded with one another, and they warred against one
another. Not until the “semi-barbaric” Alexander brought them to heel did
the land of the Greeks feel the winds of peace – but only briefly.
Lord of the Four Quarters dismissed them (the Greeks) as a gaggle of
impudent rabble rousers. It was a mistake his predecessors and ancestors
also had made. The Lord of the Four Quarters descended upon the Greeks
with an army and navy of over a million men, the legend says. One year
later his armada lay at the bottom of the sea and the bones of his soldiers
lay scattered all over Greece.
Ever a fractious bunch, the ancient Greeks could pull together when
occasion demanded and perform incredible feats. But many suspected that
it was, in fact, their perennial fractiousness that propelled them to their
landmark accomplishments in war, politics, art, architecture, philosophy
and theology.
They worshipped the same gods, they spoke mutually intelligible dialects,
they had a common literary heritage, they all hailed Achilles as the greatest
of warriors, they traded with one another, and they warred against one
another. Not until the “semi-barbaric” Alexander brought them to heel did
the land of the Greeks feel the winds of peace – but only briefly.
| Registration Form Part II begins March 1, 2010. Advance registration by mail is recommended. Registrations will also be accepted at the door. |
About the Lecturer
Dr. William J. Neidinger
Dr. William J. Neidinger
PART I LECTURES:
- The Minoan Thalassocracy.
- The Mycenaeans: Warriors and Merchants.
- The Wrath of Achilles: The Trojan War.
- Greeks are Political Animals: The Polis.
- The Golden Age of Ancient Greece.
- (Part I ended February 22, 2010)
In this two-part series of lectures we will trace the rise and fall of ancient Greek civilization from its Bronze Age
beginnings in the Aegean to the three-continent empire of Alexander the Great; and, finally, examine the continuing legacy
of ancient Greece.
The lectures will be richly illustrated with images, and course material will include detailed lecture notes and an extensive
syllabus including maps and ground plans.
beginnings in the Aegean to the three-continent empire of Alexander the Great; and, finally, examine the continuing legacy
of ancient Greece.
The lectures will be richly illustrated with images, and course material will include detailed lecture notes and an extensive
syllabus including maps and ground plans.
PART I I LECTURES:
- Suicide: the Peloponnesian War. After defeating the million-man Persian army and armada in a series of
battles that cost the Greeks dearly, the Greeks began to turn in upon themselves. Athens and Sparta developed
coalitions whose chief purpose was not to deal a death blow to the Persian Empire, but to annihilate one
another. - The Rise of the Macedonians. The Greeks expended their energies for more than a century in trying to
dominate one another. On the fringes of the Greek world was a half-Greek, half barbaric people known as the
Macedonians. The Macedonians would come to dominate mainland Greece at the price of destroying Greek
freedom. - Alexander the Great. Philip II and Alexander the III the Great brought the fractious Greeks into submission for
a campaign to liberate all Greek cities and destroy the Persian Empire. Philip was assassinated before this
crusade began, and his son Alexander would complete it, but never see his native Macedonia again. - The Hellenistic Empires. In the wake of Alexander’s death, his three-continent-wide empire disintegrated and
his generals seized for themselves what they could. This era would witness the last great florescence of
Ancient Greek culture. - The Legacy of Ancient Greece. Although all of the Greek cities and kingdoms were eventually conquered by
Rome, Greek culture continued to exert an influence upon the ancient world. In this lecture we will examine
the impact of the Greeks across space and time in Western history.
| PART II BEGINS MARCH 1 |
