HS3383: The World of Cleopatra
School | Ancient History |
Department Code | SHARE |
Module Code | HS3383 |
External Subject Code | 100298 |
Number of Credits | 20 |
Level | L6 |
Language of Delivery | English |
Module Leader | Dr Alexander Mcauley |
Semester | Spring Semester |
Academic Year | 2017/8 |
Outline Description of Module
The life of the last queen of the Ptolemaic Dynasty coincides with the twilight of the Hellenistic Period as well as the Roman Republic, and she ranks among the most influential figures in the history of both. This module explores the world of Cleopatra VII by situating her in the context of Ptolemaic Egypt, Hellenistic royal women, and the late Roman Republic. Both her external relations – including her famous liaisons with Julius Caesar & Mark Antony – as well as her domestic policy will be considered through the analysis of a variety of literary, epigraphic, archaeology, and numismatic evidence.
The ancient and modern legacy of the queen and her impact on popular culture will be traced from Virgil to HBO’s Rome with an eye to separating her later repute from her historical persona. This module will provide students with a firm grounding in Hellenistic as well as Roman Republican History by treating Cleopatra as a figure that bridges the gap between these two worlds.
On completion of the module a student should be able to
- Knowledge of the character of Greek rule over Ptolemaic Egypt.
- An understanding of the role and status of royal women in the period.
- A grasp of the narrative history of the late Hellenistic period and the late Roman Republic.
- An ability to analyse the context and bias of ancient literary authors, and the politics of their composition
- An ability to synthesize and reconcile different types of ancient source material, including epigraphy, archaeology, and numismatics.
- The capacity to provide argumentation in support of a thesis, supported by the critical incorporation of primary and secondary sources
- Critical engagement in seminar discussions, and the ability to communication an argument orally.
- An ability to discuss these issues in written work with coherent and logical arguments, clearly and correctly expressed.
How the module will be delivered
This module will be delivered through 24 fifty-minute sessions, comprised of a mix of lecture and discussion of primary source material through the term. Students will choose their own topic for the Digital Museum Project in consultation with the module coordinator, and develop their work
Skills that will be practised and developed
- analysis of a variety of different types of historical evidence, such as literary texts and material evidence
- assimilating and synthesising complex information and ideas
- critical thinking skills, such as analysing and evaluating evidence, critiquing interpretations or arguments, and challenging assumptions
- constructing and defending arguments based on evidence
- clear, accurate and effective communication of ideas and arguments in writing and in debate
- employing basic skills and conventions in the presentation and use of literary and material evidence
- contributing to group discussions
- using IT resources effectively
- independent working and time management
How the module will be assessed
The module will be assessed through a Digital Museum Project (45%), a final examination (45%), and a module blog (10%).
-Digital Museum Project: The project will task students with finding and selecting a group of physical or literary artefacts into an exhibit which they feel captures and represents the trends that characterize the world of Cleopatra. Students will be expected to present and justify their exhibition, and explain why and how the artefacts they have selected tie into the larger themes of the course. More precise details and instructions regarding the Digital Museum Project will be distributed.
-Final Examination: The Final Examination will be held during the University’s final examination period at the end of the term. More details on the examination’s format and content will be made available well in advance of the examination date.
Students who fail the module will normally be expected to resit the failed component(s) in the summer resit period.
Assessment Breakdown
Type | % | Title | Duration(hrs) |
---|---|---|---|
Portfolio | 45 | Digital Museum Project | N/A |
Exam - Spring Semester | 45 | The World Of Cleopatra | 2 |
Written Assessment | 10 | Module Blog | N/A |
Syllabus content
List of topics which will be covered includes:
- History of the Ptolemaic dynasty up to Cleopatra VII.
- Royalty in Macedon and the Hellenistic dynasties.
- Royal women of the Ptolemaic dynasty.
- Greeks and Egyptians in Ptolemaic Egypt.
- The life and reign of Cleopatra VII.
- Cleopatra VII as queen of Egypt.
- The Late Roman Republic.
- The relationship between Julius Caesar and Cleopatra VII.
- Cleopatra VII, Antony, and Octavian.
- Cleopatra VII in Roman literature.
- The legacy and reception of Cleopatra VII in film, television, and popular culture.
Essential Reading and Resource List
Integral Text: Jones, Prudence J. (ed.), 2006. Cleopatra: A Sourcebook. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press.
Ashton, Sally Ann, 2008. Cleopatra and Egypt. Oxford: Blackwell.
Bevan, Edwyn R., 1968 (original 1927). The House of Ptolemy. Chicago: Ares Publishers.
Bingen, Jean, 2007. Hellenistic Egypt. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Carney, Elizabeth, 2010. ‘Being Royal and Being Female in the Hellenistic Period’, in A. Erskine & L.
Llewellyn-Jones (eds), Creating a Hellenistic World. Swansea: Classical Press of Wales, 195-220.
Chauveau, Michel, 2000. Egypt in the Age of Cleopatra. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Chauveau, Michel, 2004. Cleopatra: Beyond the Myth. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Hölbl, Günther, 2001. A History of the Ptolemaic Empire. Oxford: Routledge
Hughes-Hallett, Lucy, 1991. Cleopatra: Histories, Dreams, and Distortions. New York: Harper Collins.
Jones, Prudence J. (ed.), 2006. Cleopatra: A Sourcebook. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press.
Lewis, Napthtali, 2001. Greeks in Ptolemaic Egypt. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Montserrat, Dominic, 1996. Sex and Society in Graeco-Roman Egypt. London: Kegan Paul.
Pomeroy, Sarah B., 1990. Women in Hellenistic Egypt: From Alexander to Cleopatra, Detroit: Wayne State
University Press.
Roller, Duane W., 2010. Cleopatra: A Biography, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Schiff, Stacy, 2010. Cleopatra: A Life. New York: Ebury.
Scullard, H.H. 2013. From the Gracchi to Nero. Oxford: Routledge.
Strootman, R. 2010. ‘Queen of Kings: Cleopatra VII and the Donations of Alexandria’ in T. Kaizer and M. Facella
(eds), Kingdoms and Principalities in the Roman Near East. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, 139-157.
Syme, Ronald R., 1939. The Roman Revolution, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Troy, Lana, 1986. Patterns of Queenship in Ancient Egyptian Myth and History, Uppsala: Uppsala University
Press.
Walker, Susan and Peter Higgs (eds.), 2001. Cleopatra of Egypt: From History to Myth. New Haven, CT:
Princeton University Press.
Whitehorne, John, 2000. Cleopatras. Oxford: Oxford University Press