After a curious gap of over 30 years, the Athenians finally started to rebuild on the Acropolis following the Persian sack of 480 BC. In this lecture Dr Gillian Shepherd examines the extravagant programme of grand buildings – most famously the Parthenon – on the Acropolis and looks at some of the issues surrounding the interpretation of the buildings and their decoration. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

After a curious gap of over 30 years, the Athenians finally started to rebuild on the Acropolis following the Persian sack of 480 BC. In this lecture Dr Gillian Shepherd examines the extravagant programme of grand buildings – most famously the Parthenon – on the Acropolis and looks at some of the issues surrounding the interpretation of the buildings and their decoration. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

The Acropolis Programme

The Battle of Marathon in 490 BC – when against all odds the Athenians (with a bit of help from the Plataeans) defeated the Persians was too good a PR opportunity for the Athenians to ignore and they made the most of it. In this lecture Dr Gillian Shepherd looks at the imagery associated with war and especially the Battle of Marathon and the series of victory monuments erected in Athens, Attica and Delphi. Marathon entered Athenian mythology: the gods themselves – Athena, Herakles, Theseus and Echetlaos no less - had turned up at Marathon to help the Athenians. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

The Battle of Marathon in 490 BC – when against all odds the Athenians (with a bit of help from the Plataeans) defeated the Persians was too good a PR opportunity for the Athenians to ignore and they made the most of it. In this lecture Dr Gillian Shepherd looks at the imagery associated with war and especially the Battle of Marathon and the series of victory monuments erected in Athens, Attica and Delphi. Marathon entered Athenian mythology: the gods themselves – Athena, Herakles, Theseus and Echetlaos no less - had turned up at Marathon to help the Athenians. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Art, Myth and Marathon

Sanctuaries were the context for many of the most impressive buildings and sculptures produced by the ancient Greeks. In this lecture Dr Gillian Shepherd looks at the basic types of sanctuary and temple design, and then focuses on one of the most famous of all Greek sanctuaries, that of Zeus Olympios at Olympia – home to the Olympic games, but also the site of lavish temples, treasuries and sculpture. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Sanctuaries were the context for many of the most impressive buildings and sculptures produced by the ancient Greeks. In this lecture Dr Gillian Shepherd looks at the basic types of sanctuary and temple design, and then focuses on one of the most famous of all Greek sanctuaries, that of Zeus Olympios at Olympia – home to the Olympic games, but also the site of lavish temples, treasuries and sculpture. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Myth, Art, War and Greek Sanctuaries

Mythological scenes are common in Greek art. The Trojan War was a very popular subject for Greek artists, especially vase painters of the 6th and 5th centuries BC. In this lecture Dr Gillian Shepherd looks at range of images of the Trojan War – some of which do not in fact occur in the literary tradition. Are we missing some stories, or could ancient Greek painters and sculptors come up with their own slant on mythical characters and their antics? Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Mythological scenes are common in Greek art. The Trojan War was a very popular subject for Greek artists, especially vase painters of the 6th and 5th centuries BC. In this lecture Dr Gillian Shepherd looks at range of images of the Trojan War – some of which do not in fact occur in the literary tradition. Are we missing some stories, or could ancient Greek painters and sculptors come up with their own slant on mythical characters and their antics? Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

The Trojan War in Greek Art

Pottery is the single biggest category of evidence we have from the classical world – there is nothing we have more of. Much of it is fragmentary coarseware, but other vases were decorated. Thousands of vases painted in the black and red figure techniques were made in Athens between the seventh and fourth centuries BC and exported all over the Greek world. In this lecture Dr Gillian Shepherd looks at the basics of Athenian vase painting: shapes, techniques and dating. Vases with scenes of myth and everyday life are invaluable sources for analysing ancient society – for example, the scenes of everyday life give us a picture of Greek activities and what perishables such as furniture and textiles looked like. But can we take these at face value? Or do they potentially offer some more idealised or restricted view of ancient Greek life and society? This examined through two categories of everyday life scene in particular: warfare and women. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Pottery is the single biggest category of evidence we have from the classical world – there is nothing we have more of. Much of it is fragmentary coarseware, but other vases were decorated. Thousands of vases painted in the black and red figure techniques were made in Athens between the seventh and fourth centuries BC and exported all over the Greek world. In this lecture Dr Gillian Shepherd looks at the basics of Athenian vase painting: shapes, techniques and dating. Vases with scenes of myth and everyday life are invaluable sources for analysing ancient society – for example, the scenes of everyday life give us a picture of Greek activities and what perishables such as furniture and textiles looked like. But can we take these at face value? Or do they potentially offer some more idealised or restricted view of ancient Greek life and society? This examined through two categories of everyday life scene in particular: warfare and women. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Vase Painting in Classical Athens

Set in the aftermath of the Trojan War, Euripides’ Trojan Women is a lament for the fallen city and the fate of its women, destined for slavery. In this lecture Dr Heather Sebo examines one of the darkest of all Greek plays, where tragedy upon tragedy is piled upon the women and children who have survived the sack of Troy – a poignant commentary on the futility of war and the plight of the weak and defenceless. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Set in the aftermath of the Trojan War, Euripides’ Trojan Women is a lament for the fallen city and the fate of its women, destined for slavery. In this lecture Dr Heather Sebo examines one of the darkest of all Greek plays, where tragedy upon tragedy is piled upon the women and children who have survived the sack of Troy – a poignant commentary on the futility of war and the plight of the weak and defenceless. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Euripides’ Trojan Women

Staged not long after the disastrous defeat of the Athenians at Syracuse during the Peloponnesian War, the seriousness of Aristophanes’ Lysistrata would not have been lost on its audience, despite it being a comedy laden with sexual humour. In this lecture Dr Heather Sebo looks at the very real messages about the futility of war, the parlous state of Athens and the position of women in Athenian society in Aristophanes’ comedy of a sex strike orchestrated by women to bring their men to their knees… Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Staged not long after the disastrous defeat of the Athenians at Syracuse during the Peloponnesian War, the seriousness of Aristophanes’ Lysistrata would not have been lost on its audience, despite it being a comedy laden with sexual humour. In this lecture Dr Heather Sebo looks at the very real messages about the futility of war, the parlous state of Athens and the position of women in Athenian society in Aristophanes’ comedy of a sex strike orchestrated by women to bring their men to their knees… Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Aristophanes’ Lysistrata

Aristophanes’ Lysistrata (handout)

Sophocles’ Ajax is one of our earliest surviving Greek plays, produced in c. 440 BC. In this lecture Dr Heather Sebo examines Sophocles’ treatment of the theme of a changing world which posed new challenges and required new skills for coping – an issue only too familiar to contemporary 5th century Athenians. The ability of the adherents of the old order to cope with a new environment – or their lack of ability – is explored through the tragic figure of the hero Ajax. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Sophocles’ Ajax is one of our earliest surviving Greek plays, produced in c. 440 BC. In this lecture Dr Heather Sebo examines Sophocles’ treatment of the theme of a changing world which posed new challenges and required new skills for coping – an issue only too familiar to contemporary 5th century Athenians. The ability of the adherents of the old order to cope with a new environment – or their lack of ability – is explored through the tragic figure of the hero Ajax. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Sophocles’ Ajax

Performed in Athens in the last years of the Peloponnesian War and when Athens had a democracy, Euripides’ Iphigenia in Aulis is appropriately a play about decision-making. In this lecture Dr Heather Sebo traces the dramatic events in Iphigenia in Aulis leading up to the departure of the Greek fleet for Troy. Although based on a myth, Euripides’ play has never ceased to be relevant in terms of its examination of the dilemmas and circumstances in which human beings become enmeshed. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Performed in Athens in the last years of the Peloponnesian War and when Athens had a democracy, Euripides’ Iphigenia in Aulis is appropriately a play about decision-making. In this lecture Dr Heather Sebo traces the dramatic events in Iphigenia in Aulis leading up to the departure of the Greek fleet for Troy. Although based on a myth, Euripides’ play has never ceased to be relevant in terms of its examination of the dilemmas and circumstances in which human beings become enmeshed. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Euripides’ Iphigenia in Aulis

In this subject students are introduced to the diversity of the ancient Greek achievement, which has exercised a fundamental and continuing influence upon later European literature and culture. The subject commences with a detailed treatment of Homer's Iliad and the myth of the Trojan war. This is one of the dominant myths in the Greek tradition and is narrated in some detail in epic poetry, in drama, and in art and architecture. We explore how myths are 'read' in their historical context, especially in the contexts of the Persian and Peloponnesian wars of the 5th Century BC. A variety of sources are treated to enable students to build up a picture of Greek society as a whole.

La Trobe has many excellent history lectures, and I have enjoyed them on my daily commutes to school. This lecture in particular was a good refresher course into Ancient Greek history. I do not mean to be pedantic, but my only qualm is that the professor once mentioned Athena being known for hunting and a sort of guardian to little girls, when that was what Artemis was associated with. Otherwise, the professors are very informative, and they make the lectures exciting.

Wonderful

Ancient Greece: Myth, Art, War

This lecture provides a general introduction to this subject by providing a chronological framework and basic geography of the ancient Greek world. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

This lecture provides a general introduction to this subject by providing a chronological framework and basic geography of the ancient Greek world. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Introduction to Ancient Greece

This lecture introduces aspects of Classical myth, and examines the social and historical context of the 8th century BCE from which the Homeric epics emerge. It considers Homer’s poetic agenda and his creative use of the Trojan war myth. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

This lecture introduces aspects of Classical myth, and examines the social and historical context of the 8th century BCE from which the Homeric epics emerge. It considers Homer’s poetic agenda and his creative use of the Trojan war myth. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

The Early Greek World and Greek Myths

Following the fall of the Peisistratid tyranny in Athens, the Athenians instituted a revolutionary new form of government: democracy. In this lecture, Dr Gillian Shepherd looks at the nature of Athenian democracy and how we think it might have functioned in the 5th century BC, including some of the structures and objects found in the Athenian agora which provide evidence for democracy at work. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Following the fall of the Peisistratid tyranny in Athens, the Athenians instituted a revolutionary new form of government: democracy. In this lecture, Dr Gillian Shepherd looks at the nature of Athenian democracy and how we think it might have functioned in the 5th century BC, including some of the structures and objects found in the Athenian agora which provide evidence for democracy at work. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Athens in the 5th Century BC

Peisistratos, tyrant of Athens, seems to have ruled benevolently and Athens prospered under his regime. In the course of the 6th century BC, important public buildings were erected in both the Agora (town square) of Athens and on the Acropolis. But change was afoot: in this lecture Dr Gillian Shepherd traces the events of the late sixth century and earlier 5th century BC, an action-packed period for Athens. The Peisistratid tyranny fell and was replaced by a new form of government – democracy. Despite the new regime, life was not peaceful: the Athenians united with other Greeks in bloody clashes with the invading Persians, fighting some of the greatest battles in history -  Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis and Plataea. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Peisistratos, tyrant of Athens, seems to have ruled benevolently and Athens prospered under his regime. In the course of the 6th century BC, important public buildings were erected in both the Agora (town square) of Athens and on the Acropolis. But change was afoot: in this lecture Dr Gillian Shepherd traces the events of the late sixth century and earlier 5th century BC, an action-packed period for Athens. The Peisistratid tyranny fell and was replaced by a new form of government – democracy. Despite the new regime, life was not peaceful: the Athenians united with other Greeks in bloody clashes with the invading Persians, fighting some of the greatest battles in history - Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis and Plataea. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Greece at War: The Persian Wars

Did the Trojan War actually happen? What evidence do we have on – or rather in – the ground for Troy and the world of heroes, magnificent cities and rich objects which Homer describes? In this lecture Dr Gillian Shepherd looks at some of the issues in identifying “Homer’s Troy” and the glories of Late Bronze Age Greece, especially Mycenae, home of Agamemnon – much of which is indeed described by Homer. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Did the Trojan War actually happen? What evidence do we have on – or rather in – the ground for Troy and the world of heroes, magnificent cities and rich objects which Homer describes? In this lecture Dr Gillian Shepherd looks at some of the issues in identifying “Homer’s Troy” and the glories of Late Bronze Age Greece, especially Mycenae, home of Agamemnon – much of which is indeed described by Homer. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Bronze Age Greece and Troy

Athens in the 7th century BC seems to have been a place of social and political tensions between rich and poor. At the beginning of the 6th century, Solon emerged as an enlightened reformer, who put in place measures to improve the Athenian economy and the lot of the poor, and recorded his efforts in poetry. By 560 BC, however, Athens was moving towards a political regime common in archaic Greece: tyranny. After three attempts, Peisistratos finally gained power as tyrant of Athens. In this lecture Dr Gillian Shepherd explores this critical period in Greek history and also focuses on one of our main sources, the 5th century BC writer Herodotus, who is often awarded the title of “the father of history”. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Athens in the 7th century BC seems to have been a place of social and political tensions between rich and poor. At the beginning of the 6th century, Solon emerged as an enlightened reformer, who put in place measures to improve the Athenian economy and the lot of the poor, and recorded his efforts in poetry. By 560 BC, however, Athens was moving towards a political regime common in archaic Greece: tyranny. After three attempts, Peisistratos finally gained power as tyrant of Athens. In this lecture Dr Gillian Shepherd explores this critical period in Greek history and also focuses on one of our main sources, the 5th century BC writer Herodotus, who is often awarded the title of “the father of history”. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Solon to Peisistratos: Athens in the 6th Century BC

For reasons that are still unclear to us, the Mycenaean civilisation fell around 1200 BC. After that, life was relatively grim in Greece – a lot of important skills, including literacy, were lost and Greece seems to have had less contact with the outside world. In this lecture Dr Gillian Shepherd looks at this intriguing period between the Bronze Age and the Classical period: occasionally, however, we see a glimmer of light in the Dark Age Greece, such as the extraordinary finds from Lefkandi and flashy 9th century BC burials in Athens. In the 8th century BC - sometimes called the “Renaissance” of ancient Greece – we see an explosion in the archaeological record after the relative paucity of the Dark Ages: more burials, more settlements and more religious activity. The Greeks started venturing abroad, and founded settlements overseas. The 8th century also saw reading and writing reappear – but this time in a new form, an alphabet borrowed from the Phoenicians. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

For reasons that are still unclear to us, the Mycenaean civilisation fell around 1200 BC. After that, life was relatively grim in Greece – a lot of important skills, including literacy, were lost and Greece seems to have had less contact with the outside world. In this lecture Dr Gillian Shepherd looks at this intriguing period between the Bronze Age and the Classical period: occasionally, however, we see a glimmer of light in the Dark Age Greece, such as the extraordinary finds from Lefkandi and flashy 9th century BC burials in Athens. In the 8th century BC - sometimes called the “Renaissance” of ancient Greece – we see an explosion in the archaeological record after the relative paucity of the Dark Ages: more burials, more settlements and more religious activity. The Greeks started venturing abroad, and founded settlements overseas. The 8th century also saw reading and writing reappear – but this time in a new form, an alphabet borrowed from the Phoenicians. Copyright 2013 Gillian Shepherd / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Homer's World: Dark Age Greece

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