Introduction to Ancient Greek History (CLCV 205)
In this lecture, Professor Donald Kagan tells the story of the emergence of the polis from the Dark Ages. He shows that by the time of the poet Hesiod, there is already a polis in place. He describes the importance of the polis in the Greek world and explains that it was much more than a mere place of habitation; it was a place where there was justice, law, community, and a set of cultural values that held Greeks together. Finally, Professor Kagan argues, following the lead of Victor David Hanson, that the polis came to be chiefly through the emergence of a new man: the hoplite farmer.
00:00 - Chapter 1. The Polis in Hesiod's Work
22:01 - Chapter 2. The Citizen
26:32 - Chapter 3. Greek Farmers and the Function of the Polis
36:12 - Chapter 4. Property Holding and Internal Colonization
42:26 - Chapter 5. The New Farm
57:09 - Chapter 6. Politics
Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: open.yale.edu/courses
This course was recorded in Fall 2007.