CLASS 2685

Egyptomania? Egypt and the Greco-Roman World

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2021-2022.

This course explores the multifaceted interactions between ancient Egypt and the Classical world, from the Bronze Age to the Roman Empire. We will look at both archaeological and textual evidence (in English translation) to ask what this entangled history can tell us about life in the ancient Mediterranean. Among many other topics, we will consider Greek merchants and mercenaries in Egypt; Egyptian influences on Greek and Roman art; the famous queen Cleopatra, and her seductive but threatening reputation in Roman literature; the appearance of Egyptian underworld gods on Greek and Roman "magical gems" and curse tablets; and the ways that Greco-Roman representations of Egypt have shaped modern conceptions of Egyptian civilization, from 19th-century Romanticism to 21st-century pop culture.

When Offered Spring.

Breadth Requirement (GHB)
Distribution Category (CA-AS, GLC-AS, SCD-AS)

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