CLHUMHI112 - Profiles From the Past: Greek, Roman and Early Medieval History

Explore the enduring influence of ancient Greek, Roman and Early Medieval cultures and key historical figures—from Socrates and Sappho to Caesar and Charlemagne—whose ideas still resonate today. Join historian Newell Boyd, Ph.D., to consider pivotal concepts from the fields of politics, art, music and philosophy that form a legacy of the Western past. A major vehicle for conveying this legacy is the transmitted histories of famous and lesser-known ancient people. As Thomas Carlyle said, “History of the world is the biography of the great man.” Anyone from the past whose story we know even a portion of can illuminate our own times and paths to the future. In this course we listen to and observe a selection of historical personalities, seeking to comprehend how their lives reflect both the universality and uniqueness of human experience.

• Ancient Greek World: Homer, Sappho, Socrates
• Hellenistic World: Alexander
• Roman World: Cincinnatus, Julius Caesar, Juvenal
• Early Medieval World: Charlemagne, Abelard and Heloise