The Bibliotheke

August 28: Homer Discussion 1 (Iliad 1-8)

1. Even though the poem deals with only one episode in the Trojan War, how does Homer manage to encompass the earlier parts of the war in these books?
2. What motivates heroes to fight? What do they get out of it? What is the “heroic code” and what contradictions does it embody? What is the importance of family and lineage for heroes?
3. In Book 2 we meet the only ordinary soldier to have a substantial role, Thersites. How do you interpret his physical description, speech, and the response he evokes? What does this show about society?
4. How does the aristeia of Diomedes show the nature of the hero and his limits?
5. What sort of political organization can we see in the Greek armies and in Troy? What gives rulers their power, and what defines the hierarchy of kings in the Greek armies?
6. How are Andromache and Helen being contrasted in Iliad 6? What about Hecuba? What can we learn about the proper role of women in Homeric society from them?
7. How does Hector embody the heroic code, and what contradictions do we see in him? How does he compare to Achilles and the other heroes?
8. How does the society of the gods mirror that of humans? How does it differ? What does this show about how the Greeks understood their religion?

September 11: Homer Discussion 2 (Iliad 1-18)

1. Iliad means a poem about Ilium, i.e. the city of Troy. What defines Troy as a city? How does it contrast with the Achaean camp?
2. An important component of Homeric society is xenia, variously translated as hospitality or guest-friendship. What are the rules and obligations of this, and what does this show about how relations function in the Homeric world?
3. The Greeks all seem to condemn Achilles for his intransigence in Book 9. Could they all be wrong? Why, even after Agamemnon’s apparently generous offer does Achilles reject the embassy? Could Agamemnon have done anything to produce a better outcome?
4. How does the aristeia of Patroclus compare/contrast with those of Diomedes and Agamemnon? How does Patroclus lose his own identity?
5. In book 16 what can we learn from the episode of Sarpedon’s death about the Homeric gods, their relationship with humans, and the relation between the gods and fate in the Homeric world?
6. Why does Patroclus die and who bears responsibility?
7. On the Shield of Achilles we are given of view of cities at war and at peace. What are the defining characteristics of these cities, and how do they differ? How do they compare to Troy?

September 18: Homer Discussion 3 (Iliad 1-24)

1. How does Achilles question and contradict the heroic value system? How is Achilles himself a bundle of contradictions?
2. How does Achilles revert to a more primitive, savage, form during his aristeia, and how does he go beyond human boundaries? What does this show about Homeric society and its values?
3. Athletic contests were very important for the Greeks, who after all founded the Olympics. How are the funeral games in Iliad 23 organized? Who gets to participate in them, and what kind of rewards do they get?
4. Beyond being a way to honor Patroclus, how does Homer use the funeral games in Iliad 23 to further develop his characters?
5. How do the heroes in Homer view death? How is death an impetus for them? How is death particularly important for Achilles, and how does he understand it compared to the other heroes? How is the funeral of Patroclus really the funeral of Achilles?
6. How does Iliad 24 serve to put the final touches on the characterization of Achilles? How would you describe the nature of the relationship that develops between him and Priam during their remarkable scene together?
7. Even though the poem deals with only a single episode of the Trojan War, how does it encompass the entire 10-year conflict from beginning to end?

October 4: The Greeks in Egypt Discussion (Herodotus Book 2)

1. What does Herodotus reveal about his sources for Egypt, and how might that color his narrative? What can we learn about Herodotus' methods of inquiry?
2. What kinds of Egyptian laws and customs is Herodotus especially interested in? What do they show about Herodotus?
3. Herodotus remarks that the Egyptians are "opposite" the Greeks (2.35.2). How then does Herodotus define what it means to be Greek through his presentation of the Egyptians? How does he define what it means to be a "barbarian?"
4. How does Herodotus also try to make the Greeks out as having learned from the Egyptians, and why?
5. Herodotus includes many "marvels" in his description of Egypt. What are some of your favorites, and why might Herodotus have included them?
6. What does the Egyptian narrative reveal about Herodotus' attitude towards mythology?
7. What does Herodotus' description of the various Egyptian kings show?
8. Why ultimately do you think the Greeks were so fascinated with Egypt?

November 1: The Birth of Tragedy Discussion (Aeschylus: Suppliants)

1. What is the role of Zeus in the Suppliants? How does this differ from Zeus in the Iliad?
2. How do the different characters in the play define “justice”? What role do the gods have to play in the pursuit of justice?
3. How does the Suppliants reflect the new ideology of the polis? Do you detect any tension between the older heroic world of the Iliad and the newer world of the city-state?
4. What role does supplication and guest-friendship have to play in the Suppliants, and how does it differ from the Odyssey?
5. How are the Danaids defined as “Egyptian”? Is this at all like what we read in Book 2 of Herodotus? Does Aeschylus use the “Egyptianness” of the Danaids to define what it is to be Greek?
6. How are men and women and their respective roles defined and contrasted in the play?

November 10: Herodotus Discussion 1 (Herodotus Book 1)

1. What does Herodotus see as the purpose of his work? What does he see as his relation with the earlier authors we have read, such as Homer, Hesiod, and the philosophers?
2. Why does Herodotus include the Solon/Croesus meeting, even though it could not possibly have happened? What does it show about how we should read the Histories? Can it be applied elsewhere in Book 1?
3. What role does Herodotus see the gods and fate as playing in history? What role does this leave for human decisions? How does it compare with what we saw in the Iliad?
4. What does Herodotus reveal about his sources? What else can we infer about where he gets his information from
5. What other stories are similar to Herodotus' account of the birth and youth of Cyrus? What does this show about Herodotus and his sources?
6. What does the Persian ethnography reveal about Herodotus and his tolerance of non-Greeks? What do the Persian customs he highlights reveal about the Greeks and their civilization?
7. What does Herodotus' attitude towards the political organization of the Greeks seem to be? What sort of organization does he seem to favor?
8. What qualities does Herodotus seem to admire most in Cyrus? What lessons would he want his audience to take from Cyrus' death?

November 17: Herodotus Discussion 2 (Herodotus 5.30-38, 5.49-51, 5.55-93, 5.97-126, 6.94-140, 7.1-60, 7.100-239)

1. What are the causes of the Ionian revolt? What larger themes from the Histories do we see in them?
2. What is the purpose of the long digression about the Spartan attempts to restore the Pisistratids to Athens?
3. What is Herodotus’ overall attitude Sparta and the Spartans in these books? Is it entirely positive, or does he see any negative connotations to Sparta's actions?
4. Based on Books 6 & 7, what role does Herodotus see the gods and fate as playing in history? What role does this leave for human decisions?
5. What is the attitude of Herodotus towards Xerxes and how is this similar or different from other leaders? Does he portray Xerxes as a simple despot, or is there more to him?
6. What is Herodotus’ understanding of Pan-Hellenism, and how does he reconcile it with the independence of the individual polis?
7. One of the few references in Herodotus to an event after 479 occurs at 7.137 - what does Herodotus use this to illustrate? 

December 1: Herodotus Discussion 3 (Herodotus 8.1-115, 8.140-9.70)

1. Does Herodotus have a concept of Justice in the Histories? How does this affect how he portrays the Persians?
2. Based on Books 8 & 9, what role does Herodotus see the gods and fate as playing in history? What role does this leave for human decisions? Is this different in the later books than in Book 1?
3. What does Herodotus see as defining the Greeks as "Greek?" Is there a particular "Greek" identity that transcends individual cities? How does Herodotus feel about the political divisions of the Greeks?
4. How does Herodotus define the concept of "freedom"?
5. What are Herodotus' feelings about Athens in these books? Are there any negative connotations to Athens' actions during the wars that Herodotus wants his readers to see?
6. Why, according to Herodotus, to the Persians really fail to conquer Greece? Is it due primarily to the Greeks themselves, or are other factors at work? What does this show about Herodotus' world view?
7. Why does Herodotus choose to close the Histories with the story at 9.122? What message does he want his audience to take away from reading the Histories?