Timothy Moore

The myths of ancient Greece are not only inherently interesting, but they are an incomparable starting point for the study of the ancient world, and they have offered numerous images and paradigms to modern poets, artists, and theorists. This course provides an introduction to the content of the major Greek myths, the historical and social background of the myths, the role of the myths in literature and art, and modern ways of interpreting and using myths. We examine as well the Near Eastern background to Greek myths and the adaptations of the myths in Roman and modern cultures.

Music played a vital role in Ancient Greece and Rome. New resources and perspectives now allow us to appreciate the ancients' music better than ever before. In this course we address the nature of ancient music (instruments, melody and rhythm, modes), ancient attitudes towards music, and its contribution to public and private life. The focus throughout is on our ancient sources, both literary and archaeological.

An introduction to the profession of classical scholarship, in the form of a proseminar for all graduate students in the Department of Classics. The course provides an introduction to a variety of methods and aspects of the study of Greece and Rome. We will read samples of the scholarly literature in each area to explore what it means to pursue a career in Classics.

The tragedies of Euripides are among the most powerful dramas ever produced. In this class we will read Euripides’ Medea in Greek as well as scholarly works on the tragedy and its contexts. Among the topics discussed will be language and style, meter and music, mythological and historical backgrounds, elements of performance, and Euripides’ influence in the modern world.

In this course we read selections from Herodotus’ Histories in Greek and the entire work in English translation, concentrating especially on Herodotus’ attitudes towards cultural differences, especially that between “East” and “West.”

The Odes of Horace rank among the world´s greatest lyric poems. In this course we will read a number of the Odes in Latin, concentrating on the sound of the verse, how Horace uses the Latin language, and Horace himself as a man, a poet, and a Roman of the Augustan Age. Readings in secondary sources in English will give us further insights into what the Odes tell us about Horace, Rome, and the workings of lyric poetry.

The tragedies of Seneca are fascinating works in themselves and have had a profound influence on modern theatre and literature. In this class we will read together Seneca’s Phaedra in Latin, other Senecan plays in English translation, and various works of ancient literature and modern scholarship related to the plays. Each student will also choose an additional Senecan tragedy to read in Latin, and graduate student class members will read Seneca’s Thyestes in Latin. Among the topics discussed will be the tradition of tragedy in Rome, questions of performance, and Seneca’s responses to the politics and philosophy of his age.

We will read, discuss, and write about the entire corpus of Catullus and scholarly works on Catullus and his poems, examining the sound and style of the poems, their literary and cultural background, their influence on later literature, and how various modern approaches can help us understand them.

This course is designed as an introduction to the Ab urbe condita of Livy. We will read extensive selections from the work in Latin and will discuss various questions, including Livy's relationship with earlier and later writers, his style and literary techniques, and his moral, political, and philosophical preconceptions.

Students enrolled in this course engage in close and sustained reading of a set of texts that are indispensable for an understanding of the European literary tradition, texts that continue to offer invaluable insights into humanity and the world around us. Homer's Iliad is the foundation of our class. We then go on to trace ways in which later poets and dramatists engage the work of predecessors who inspire and challenge them. Readings move from translations of Greek, Latin, French, Japanese, and Italian, to poetry and drama composed in English. In addition to Homer, we will read works of Sappho, Sophocles, Plato, Vergil, Ovid, Marie de France, Dante, Petrarch, Zeami, and Shakespeare.