Description
Nature and Society in the Ancient Mediterranean is a 3-credit Classics elective also cross-listed in the History and Literature Program. The course offers an overview of the relationship ancient Greeks and Romans had with their natural environment. We will examine questions such as: "How did the ancient Greeks and Romans understand their place in nature? What were their views on exploration of natural resources, sustainability, and natural catastrophes? How did they explain the natural phenomena all around them? What impact did they have into their natural environment? By exploring the environmental views of the ancient Greeks and Romans, this course invites students to ask and answer the question: "How can the ancient world help up address our own environmental challenges?" Special emphasis will be placed on practical aspects of natural resource management, species extinction, depictions of flora and fauna in literature and visual arts, and popular views of meteorology.