This course introduces ancient Greek history, culture, and society from its Bronze Age beginnings through the aftermath of Alexander the Great’s empire, with a focus on the Archaic and Classical periods (the eighth through the fourth centuries BCE). Themes covered include the Greeks’ interactions with the wider Mediterranean, the relationship between humans and gods, the development and dissolution of democratic political systems, Greek artistic and literary production, and the social and economic structure of different Greek communities. We will read a wide array of primary sources in translation, including poetry, history, drama, philosophy, oratory, laws, and graffiti. We will also learn how archaeologists use artifacts, architecture, and methods drawn from the natural and social sciences to interpret the ancient Greek past. Finally, we will consider why ancient Greece – its achievements and its contradictions – continues to fascinate us today.