FRSEM-UA 546
Travel and Communication in the
Ancient World
Silver 503
M 3:30-6:00
Raffaella Cribiore
Email: rc119@NYU.edu
Office: Silver 503L
Office phone: 212 998-3827
Home phone: 212 980-3665
Office Hours:
and by appointment
TEXTS:
L. Casson, Travel in the Ancient World (Baltimore 1994); F. Redmond, True History
Decrypted (to be downloaded for the cost of $1:00; it contains books of Homer and the
text of Lucian); J. Swift, Gulliver’s Travel (2012).
Some texts and articles will be posted in NYUClasses.
COURSE
This course will enquire about the conditions for traveling, communicating, and
spreading news in ancient times. The ancients embarked on tremendous journeys of
mythic and epic significance and did not consider travel for leisure. They journeyed to
distant places in precarious condition. In the modern world travels are routine and in most
cases happen for personal entertainment or for business. Likewise now we avidly
communicate with each other in several ways and at leisure, whereas sending letters and
messages in the Greek and Roman worlds was cumbersome and required much time.
While recognizing the objective difficulties the ancients had to overcome, the students
will gradually realize the dangers of a common misconception that can be called ‘the
progressive model.’ The lack of appropriate technology, electronic methods, and modern
equipment did not prevent people from getting in touch with each other and spreading
news.
We will read part of Lionel Casson, Travel in the Ancient World. During the course, the
students will read a few books from Homer Odyssey and from Herodotus’ Histories,
passages from Plato regarding the travelling of teachers, Lucian’s A True History, and
Gulliver’s Travels. They will learn about the traveling of students to various distant
schools, which appears from letters. They will also read a selection of letters from Greek
and Roman Egypt to understand the difference from fictional writing and everyday
correspondence.
Attendance is mandatory. There will be no exams but regular oral presentations, a series
of short written assignments, and a final paper of 10/15 pages.
September 8 Preliminary assessment of the issues at hand. Characteristics of ancient
travel and formulation of the question: was travelling in antiquity severely impaired by
the conditions? Geography of ancient travel: introduce the Iliad and Odyssey. Read in
class about Telemachus’ travels.
9/15
Read Chapter 1.1 and 1.2 of Casson Travel. Read Homer Odyssey 9 (in
Redmond).
9/22 Read Homer Odyssey 10 and part of 11 (in Redmond). Hand in the first written
assignment on travel in the Odyssey.
9/29 Travel by land and sea. Herodotus, the first writer of travels. Read his accounts of
Egypt in NYUClasses: Histories 2.35-93.
10/6 Travelling to lecture and teach, mobility of professionals: Read part of Plato’s
Protagoras in NYUClasses. Art. of S. Montiglio, “Wandering Philosophers in Classical
Greece.” The sophists in the Greek world.
10/20 Fascination with traveling, fictional accounts. A Second Sophistic lecturer:
Lucian, A true History, book 1 (Redmond).
10/27 Lucian, A true History, book 2. Rereading and transforming Homer in the Roman
age.
11/3 Travel as fiction. Gulliver’s Travels. Written assignment.
11/10 Casson, Chapter 2.10 and 2.11 Roman Road and On the Road.
11/17 Traveling for Study. Schooling in antiquity. Read the articles of Watts
and Bradbury in NYUClasses. Read a selection of fourth century AD letters concerning
students in rhetorical schools (i.e. modern college). Written assignment.
11/24 Communicating in antiquity. Writing Letters and E-mail today. Read Casson 2.13,
Mail, Writing materials used for ancient letters. Written assignment
12/1 How did the ancients learn to write letters? Was letter writing taught in school?
Sending and receiving letters. Were problems insurmountable? Difference between
fictional and real letters.
12/8 Letters in Greek and Roman Egypt. Letters regarding education in Egypt. Letters
of women. Selection of texts of ancient letters.