Overview:
Pausanias, a 2nd century AD traveler, wrote the Description of Greece which focuses on the monuments of the Archaic and Classical periods in the Roman province of Achaia, mainland Greece. As he traveled, Pausanias related the myths and history of these places and the people associated with them. Archaeologists and historians use Pausanias extensively in order to aid them in creating a picture of how sites and monuments appeared in antiquity. We will read selections Pausanias’ work and examine how useful he is as a source for recreating ancient Greece. We will also assess Pausanias' text as a literary work and its reflection of the Roman world in the 2nd century AD.

Goals:

· to read closely and analyze critically Pausanias' Description of Greece

· to read scholarship on Pausanias and the Description of Greece

· to understand the historical and cultural context of Pausanias and his Description of Greece