HIS 252 Warfare in the Ancient Near East and Egypt

3 hours 

This class will provide a survey of ancient warfare from 3000 B.C.E. through the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C.E. focusing on Egypt, the ancient Near East, India and China. In addition to the technologies involved in ancient warfare and the major battles, students will be expected to consider the importance of warfare within society. Specifically, the course will examine the role that warfare played as a governmental tool and how it affected society. When and why did the ancients engage in war? What were their weapons and their military strategies? Was warfare an inevitable, unavoidable part of ancient society, and what did the ancients see as the ethical ramifications of it? In studying ancient history and society through the pervasive motif of war, students will gain an understanding of the forces that shaped culture and how society responded to these forces.