Post-Doctoral Fellow Teaches Course on War and Society in the Ancient Mediterranean

Dr. Brand’s research explores how ancient history helps us understand human nature, modern politics, and strategic planning. His class surveys the military history of the ancient Mediterranean from the beginnings of recorded history (~3100 BC) to the final barbarian assimilations of the Roman Empire (~AD 500). The course is chronologically arranged and examines the spectrum of data between material and textual. It begins by studying human conflict in the civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Levant, Anatolia, and the Aegean, from the Lagash-Umma border conflict, the siege warfare of the Middle Bronze Age, and the unprecedented chariot clashes at Megiddo and Kadesh. It then transitions to warfare in the classical world, from the epic conflict with Persia, the calamitous Peloponnesian War, and Rome’s slow, militaristic rise to domination. Students will analyze the strategic, operational, and tactical objectives (or lack thereof) of the major campaigns. They will explore naval engagements, decisive land battles, siege warfare, subterfuge, and everything else on the periphery. Students will also examine the moral, religious, political, and economic factors that preceded battlefield encounters. Above all, this class follows the first chapter in the tragic, exciting, and unpredictable story of organized human violence.

The course will meet MWF 10:00-11:00 am in BUR 216.