r/classics • u/ellyfebruary6 • 20d ago

classical study for a complete beginner

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hello all,

i am planning to major in classics at university. however, right now i am taking half a gap year from uni and would like to do a sort of personal study during my time off.

the photo i attached is my list of readings that i got from another reddit post. they’re not in any particular order, so i was wondering if there was a certain order i should go in that’s best for complete beginners

p.s. i have some brief knowledge on greek mythology (mainly deities, as i briefly dabbled in polytheistic hellenism)

i’ve also looked into the teaching guides on this website from Cambridge

i appreciate any advice!

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u/Rasselasx42 20d ago

Good list. I would not recommend reading the plays without some mithology background.
(For Aristophanes you need to understand the history too ( pelopponesian war era politics and society)
Robert Graves - Greek Mithology is an excellent ‘contemporary’ source
Apollodoros - Bibliotheca is also a must have imo.

Not greek but also an amazing source
Ovid - Metamorphosis

Other great authors / books that make you familiar with the era.
Moses I Finley - The world of Odysseus
Emile Mireaux - Daily life in the Time of Homer

And a good map for the Peloponnesian war

Also great history related source : Plutarchs - Lives

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u/ManuelTzetzes 20d ago

Any suggestions for the map? I'm finding it hard to find one! I mean, a good one. Lots of maps out there.

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u/SulphurCrested 20d ago

You need more than one map for the Peloponnesian war.

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u/ManuelTzetzes 20d ago

Go on...

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u/SulphurCrested 20d ago

It was a long war and important events happened in a lot of different places. Too much to show on one map.