Students

AHIX8213 – Egypt: Alexander to Augustus

2021 – Session 1, Fully online/virtual

Notice

As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group activities on campus, and most will keep an online version available to those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.

To check the availability of face-to-face and online activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Paul McKechnie
Ian Worthington
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

Theocritus wrote: '... there's no country so fruitful as the low-country of Egypt when Nile comes gushing up to soak the soil and break it, nor no country, neither, possessed of so many cities of men learned in labour ... and in them the lord and master of all is proud Ptolemy.' In this unit this powerful empire is studied. Its kings, fifteen of them, all had the name of Ptolemy. In their capital city of Alexandria, founded by and named after Alexander the Great, the kings of the Ptolemy family built the Museum and Library which made their empire the beating heart of the Greek intellectual world. Theirs was the longest-lasting of the successor kingdoms which took over the lands conquered by Alexander, lasting until Octavian (later known as Caesar Augustus) defeated Cleopatra VII and Mark Antony in a sea-battle at Actium in 31 BC. All enrolment queries should be directed to Open Universities Australia (OUA): see www.open.edu.au

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Apply and assimilate information in a context appropriate to postgraduate study.
  • ULO2: Demonstrate understanding orally and in writing, by deduction and argumentation.
  • ULO3: Develop and apply techniques of understanding ancient sources of differing kinds.
  • ULO4: Relate understanding of the ancient world to broad conceptual frameworks and modern contexts.
  • ULO5: Show in writing critical understanding of factual questions and judgements of likelihood and value.
  • ULO6: Create texts which reason persuasively from a historical question to a provisional answer, citing relevant evidence.

General Assessment Information

Minor Essay:

Essay titles, bibliographies and hints will be found in iLearn.

 

Major Essay:

Essay titles, bibliographies and hints will be found in iLearn.

 

Short-Answer Summaries

See iLearn for further details.  Questions to be answered as short-answer summaries will be released at the beginning of Week 13.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Major essay 40% No 7 May 2021
Short-Answer Summaries 40% No 11 June 2021
Minor essay 20% No 5 March 2021

Major essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 7 May 2021
Weighting: 40%

Students will write an essay (word-limit 2000 words including footnotes but not including bibliography list) on one of the titles given in iLearn.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply and assimilate information in a context appropriate to postgraduate study.
  • Demonstrate understanding orally and in writing, by deduction and argumentation.
  • Develop and apply techniques of understanding ancient sources of differing kinds.
  • Create texts which reason persuasively from a historical question to a provisional answer, citing relevant evidence.

Short-Answer Summaries

Assessment Type 1: Summary
Indicative Time on Task 2: 4 hours
Due: 11 June 2021
Weighting: 40%

A choice of short-answer summaries will be set. Four summaries must be given. The word-length for the short-answer summaries document as a whole is 2,500 words, so that each summary should be approximately 625 words long. Some leeway is allowed on length, but there will be no extra marks for long answers. These summaries are not another essay. Footnoting should not be used, and bibliographies should not be given. What is required is a set of well thought out but relatively brief answers to analytical questions drawn from across the ideas and events dealt with in the unit. The idea is that it should be possible to write the full set of summaries in three hours, although there is no way of checking that a student does not spend four or five hours writing: note again that there will be no credit for extra length. The questions for the short-answer summaries will be made available in the iLearn unit during Weeks 13 and 14. Answers must be submitted at the end of Week 14.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply and assimilate information in a context appropriate to postgraduate study.
  • Demonstrate understanding orally and in writing, by deduction and argumentation.
  • Develop and apply techniques of understanding ancient sources of differing kinds.
  • Relate understanding of the ancient world to broad conceptual frameworks and modern contexts.
  • Show in writing critical understanding of factual questions and judgements of likelihood and value.
  • Create texts which reason persuasively from a historical question to a provisional answer, citing relevant evidence.

Minor essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 5 March 2021
Weighting: 20%

Students will write an essay (word-limit 1000 words including footnotes but not including bibliography list) on one of the titles given in iLearn.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply and assimilate information in a context appropriate to postgraduate study.
  • Demonstrate understanding orally and in writing, by deduction and argumentation.
  • Develop and apply techniques of understanding ancient sources of differing kinds.
  • Create texts which reason persuasively from a historical question to a provisional answer, citing relevant evidence.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Required and recommended texts and/or materials

 

Required Reading

Günther Hölbl, A History of the Ptolemaic Empire (London and New York, 2001)

J.G. Manning, The Last Pharaohs: Egypt under the Ptolemies 305-30 BC (Princeton, 2010)

 

Recommended Reading

Please read widely from the bibliographies given in each week’s iLearn section. Many items are in the unit readings. Please don’t draw a strong distinction between ‘required’ and ‘recommended’ reading. In general, don't aim to do the minimum in this unit

.

Unit webpage and technology used and required

Online units can be accessed at: http://ilearn.mq.edu.au/

PC and Internet access are required.

Basic computer skills (e.g., internet browsing) and skills in word processing are also a requirement. Please contact teaching staff for any further, more specific requirements. But for any computer problems, teaching staff cannot help you. Go to Macquarie University IT support: Phone 02 98504357, or email onehelp@mq.edu.au.

 

University policy on grading

University Grading Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html

The grade a student receives will signify their overall performance in meeting the learning outcomes of a unit of study. Grades will not be awarded by reference to the achievement of other students nor allocated to fit a predetermined distribution. In determining a grade, due weight will be given to the learning outcomes and level of a unit (ie 1000, 2000, 3000, 8000 etc).

Graded units will use the following grades:

HD High Distinction 85-100

D Distinction 75-84

Cr Credit 65-74

P Pass 50-64

F Fail 0-49

 

Extensions

Please hand your work in on time.

If this is impossible, use ask.mq to ask for Special Consideration. A medical certificate or equivalent will be required.

Please don’t ask the Unit Coordinator for an extension. He is not allowed to give extensions (the Special Consideration procedure is the only route to follow).

‘Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply―2 marks (out of a total of 100 marks) will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date―and (b) no assignment wilol be accepted seven days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline.’

The paragraph above is an official wording. The supposition behind ‘2 marks (out of a total of 100 marks)’ is that each particular assignment is marked out of 100. The deduction is not 2% of the final percentage mark for the unit for each day late with an assignment. Because in this unit, assignments are marked out of 20 or 40, the deduction for each day late for the minor essay will be 2% of 20 marks, i.e. 0.4 of a mark, and so on.

Unit Schedule

Unit Lecture Topic Schedule

Week no.

 

Theme for the week

Lecture no.

Lecture topic

1

Egypt and the Mediterranean world

1

Egypt 405-332 BC.

2

Alexander the Great and Egypt.

2

 

New kingdoms in the post-Alexander generation

3

General Ptolemy takes over in Egypt.  The ‘funeral games’ of Alexander.

4

King Ptolemy I builds an empire.  Manetho.

3

 

‘In Athens you can go half way;  in Alexandria you can go all the way.’

5

Ptolemy II and Arsinoe II:  the sibling monarchs.

6

Ptolemy II Philadelphus, the library of Alexandria, and Greek culture.  Posidippus.

4

 

City and country in Egypt

7

Alexandria, the greatest city in the world.  Apollonius of Rhodes.

8

Ptolemy II and the Revenue Papyrus

5

 

Egypt, the Holy Land, and Syria

9

Ptolemy II and the Bible

10

Ptolemy III:  a bid for world domination.  The Alexandrian court.  Callimachus.

6

 

The princesses and courtesans of Egypt and Syria

11

Women in court and city, 323-223 BC.

12

Egypt and Africa:  the kingdom of Meroe.

7

 

Greek, Jews and Egyptians fight side by side for Egypt and King Ptolemy

13

Alexandrian science.  Eratosthenes.  Herophilus.

14

Ptolemies IV and V.  A Seleucid takeover bid.

8

 

The sacred canopy and the temple gateways

15

Religions of the Ptolemaic kingdom.

16

Egyptian temples in the Ptolemaic era.

9

 

Threats to Ptolemaic power

17

The revolt of the Thebaid.

18

Ptolemy VI.  The takeover bid turns hostile again.

10

 

Waste paper city

19

Ptolemies VI and VIII, Cleopatras II and III:  when families go bad.

20

Oxyrhynchus and papyrology.

11

 

A view from below

21

Kerkeosiris and village life.

22

The Egyptian economy and the Amnesty Decree (118 BC).

12

 

Egypt:  Rome’s worst client state?

23

Ptolemies IX to XI:  when bad families get worse.  Machinery.  Hero.

24

Ptolemy XII Auletes:  Egypt and the turmoil of the Roman republic.

13

 

‘Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale/ Her infinite variety’

25

Cleopatra VII and Julius Caesar.

26

Antony and Cleopatra.  The Empire of the East.  Cleopatra’s death.  Augustus takes over.

 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.


Unit information based on version 2021.02 of the Handbook