5 Best Greek History & Mythology Classes in 2024
Online Greek mythology courses from top instructors. Learn about mythology, history and folklore from ancient Greek with the best greek mythology and history courses
Greek History & Mythology
Greek history is one of the most researched and documented historical periods in the world, with a massive amount of information available on the subject. After all, it's the history of the founding of Western civilization. Greek history is a very long period of time, so it is important to understand the historical context in order to fully appreciate the history of Greece.
One of the most important aspects of Greek history is its mythology and religious beliefs. Greek culture was a large part of the development of Western culture and its understanding can help you to better understand your own culture. There are also many parallels to modern culture in Greek mythology, which is why it is so important to study.
What is Greece known for in history?
Greece is the place where the oldest democratic constitution was created and to this day, the world prides itself on those ideals of starting a government for the good of all, not just for one group or another.
Famous philosophers like Plato, Pythagoras, Socrates, and Aristotle were from Greece. The Greek pantheon gave birth to theater as we know it today and they also created what was then called sacred games. Greece was also famous for its centuries of sculpture.
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Top Greek History & Mythology Courses List
1. Lectures on Greek History and Culture
Learn about Greek history, its culture, and philosophy in detail.
The course includes:
- Outlines of Greek History
- Greek Material Culture: A Survey of Pottery, Statuary, and Temples
- Homer and Homer's Iliad
- The Persian Threat
- Greek Philosophers
- Greek Language
- The Spartans
With this Greek History class, you will start with a look at the physical world of the Greeks, and then take up the Iliad of Homer. After that, you will look in detail at how Herodotus presents the beginning of the great conflict between Greece and Persia, and finish up with an overview of the various Greek philosophers.
Going further, you will learn about the Dark Ages to Cyrus the Great in conjunction with the Ionian Revolt. The class will also educate you on the Battles of Thermopylae and Artemisium & Salamis.
You can take the Lectures on Greek History and Culture certificate course on Udemy.
Course rating: 4.6 out of 5.0 ( 574 Ratings total)
Duration: 32 h 30 m
Certificate: Certificate on completion
2. Greek and Roman Mythology
Offered by the University of Pennsylvania. Learn about Greek and Roman Mythology in-depth.
The course includes:
- Becoming a Hero
- Adventures Out and Back
- Identity and Signs
- Gods and Humans
- Ritual and Religion
- Unstable Selves
- The Roman Hero, Remade
- Roman Myth and Ovid's Metamorphoses
Initially, you will learn about the basis of the term 'Myth' and what ancient and modern theorists, philosophers, and other thinkers had to say about it. Then you will increase your focus on this term through an intensive study of myth through Homer’s epic poem, the Odyssey.
Next, you will learn the exciting peregrinations of Odysseus, "man of twists and turns," over sea and land. You will go over all of the adventures, identities, and signs of this myth while uncovering everything.
Additionally, you will take a close look at the most authoritative story on the origin of the cosmos from Greek antiquity: Hesiod’s Theogony.
You can take the Greek and Roman Mythology certification course on Coursera.
Course rating: 4.8 out of 5.0 ( 2,178 Ratings total)
Duration: 25 h
Certificate: Certificate on completion
3. Military History of the Classical Greek World
Study the Western Military History from the Persian Wars to Alexander the Great.
In this course, you will:
- Understand the conflicts of the Classical Greek World.
- Apply your understanding of war to situations in daily life.
- Learn why certain people groups and states were able to become dominant or were destroyed.
This online Mythology course will cover Western Military History from approximately 500 BC/BCE to 500 AD/CE. You will start with understanding different military science terms, then moving to the Greek classical period starting with the Persian Wars as fought between the Greek City-States and Persia.
Moreover, you will learn about the Peloponnesian War in which Sparta and Athens fought each other for control of the Greek world, before moving to the conquests of Alexander the Great later on.
You can take the Military History of the Classical Greek World certificate course on Udemy.
Course rating: 4.4 out of 5.0 ( 67 Ratings total)
Duration: 2 h 30 m
Certificate: Certificate on completion
4. The Ancient Greeks
This is a survey of ancient Greek history from the Bronze Age to the death of Socrates in 399 BCE.
The course includes:
- Prehistory to Homer
- The Archaic Age (ca. 800-500 BCE)
- Two City-States: Sparta and Athens
- Democracy. The Persian Wars
- "The Great 50 Years" (ca. 480-431 BCE)
- The Peloponnesian War I
- The End of the War, the End of the Century
Here, you will start with the two Bronze Age civilizations: Minoan on the island of Crete, and Mycenaean on the mainland. The evidence for both of which is almost purely archaeological, so you can consider the ways scholars have interpreted material remains to build a picture of how the societies were structured.
Next, you will move into the turbulent, creative Archaic Age, during which the Greeks acquired a cultural identity distinct from that of their neighbors in the Eastern Mediterranean. You will also analyze some major political developments in the Archaic Age, which were largely responses to the huge societal changes discussed earlier.
On the topic of culture, if you want to learn the physical, biological, cultural, social, political, and economic characteristics of human life, you can consider the best Anthropology courses with us!
Moreover, you will focus on Sparta and Athens where Sparta evolved into a unique hoplite-polis, famed for strict discipline and military prowess and Athens followed a very different path, showing the first traces of democracy.
Finally, you will cover the Democracy of the Persian Wars, The Great 50 years, The Peloponnesian War I, and its end.
You can take The Ancient Greeks certification course on Coursera.
Course rating: 4.7 out of 5.0 ( 1,877 Ratings total)
Duration: 20 h
Certificate: Certificate on purchase
5. Western Civilization: History of Ancient Greece
Learn about the History of Ancient Greece thoroughly. On the topic of learning, you can also learn Art History with us!
In this course, you will:
- Learn best with engaging auditory and visual tools.
- Memorize large amounts of information about Life in Ancient Greece.
- Identify the most important facts in your ancient Greek history class.
- Learn Art H
The main purpose of this online Mythology class is to help you learn about Ancient Greece civilization belonging to a period of Greek history from the Greek Dark ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of antiquity.
Next, you will learn about the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. You will also educate yourself about the time when Greek urban poleis began to form in the 8th century BC, ushering in the period of Archaic Greece and colonization of the Mediterranean Basin.
This was followed by the period of Classical Greece, an era that began with the Greco-Persian wars lasting from the 5th to 4th centuries BC.
You can take the Western Civilization: History of Ancient Greece certificate course on Udemy.
Course rating: 4.1 out of 5.0 ( 23 Ratings total)
Duration: 1 h
Certificate: Certificate on completion
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