Literature of the Ancient World

Full-year course. A survey of writing from the earliest written stories (with attention to their origins as oral tales) through the late classical/early medieval masterworks. Students will consider the meaning of nostoi (homecoming) to Odysseus; the duties of someone torn between human and divine law as in Sophocles’ Antigone; and mankind’s relationship to the gods (as discussed in poetry, drama, and the Bible). When taken in combination with our Ancient History course, this provides the integrated Great Books and History coverage recommended in The Well-Trained Mind. 

Please note: We suggest you review the proposed readings so that you are aware of the literature we are teaching and that your student’s level of maturity matches it. 

"The historical background given on each work was very interesting and added greatly to the meaning of each book."
- Student Course Evaluation Spring 2021
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    Literature of the Ancient World Information

    • Example Syllabus
    • Class meets once per week for 50-55 minutes.
    • Class cap: 20 students.
    • Designed for grades 9-12.
    • High school students may be awarded 1 Language Arts credit upon completion of this course.

    Course Materials

    • Click here to purchase the course texts.
      • The Holy Bible
      • Gilgamesh
      • The Iliad, Homer
      • The Odyssey, Homer
      • The Aeneid, Virgil
      • Agamemnon, Aeschylus
      • Oedipus Rex, Sophocles
      • Medea, Euripides
      • The Birds, Aristophanes
      • Metamorphoses, Ovid
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