Eureka! When Archimedes yelped this famous phrase in his bathtub (the ancient equivalent of doing-your-best-thinking-in-the-shower), this was just one of many moments when Ancient Greece contributed to the world of scientific discovery. Pythagoras gave us his famous theorem. Hippocrates revolutionized medical practice. But outside of now-famous elites yelling things, how did the average person in the ancient world experience what we now call STEM? How did the ancient Greeks erect the beautiful temples that, besides being masterpieces of aesthetic design, would have employed thousands of workers and demanded financial contributions from entire cities? How did ancient Romans use self-healing concrete to erect buildings like the Colosseum that still stand today? How did the average citizen in Pompeii have access to such luxuries as public toilets, fresh drinking water from mountain streams, and public baths with heated floors (spoiler alert: it involves more oyster farming than you might expect)? What was it like to actually build the ancient world?

CLAS-B 318 serves as an introduction to how the people of Ancient Greece and Rome conceived of and experienced money, trade, and finances. The goal of the course is to provide an easily accessible gateway to the Classical World, by way of an interesting and important area of research. By studying representative works of art, artifacts, and literature, you will explore topics including:

• the expansion of technical knowledge across trade networks in and beyond the Mediterranean world
• the role of architecture and science in ancient life
• the development of engineering
• how the ancient world affects modern conceptions of STEM

Most importantly, you will also learn to think critically about important questions: How did ancient Mediterranean societies understand and manipulate the built world around them? How did such conceptions evolve and function within the specific context of the ancient Mediterranean world? How did societies shape ideas of science and technology, and how did the resulting interactions shape societies? How are ancient conceptions reflected in the literature and art of both ancient societies and our modern culture?  

Fun Facts:

• 5 week, 1 credit “appetizer” class
• offered online asynchronous
• can be combined with other 1 credit “appetizer” classes
• no pre-reqs
• can be applied to the Classical Studies Minor

Coming Next: Fall 2025

• 1st 5 week session (8/25/2025–9/28/2025)
• online asynchronous
• Dr. Elizabeth Thill