Are you looking for an ancient history study guide for Caesar, Cleopatra, Alexander the Great? How about Greek tragedy or The Odyssey? Here is a collection of study guides on these and other topics in Ancient/Classical history. For individual items, you may find biographies, bibliographies, specialized terms to know, timelines, other people who were important, occasionally, self-grading quizzes, and more. They are not meant to replace research into the writing of ancient historians, poets, and playwrights, but they should give you a leg up as you begin your own study.
1. Roman and Greek History Study Guide
"Historical Atlas" by William R. Shepherd, New York, Henry Holt and Company, [1926 ed.]
This is a detailed list of topics to know in Roman history. Click on the material for more information. There is a related study guide for Greek History.
This Roman History Questions study guide is much simpler than most on this site. It is a list of questions to help guide your reading of Roman history.
2. Alexander the Great
CC Flickr User brewbooks
3. Julius Caesar
CC Flickr User euthman
Julius Caesar may have been the greatest man of all times. He was born in July of 100 B.C. and died March 15, 44 B.C., which date is known as the Ides of March. This study guide contains:
4. Greek Theater Study Guide
CC Flickr User bazylek100.
Greek theater was not just an art form. It was a component of the civic and religious life of people of, especially, Athens. Here you'll find:
5. Cleopatra
CC Flickr User Kyle Rush
Cleopatra fascinates us although we really have limited and biased information about her. She was an important figure politically in the final years of the Roman Republic and her death and that of her lover Mark Antony's heralded the coming of the period known as the Roman Empire. Here you will find:
6. The Greek and Roman Deities
CC Flickr User stevendamron
This article lists the major gods and goddesses from Greek mythology known as living on Mount Olympus, as well as other types of Greek and Roman immortals. It includes a series of articles comparing Greek myth with legend and religion.
7. Alaric
Public Domain. Courtesy of Wikipedia.
The Gothic (barbarian) Alaric is important in terms of the Fall of Rome because he actually sacked the city. Here you'll find:
8. 'The Odyssey'
Tackling either of the major works attributed to Homer, The Iliad or The Odyssey can be a bit daunting. It is my hope that this study guide will help. There are 24 divisions known as books in each epic. This Odyssey study guide contains the following items for each of the books:
- a summary
- notes on aspects of the book that may be of interest or need some explanation,
- the cast of major characters, and
- a quiz that closely follows the specific book of the Odyssey.
9. Sophocles' 'Oedipus Rex' Summary and Study Guide
CC euthman @ Flickr.com.
The story of the mother-loving, father-murdering, riddle-solving king of Thebes named Oedipus became the basis for a psychological complex known as the Oedipal complex. Read about the people and the dramatic story as told by the Greek tragedian Sophocles:
10. Euripides' 'Bacchae' Summary and Study Guide
Euripides' tragedy 'The Bacchae' tells part of the legend of Thebes, featuring Pentheus and his filicidal mother. In this study guide, you'll find:
Also see Seven Against Thebes Summary and Study Guide (Aeschylus)
11. Ancient Olympics
Although not actually a study guide, this 101 page on the ancient Olympics gives you a lot of background and leads to related articles on the ancient Greek games.
