This course explores the history of Archaic and Classical Greece, focusing on the rise and fall of the rival states of Sparta and Athens. The course is organized around current methods, problems, and debates in the fields of Greek history and Classics. Topics include the emergence of the Greek polis; Greek colonization; developments in political, religious, and social institutions, including the Spartan constitution and the rise of Athenian democracy; the changing definitions of personal, cultural, and national identities; cultural, political, and economic tensions between rival Greek city-states and neighbouring cultures, especially Persia and Macedonia. These topics will be studied through extensive analysis and discussion of literary, documentary, and archaeological sources, and close engagement with perspectives from works of contemporary scholarship. No knowledge of the ancient languages is required. (Same as CLSX 504.) Prerequisite: Any CLSX or HIST course.