Classics 323: Alexander the Great and the World
Winter 2026, MWF 9:30-10:50am
Smith Hall, Room 105
Instructor: Prof. Ray Lahiri (ralahiri@uw.edu)
Office: Denny Hall M262A
Student Hours: Wednesdays, 4:30-5:30pm, Fridays 11am-12pm, or by appointment
Course Description:
In his short life, Alexander III of Macedon made himself into a mythical figure: son of Zeus Ammon, the great conqueror, a Persian king of kings. In death, the myths of Alexander the Great proliferated and multiplied as they have for few other human beings.
This course introduces and examines the literary, cultural, and historical significance of Alexander through the historical study of the world he lived in and the stories that were told about him in the centuries after his death. The first part of the course is historical, surveying the Achaemenid Persian empire, the political and cultural world of ancient Greek city-states, and Macedon’s place on the periphery of both.
The second part of the course investigates the shifting meaning of Alexander over time. Along the way, we find versions of Alexander at the ends of the earth and in the depths of the sea; Alexanders who serve as paragons of kingly virtue or destroyers of ancient knowledge; stories of Alexander that epitomize the heights of human power—and the ability of fortune to overthrow even the mightiest.