Missing Persons in Classical Antiquity

Course Description

This course provides you with the opportunity to explore, from literary, material, and anthropological perspectives, the reasons people went missing in the ancient world. We will investigate how individuals experienced their inability to contact relatives and friends while missing, and how, upon their return after years of absence, they were identified and recognized by those left behind. You will gain a sophisticated understanding of how the phenomenon of missing persons is connected to shifting socio-historical contexts and developments, including mobility, transportation technologies, and human identification technologies. Throughout the course, we will untangle related and overlapping categories such as missingness, absence, and lostness. Additionally, we will examine how the conditions of a missing person in ancient times differ from the modern concept of missingness, considering the extensive systems of record-keeping, surveillance, and more comprehensive communication technologies now available. While our exploration will span classical antiquity, our seminar will be anchored in Homer’s Odyssey—a poem that delves into the themes of travelers, the yearning for home, missingness, and recognition.

Code

AS.040.629

Credits

3

Subject

Classics