Dr. George Grant Antiquities History Course—facilitated by Marion Marcy
Fall 2016/Spring 2017
Course Description: Antiquity is a study of the time period which begins with Creation and extends to the
fall of the Roman Empire. Beginning with the foundations of our world in the Genesis account of
the Bible, the study will also include the ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Israel, Greece, India,
Persia, China, Africa, Rome, and the Meso-American empires of the Incas, Aztecs, and Mayans.
Each lesson is built around a dvd lecture delivered by Dr. George Grant to the Humanities class at Franklin
Classical School in Tennessee. There are additional reading requirements for the class, and lesson outlines
will be made available to students. However, testing and grading, as well as monitoring of individual work
is up to the individual families involved. The dvd lecture is approximately 50 - 60 minutes in length,
followed by group discussion and review of notes and main points of Dr. Grant's lecture.
Tuition: $10 per student/family to cover cost of cd and copies as necessary. I will provide a cd which
includes lesson outlines, book lists, and opportunities (tests) and keys for each student. Each student will
be expected to print out his/her own lecture outlines for each lesson. Each student must have a large
binder for all lecture notes, loose leaf, etc. A list of literature and required texts will be supplied.
Grade Levels: 9th-12th grades (mature 8th graders welcome)
Class Size: 4-15 students
Class Structure: Every Monday from 2:30-4:00 and every 1st and 3rd Wednesday at Peninsula Baptist
Church, beginning August 24th through the end of May.
Homework Requirements: My experience has been that each year, as a student matures, parents will
decide how much work to attach to the lectures and minimal reading requirements. Some students,
especially 8th grade and some 9th graders, begin with only taking notes for the lectures. Others catch on
quickly and are able to add more reading assignments. Opportunities (tests) may be given open book
style to start and gradually work away from open book. These are suggestions, but the decision is up to
each individual homeschool.
Course materials: Students must provide their own large binder with loose leaf and lesson plans, as well
as purchase literature sources required/recommended by the curriculum. Facilitator will provide a lesson
cd to participating families, which includes lesson plans, book lists, tests and answer keys, Sterling Bridge
articles by Dr. George Grant, and other literature extras.
I want all parents to know they are always welcome to stay in the class! I know it is challenging if you have
younger ones, but if they can sit quietly with you, they can stay, too. :) If students need to bring a drink or
water bottle that is fine. There will be no food in the classroom, since that is so distracting to others while
watching the video. We will take a short bathroom break in between the video and discussion.
On Wednesdays, parents may also choose to stay in the hall with younger siblings if that is better for your
young ones. Please do not enter any other areas of the church. We do not have access to the Family Life
Center (the gym) or to the Fellowship Hall (kitchen) - only our assigned room. We may use the restrooms
by the Nursery. Thank you.
There will be a list of Primary Texts that students are expected to read before attending the Lecture
lesson. There is a list of Literature Texts which are optional, since we are not doing the Literature portion, I
also want to clarify that if you decide to read the optional Literature Text along with the Primary Text (I
recommend that students read the Primary text along with the DVD lessons), please monitor and be aware
of the content in those books.
For example, the first book in the optional Literature Text is The Epic of Gilgamesh - This is mythology and a
book that needs some wise and godly guidance from an adult to get through it. The challenge for our
students is being able to read these "classics" and know how to identify worldviews and ideas from a
Biblical perspective. That is a skill that takes time. There is obvious danger in letting them loose with
questionable material and no guidance. We are teaching them how to be critical thinkers for
themselves. At the very least, I recommend that if your son/daughter is going to read Gilgamesh, that you
the parent read Dr. Grant's Stirling Bridge article about Gilgamesh, then have your son/daughter read it,
and discuss together.
I am attaching a link,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WRFkXCKhVg that may be of interest to you, showing Dr. Grant on
YouTube. There are several YouTube videos of Dr. Grant for you to see.
Primary and Literature Texts:
The Bible
Finley: Portable Greek Historians
The Epic of Gilgamesh
Homer: Odyssey
James Jordan: Primeval Saints
Shakespeare: Julius Caesar
Johnson: Rasselas
Wilbur, Mahand, Grant: Anthologies of Ancient
Aristotle: Poetics
Literature
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Lecture Titles: 1. Orientation and Moral Philosophy 26. How Do We Know What We Know?
2. Life, the Universe, and Everything
27. Greek City-States
3. After “In the Beginning…”
28. Greek Philosophy
4. Antediluvian Man
29. Greek Rhetoric and Oratory
5. Myths and Mythologies
30. Greek Theater
6. Diluvian Man
31. The Greek Gift of Genre
7. Archaeology and Antiquity
32. The Great Playwrights
8. Babel and the Nations
33. Greek Poets and History
9. The Cradle of Civilization
34. The Classical Orders of Architecture
10. Mesopotamian Life
35. The Phoenicians and the Celts
11. Babylonian Culture
36. The Sons of Noah: To Anatolia and Beyond
12. Abraham and the Patriarchs: Wandering Nation 37. Across the Steppes: The Silk Road
13. The Civilizations of Egypt: Majesty and Mystery 38. The Indus Valley Civilization
14. The Mystery of the Pyramids
39. Jeremiah Small
15. The Gods of Egypt and the Exodus
40. The Legacy of Alexander
16. Israel and History
41. After Alexander: The Diadochoi
17. Covenantalism and Israel
42. Ancient China
18. The Literature of Israel
43. Ancient Japan
19. The Worship of Israel
44. Carthage and the Punic Wars
20. The Gift of the Jews
45. The Roman Republic
21. Israel’s Practical Covenentalism
46. Julius Caesar and the Coming Empire
22. Medes and Persians: A People Set Apart
47. Octavian Augustus Caesar
23. The Timelines of Early Antiquity: Making Sense
48. The Reign of the Imperial Caesars
of Time
49. Pax Romana
24. Habits for Leaders and Learners
50. Barbarians and the “Fall” of Rome
25. Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts
51. Augustine of Hippo