Overall, the class covers 10 key battles between the 1200 B.C. To transport Nebraska students to the ancient battlefields, Murray created a series of custom board games, integrated a few select roleplaying video games, and launched the annual full-scale reenactment. “I thought putting students into battlefield simulations, having them make decisions like a general and seeing the repercussions of those decisions, would be a more effective form of teaching.” “My first time through, it felt so dissatisfying, that I was just teaching ancient history, lecturing, making students write papers about the lectures and memorize facts. “Last year when I taught ancient warfare for the second time, I decided to find a way to make the class more engaging,” Murray said.
This transition from lectures to reenactments has been led by Sarah Murray, assistant professor of classics and religious studies, who started teaching Classics 245 - War in the Classical World when she came to Nebraska in 2012. The event, which will feature Greek armies taking on Persian invaders in a recreation of the 490 B.C.
The study of ancient warfare at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln is advancing from classroom lectures to full-scale outdoor reenactments.įor the second year, the Department of Classics and Religious Studies will present a simulated battle from the classical world on the green space north of the Nebraska Union.
