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How War Gods Are Made: Iliad to Thucydides
Suggested Grade Level: 11th - 12th
Accademic Credit: 0.5
Subject Area: Literature
Course Charge
As an individual course: $100
As a CLH elective: $50
THIS IS A ONE-SEMESTER ONLINE COURSE. Due to the nature of the online courses, availability is limited and provided on a first-come, first-served basis. (You will be contacted if this course is no longer available.)
Class begins Tuesday, January 6, 2026.
Students are responsible for obtaining the required texts. (Christian Liberty will NOT supply these books.)
See Course Materials below for links to purchase the correct editions.
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Course Description
Homer’s Iliad—an epic composed ages ago about the Trojan War and the lives of its heroes and heroines—concludes with the iconic line: “Thus, then, did they celebrate the funeral of Hector breaker of horses.” But this was in the realm of myth … or was it? While Achilles and Hector can be seen as archetypes of Greek warrior culture, historians affirm that Agamemnon was not only an historical figure, but that he had the naval power to undertake such a campaign.
Beyond the war story, the Iliad offers a cultural ethos. Unlike in later Greek philosophical traditions, Homer defines heroism by deeds, not discourse; and men (and even the gods) lie at the heart of legend, and personal renown is paramount.
Our course will examine this warlike attribute of the Greeks and its consequences—how it led to the collapse of both Sparta and Athens. We will also explore the reality of men committed to action rather than thought, and how the desire for heroism and fame (so-called “street cred”) in the end leads only to endless war and destruction.
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Course Details
Subject: Literature
Suggested Grade: 11th - 12th
Prerequisites: None
Academic Credit: 0.5 credit
Dates: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 through Friday, May 15, 2026.
Time: Tuesdays and Fridays from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Central Time. (note time zone)
Holidays: Easter week (Mar 30 – April 3)
Course Materials
This course will use Zoom (click for system requirements) and Google Classroom (click for system requirements). You will be given a link and class code for Zoom and Google Classroom once you are enrolled.
There are two texts required for this class:
The Iliad by Homer, Richard Lattimore, translator (ISBN: Hardcover 9780226469393; Paperback 9780226470498; Kindle 9780226470382)
The Landmark Thucydides by Thucydides, Richard Crawley, translator (ISBN: Hardcover 9781416590873; Paperback 9780684827902; Kindle 9781439106594)
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