Following our recent explorations into the world of the Iliad and the Odyssey, a natural question often arises: what actually happened to the magnificent, interconnected civilizations that inspired these epic tales? While the stories of Troy and Odysseus capture our imagination, they serve as the romanticized folk memory of a highly sophisticated era that suddenly and violently unraveled. This three-week course picks up exactly where those epic narratives leave off, transitioning from the mythology of Homer into the startling historical reality of the Late Bronze Age. We will examine how a thriving, globalized network of palace economies collapsed into a centuries-long "Dark Age," exploring the cascading systems failures that brought the ancient Mediterranean to its knees. (This course can be taken independently of the pervious explorations of the Iliad and the Odyssey).

This three-week course takes place on Wednesdays from 10am-12pm (PT) on Zoom and at the Thousand Oaks campus.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.