Cyrus' Paradise

How to Enjoy This Collaborative Commentary

David Carlisle

August 6, 2012

¶ 1 Leave a comment on paragraph 1 0

¶ 2 Leave a comment on paragraph 2 0 On the right side of the page, users will find a triple-tab of COMMENTS (except on this page), ACTIVITY, and CONTENTS. The CONTENTS tab allows users to navigate the Education of Cyrus by Book and Chapter, as well as access the bibliography (Further Reading). The ACTIVITY tab allows users to access either the most recent comments to Cyrus’ Paradise or a full list of comments to each page. The COMMENTS tab allows users to access the questions and comments to Cyrus’ Paradise according to each paragraph of Greek text on a page. (The comments may also be accessed by clicking on the tiny numbered bubble beside each paragraph of text.) On the list of comments to each paragraph of the Cyropaedia, every thread of discussion begins with a question and then proceeds in dialectic form, like a Platonic dialogue, as long as the participants remain interested in the questions. Users are encouraged to register their interest by clicking the RECOMMEND button (Green +) below each question and comment.

¶ 3 Leave a comment on paragraph 3 0 On the left side of the page, with the Greek text, users will find links to video and pictures that are designed to stimulate discussion and analysis of the Education of Cyrus and the questions about leadership, narrative, and Greco-Persian relations that the text raises. Many of the pictures may be clicked on for further information and perspective. The questions posed here may be used as a basis for class discussion, a short response paper, a longer research paper, or a scholarly article (see the Further Reading section for guidance). Those interested in engaging with the questions on a scholarly basis are encouraged to make use of the Blog Posts section for developing their ideas. Please contact us about sharing your work!

¶ 4 Leave a comment on paragraph 4 0 At the top of the page, users will find a tool-bar with icons of a house, a book, a comment bubble, a double comment bubble, a person in profile, a tack, and a clock. These icons, respectively, allow to return to the Home page of Cyrus’ Paradise; view the introductory information to the collaborative commentary (this how-to page); view or leave comments on the site as a whole; survey all the comments to the entire commentary by book, chapter and sub-chapter; survey all the comments according to individual commenter; access the blog page for the most recent longer posts relating to global questions about the Education of Cyrus; and view an archive of all blog posts authored for the site. Users may also see the title of the page they are currently viewing, as well as two arrows to either side that allow them to move through the site page-by-page like a book. Immediately below this, in the header itself, is a search box for searching the content of the site, as well as a button for registered users to log in. If users are registered and are logged in, they will see two buttons: one for logging out and one for accessing their “dashboard,” the behind-the-scenes area where they may manage their experience as registered users. When logged in, they will also see a second, darker toolbar at the top to access this “meta-content,” and may use the tools there to search the comments only, adjust their profile, etc. We encourage you to register, if you have not already, and to explore the additional options this provides.

¶ 5 Leave a comment on paragraph 5 0 After many of the paragraphs you will see an image of fruit, the Tutorial icon; those of you who would like assistance understanding the Greek itself (or would like more help for your students) should click on this image, which will link you to a secondary site that provides grammatical assistance, audio files of the Greek read aloud, and links to further resources. If you register on that site as well, you will be able to comment on the pages, ask questions, or suggest further notes or tools that might be added to each. Some additional tools may be found at the end of the table of contents: Further Resources, Acknowledgements, and Further Reading.

¶ 6 Leave a comment on paragraph 6 0 How to participate in this collaborative commentary: Cyrus’ Paradise is laid out in such a way as to blur the lines between a “participant” and a “user”. We welcome any ideas or suggestions for making the commentary more user-friendly, but we are even more interested in contributions that participants might make to the multimedia or other content of the site. If you have in mind any maps, pictures, documents, or similar things that would improve our understanding of the Education of Cyrus, please share! Anyone with a scholarly interest (e.g., undergraduates, university professionals, unaffiliated enthusiasts) is invited to register to contribute questions, comments, or blog posts. We especially welcome anyone with a research prospectus or a work in progress to contribute a blog post and solicit feedback from the other participants. As a matter of procedure, all discussion threads must begin with a question, a practice that makes it easier to organize the content of the comments and we believe makes for a more collaborative process. Once a question is posed, participants are welcomed to answer their own questions and of course discuss the answers posed by others.