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Science Fiction has classically been considered a product – and even a hallmark – of the modern world. But this course opens up the world of ancient scientific fictions. From philosophical myth and utopia to the imaginary worlds of fantastical travelogues and novelistic adventures in outer space, these narratives take us deep into the scientific imagination of the ancient Greeks and Romans. We will examine how these invented worlds reflected critically and creatively on aspects of contemporary society, including political and cosmic structures; conflicts between religion and philosophy; death and the after-life; the body, sexuality and technology. We will also examine the influence these fictions had on lunar narratives of the (early) modern period, including Kepler’s Dream and Richard Adams Locke’s great lunar hoax of 1835.