OVERVIEW

New developments on the preservation of the archaeological and artistic heritage in the Near East, with a special focus on Iraq and Syria. Archaeology and art history of the ancient Near East, with a special emphasis on Mesopotamia

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES (FURTHER INFO)

To stimulate students to gain a better understanding on the dynamics of preservation and development of the artistic and archaeological heritage in the ancient Near East; to achieve a fundamental knowledge of the most important Near Eastern collections from the top museums in the world. To outline the main features of the historic and archaeological development of the most relevant civilisations from the ancient Near East, with a special focus on Mesopotamia.

TEACHING METHODS

Frontal lectures supported by Powerpoint presentations, videos and 3D reproductions of architecture, artefacts and works of art. The didactic material will be published on a weekly base on the Aulaweb platform. 

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

New developments on the preservation of the archaeological and artistic heritage in the Near East, with a special focus on Iraq and Syria: ethnic and cultural cleansing, looting and the destruction of monuments and art by radical Islamic groups.
Archaeology and art history of the ancient Near East, with a special emphasis on Mesopotamia from the agricultural revolution to the Old Assyrian and Old Babylonian periods and the age of Hammurabi, the international age of El-Amarna, as well as the Assyrian and Babylonian empires in the Second and First Millennium BC.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Program for attending students:

As a complement to the lectures’ notes and images:

1. A. Invernizzi, "Dal Tigri all'Eufrate - Volume I, Sumeri e Accadi". Le Lettere, Firenze,1992/2007: only images and topics dealt with in lectures;
   2. A. Invernizzi, "Dal Tigri all'Eufrate - volume II, Babilonesi e Assiri", Le Lettere, Firenze,1992/2007: only images and topics dealt with in lectures;
   3. Paolo Brusasco, "La Mesopotamia prima dell'Islam", Bruno Mondadori, 2008.

Further readings:

One book chosen from the following options, of which at least two chapters must be studied:
-Paolo Brusasco, “Tesori rubati. Il saccheggio del patrimonio artistico nel Medio Oriente”, Bruno Mondadori 2013.
- Paolo Brusasco, “Babilonia. All'origine del mito”. Cortina, Milano, 2012.
-Paolo Brusasco, "Looting the past. Syria's cultural heritage under attack: another Iraq?", Libreria Universitaria 2012: only Section 1.

Program for non-attending students:
A. Invernizzi, "Dal Tigri all'Eufrate - Volume I, Sumeri e Accadi". Le Lettere, Firenze, 1992/2007: the whole volume;
2. A. Invernizzi, "Dal Tigri all'Eufrate - volume II, Babilonesi e Assiri", Le Lettere, Firenze, 1992/2007: the whole volume;
3. Paolo Brusasco, "La Mesopotamia prima dell'Islam", Bruno Mondadori (2008).

Further readings:
One book chosen from the following options, of which at least three chapters must be studied:
-Paolo Brusasco, “Tesori rubati. Il saccheggio del patrimonio artistico nel Medio Oriente”, Bruno Mondadori 2013.
- Paolo Brusasco, “Babilonia. All'origine del mito”. Cortina, Milano, 2012.
-Paolo Brusasco, "Looting the past. Syria's cultural heritage under attack: another Iraq?", Libreria Universitaria 2012: only Section 1.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

PAOLO BRUSASCO (President)

CHIARA BENATI

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Wednesday, October 12, 2016.

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam consists of an oral assessment on the syllabus contents. Candidates will be asked at least one question for each of the topics dealt with in the course, with a special focus on the development of the archaeology and art history of ancient Mesopotamia.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

In addition to assessing the students’  knowledge of the program (topics and images dealt with in the course,  in-depth analysis on the grounds of selected bibliography and materials published on the Aulaweb platform), the assessment will take also into consideration  the linguistic skills relevant to the discipline.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Owing to the special features of the discipline, the relevance of images, videos and 3d reproductions of objects, attendance is highly recommended