OVERVIEW

The course aims at providing fundamental knowledge and basic tools to address the study of the ancient Near East during the Preclassical period. Special attention will be paid to Mesopotamia, Anatolia and the Syro-Palestinian area.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course is meant to help developping students' understanding of the major events in Ancient Near East from the 3rd millennium B.C. to the 1st millennium B.C., and students' ability to see the connection between such events and the cultural and religious contexts of the area.
Students who undertook a postgraduate program in Ancient Studies must know in depth all the historic and cultural aspects of the Ancient world: therefore, this course is meant to fill a gap in students' knowledge.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course is also meant to provide an in-depth knowledge of some specific aspects of the ancient Near Eastern Civilizations (specifically the civilizations of Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Syria) from a historical and cultural point of view through the analysis of different types of sources (literary, historical, juridical, and artistic sources).

PREREQUISITES

Students should register on AulaWeb.

TEACHING METHODS

Lessons will be held in presence. Attendance, although not compulsory, is recommended. Only those who attend lessons in presence will be deemed attending students. The teacher, upon specific request by single students, could allow them to attend lessons remotely and to access the recordings of the lessons via Teams.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course will be structured as follows:

– the rediscovery of the civilizations of the ancient Near East; the pioneering phase of investigations and research; the first archaeological excavations

– the languages and the writings of the ancient Near East: decipherment (research history and current studies), origins, underlying mechanisms

– “Culture in the Ancient Near East”: selected readings from relevant texts.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

A) Bibliography for attending students:

– L. Milano (a cura di), Il Vicino Oriente dalle origini ad Alessandro Magno, Encyclomedia Publishers, Milano, 2012.

A book, at the choice of the students, between:

– L. Verderame, Introduzione alle culture dell'antica Mesopotamia, Firenze, Le Monnier / Mondadori Education, 2017.

– P. Matthiae, Prima lezione di archeologia orientale, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2005.

B) Bibliography for non-attending students:

In addition to the readings required for attending students, non-attending students must read one of the following readings:

– L. Verderame, Letterature dell'antica Mesopotamia, Firenze, Le Monnier / Mondadori Education, 2016.

– M. Liverani, Uruk, la prima città, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 1998.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

GIUSEPPE MINUNNO (President)

PIA CAROLLA

GUIDO GIOVANNI BORGHI (Substitute)

ANDREA RAVASCO (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

20th of september 2023

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral exam

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The oral exam will be about the topics covered by the course (course notes and specific readings). Minimum ‘pass’ requirements are: good understanding of the environmental, historical and cultural dynamics of the ancient Near East during the Preclassical period; ability to contextualize topics and to present them in a clear, well-reasoned way by taking into consideration the features and issues of the available documentation. Requirements for 'Excellence' are: proven ability to provide a critical analysis of sources, historical processes and historical issues related to different areas and periods. The final grade will take into account the accuracy of the answers (up to 80%), but also the student’s ability to present the topics accurately using an appropriate vocabulary (up to 20%).

Exam schedule