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.