| CODE | NES1005 | |||||||||
| TITLE | The Ancient Near East | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 8 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit introduces students to the archaeology, history, and cultures of the Ancient Near East (from the fourth through the first millennium BCE) and to the pertinent research methodologies in ancient Near Eastern Studies. The aim is to provide undergraduate students enrolled in Near Eastern Studies with a solid foundation for the rest of their degree programme. Lectures will explore select topics on ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Syria-Palestine, Anatolia, and Persia through different theoretical and methodological frameworks, such as the historical-critical method, material culture studies, art-historical analysis, and material philology. Students will also be trained in basic research skills and academic writing, with special reference to standard practices in the field of Near Eastern Studies. Study-unit Aims: - To introduce students to the archaeology, history, and cultures of the ancient Near East, focusing on ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Syria-Palestine, Anatolia, and Persia in the third through the first millennium BCE; - To introduce students to pertinent theoretical and methodological frameworks used in ancient Near Eastern Studies, such as the historical-critical method, material culture studies, art-historical analysis, and material philology; - To train students in basic research skills and academic writing, with special reference to standard practices in the field of Near Eastern Studies. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - recall the salient milestones in the history of the ancient Near East, ranging from the third through the first millennium BCE; - describe key cultural “texts” (archaeological sites, artefacts, works of art, literature) that are representative of major cultural developments in the ancient Near East; - discuss the use of different theoretical and methodological frameworks for the study of the ancient Near East, and evaluate their respective strengths and limitations; - apply basic research skills and write academic essays that follow standard conventions in the field of Near Eastern Studies. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - summarize data and ideas in their own words, avoiding plagiarism; - write academic essays based on an analysis and interpretation of primary and secondary sources; - prepare effective presentations that are clear, structured, and engaging, and which make good use of multimedia resources; - demonstrate evidence of creative and critical thinking. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts - Liverani, Mario. The Ancient Near East: History, Society and Economy. Translated by Soraia Tabatabai. London: Routledge, 2013. - Mieroop, Marc van de. A History of the Ancient Near East: ca. 3000-323 BC. 3rd edition. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, 2015. - Snell, Daniel C., ed. A Companion to the Ancient Near East. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, 2007. Supplementary Readings - Chavalas, Mark W., ed. The Ancient Near East: Historical Sources in Translation. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, 2006. - Pritchard, James B., ed. The Ancient Near East: An Anthology of Texts and Pictures. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2010. A more detailed reading list will be uploaded on VLE. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | |||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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