Teaching code

4S01261

Teacher

Simonetta Ponchia

Coordinator

Simonetta Ponchia

Credits

6

Also offered in courses:

• History of the Ancient Near East (i) of the course Bachelor’s degree in Cultural Heritage

Language

Italian

Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)

L-OR/01 - HISTORY OF ANCIENT NEAR EAST

Period

CuCi 1 A, CuCi 1 B

Courses Single

Authorized

Lessons timetable Moodle Seminars 0

Learning objectives

The knowledge of the cultures, geographical environments, major phases and historical events of Near Eastern history is part of the study of ancient history envisaged in the didactic paths of the MA courses in Literature and Cultural Heritage. The introductory course aims to get acquainted with the main historical sources related to the Near Eastern world from prehistory till the preclassical period, provide the basic methodologies for their analysis, as well as the essential bibliography and some of the most recent historiographic orientations on the topics considered. The second part of the course ( part p) aims at providing an in-depth knowledge of some periods and themes of the Near Eastern historical documentation, as well as the methodologies and specific bibliography for their interpretation, according to an approach that integrates historical, philological and archaeological data and approaches.

Prerequisites and basic notions

General linguistic and historical competence.

Program

The course (i+ p) provides an overview of the history of the Near East from the Neolithic to the first millennium BC. The course (i) is devoted to the general and introductory presentation of the main phases, salient events and periodisation of Siro-Mesopotamian history. Specific themes and aspects of the ancient Near Eastern regions and societies are also considered in a diachronic and long-durée perspective. The lessons are integrated by a 12-hours seminar devoted to the analysis of sources concerning international relations and their regulation by means of treaties and agreements. Objects of the analysis are documents stemming from various periods of the II and I millennia BC and various areas of the Near East. The sources include treaties, epistles, administrative texts, and examples of the material and artistic culture which attest to exchanges and interrelations. The laboratory entails reading and discussing the documents proposed as an exercise in source criticism.

Bibliography

Didactic methods

The main part of the course is provided in form of lectures. It also includes seminars and laboratories.
The reference texts for part (i) are general-purpose manuals. They are integrated during the lessons by presenting sources and discussing some additional examples of secondary literature; a summary of the topics discussed will be uploaded to the e-learning platform.

Learning assessment procedures

Final oral assessment. The purposes of the assessment are to verify the acquired knowledge; language skills; the ability of textual analysis.
The assessment will consist of questions on the topics treated during the course, the bibliography indicated during the lessons, the documents studied, those of the seminar included, and the synthesis provided in the slides.
Not attending students and Erasmus students are kindly requested to contact the teacher at the beginning of the course in order to agree on the programme and assessment modalities.

Evaluation criteria

The evaluation concerns: the acquisition of the specific skills and topics covered by the course, the ability to organize and apply the acquired knowledge and methodologies, correctness and expository properties.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

The evaluation is expressed in thirtieths.

Exam language

italiano