Autumn

As part of a three quarter sequence, this course familiarizes the student with about 3/4 of Hittite grammar. The principles of the cuneiform writing system are taught and the student will learn some 100 signs of the basic syllabary and most important logograms. Also, a begin is made of introducing the student to the basic tools of the field.

Babylonia's most important religious text is the Epic of Creation enūma eliš. In this course, we will read selected passages covering topics like the pre-existence and genesis of the gods, divine fights for supremacy, and the creation of the world and humankind. Participants gain an understanding of the historical-cultural implications of the text while learning the Standard Babylonian dialect and practicing grammar and the cuneiform script. An introduction to the advanced tools of the field, like dictionaries and databases, prepares for advanced Akkadian classes.

Introduction to the grammar of Akkadian, specifically to the Old Babylonian dialect. The class covers the first half of the Old Babylonian grammar, an introduction to the cuneiform script, and easy translation exercises.

Selected monumental inscriptions from the Old Aramaic period (c. 1000-600 BCE) are read with special attention to the dialectal differences among various subgroups of texts.

This course aims to enable students to reach a reasonable level of proficiency in the Armenian language.

This three-quarter sequence focuses on the acquisition of basic speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in modern formal and spoken Armenian.

Second quarter reading course of ME texts

This course and its sequel EGPT 10102 provide an introduction to the hieroglyphic writing system, vocabulary and grammar of Middle Egyptian, the 'classic' phase of the Egyptian language developed during the Middle Kingdom (circa 2025-1773 BCE) and used until the disappearance of hieroglyphs over two thousand years later.

This course provides an overview of the archaeology of Egypt, focusing on data from the Paleolithic Period to the Second Intermediate Period, around 1,600 BCE. It introduces fundamental methods and approaches to the archaeological record, surveying significant sites, objects, art, and architecture to understand various aspects of culture, society, and history. While Egypt is well-known for its pyramids, temples and tombs, we will not only examine such constructions, but also explore how material culture can offer us insights on such themes as power and inequality, human-environment relations, urbanism, identity, cross-cultural interactions, collapse, and transformation. We will also consider the origins and legacies of Egyptology while engaging with diverse perspectives on the past, and how Egypt’s rich cultural heritage continues to be valued, used, and contested.

This course will explore the longue durée development of Eastern Arabia from the beginning of the Holocene until about the 15th century CE. It will examine themes such as the nature of life and settlement in a semi- to hyper-arid environment, marginality, nomadic and sedentary lifestyles, irrigation methods, and maritime trade and globalisation. Loosely based around a chronological narrative, the course will be organised through a series of case studies (supported by general background lectures) that will cover topics such as, for example, the Neolithic, the Bronze Age (Magan, Dilmun, the 4.2ky event), Iron Age, the late pre-Islamic period, the early Islamic period, and the Hormuzi period. The course will also examine the area’s interaction with, amongst others, Mesopotamia, the Indus, Iran, the Graeco-Roman and Parthian worlds, and the Indian Ocean economy.