AKKD

The seminar offers an exploration of religion and literature at the Neo-Assyrian court in the 8th and 7th c. BCE, through selected readings from the original cuneiform texts (in copy and photograph) in three different genres of textual production: 1) Hymns to the Gods; 2) Elegiac Poetry produced by court scholars for the enjoyment and benefit of the Assyrian king and other members of the court; and 3) Queries to the Sun-God that were produced by court diviners as part of the daily activities of the Assyrian state. By exploring in parallel literary genres that are traditionally studied independently, the course offers a unique approach to the way Assyrians conceived the relationship between the human and divine realms in the conduit of military, political and social life.

This course is the second quarter of the annual introductory sequence to the Babylonian language and the Cuneiform script. Students will further explore the grammar of Babylonian in its Old Babylonian dialect (19th-16th c. BCE) and read ancient inscriptions (especially the Laws of Hammu-rabi) in the Old Babylonian monumental script. They will also be introduced to the Old Babylonian cursive used in letters and the documents of everyday life.

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.

This course is the second quarter of the annual introductory sequence to the Babylonian language and the Cuneiform script. Students will further explore the grammar of Babylonian in its Old Babylonian dialect (19th-16th c. BCE) and read ancient inscriptions (especially the Laws of Hammu-rabi) in the Old Babylonian monumental script. They will also be introduced to the Old Babylonian cursive used in letters and the documents of everyday life.

This course is the third quarter of the annual introductory sequence to the Babylonian language and the Cuneiform script. After covering the grammar in the first two quarters, students will further their mastering of the Classical and Late Old Babylonian dialect of Akkadian and the associated monumental and cursive scripts by reading through a varieties of text genres: Letters, Royal Inscriptions, Legal Texts, and excerpts of Literature.