AKKD

This course expands and cements students’ knowledge of the Akkadian language through readings from the most famous work of literature from ancient Mesopotamia, the Standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh. Our focus will be on deepening proficiency in grammar and reading cuneiform signs, on developing understanding of the literary dialect of Standard Babylonian, and on the pleasures of collectively reading this profound, perplexing, and beautiful text. We will also consider a range of issues relevant to the study of Babylonian literature: critical use of sign lists, dictionaries, and other Assyriological resources; questions of translation; and matters of cuneiform textual criticism, particularly those that arise from the study of texts known from multiple manuscripts.

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.

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.

Akkadian readings in a wide variety of divinatory cuneiform texts, including omens from extispicy, teratology, libanomancy, medical diagnosis, and lunar eclipses, among others. Students are graded based on their preparation and mastery of cuneiform script—Old Babylonian cursive, in particular—and Akkadian philology.
Approved Specialized Attribute

This class is designed to provide an advanced grammar course focusing on syntactic topics for students who have intermediate or advanced knowledge of Akkadian. The class will read texts from different periods and genres to compare the treatment of certain syntactic structures.

We will read a choice of legal and administrative texts from the Kassite period (1400-1150 BC), including contracts, tables, receipts and letters. You will get an introduction to the Middle Babylonian dialect of Akkadian and learn how to approach those genres. We will also read unpublished material from photos, casts, and original tablets.

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 specifically aimed at students having completed the Introduction to Babylonian sequence (AKKD 10501–10503) but can be taken by more advanced students as well. Building on the knowledge acquired in the introductory sequence, this course will explore the Old Babylonian Literary dialect in Old Babylonian cursive script, as well as the Standard Babylonian dialect in Neo-Assyrian cuneiform script, through a selection of readings on Flood Narratives from OB Atra-hasis and the OB/SB Gilgamesh, the precursors to the story of Noah and the Flood in the Hebrew Bible.

In this course we will read Semitic texts from the ancient Syrian site of Ebla dating to the middle of the 24th century BCE. The texts consist of several genres, such as administrative texts, chancellery texts, and a few ritual texts and incantations. Special focus will be on the language used since the status of "Eblaite" and its position within the Semitic language family is still a matter of debate. We will further look at the broader linguistic an cultural context of the Eblaite material by comparing it to Mesopotamian texts from the same period.

This course is specifically aimed at students having completed the first year of Elementary Akkadian (AKKD 10101–10103), but can be taken by more advanced students as well. Building on the knowledge acquired in the Elementary sequence, this course will explore the Standard Babylonian dialect and the Neo-Assyrian cuneiform script, through a detailed analysis of the Annals of king Sennacherib (704–681 BCE) as they are represented in the ‘Chicago Prism' acquired by J. H. Breasted in 1920 and currently on display in the Assyrian gallery of the Oriental Institute Museum. These include, among other military and building exploits of the king, his campaign to the Levant against Ezekiah, king of Judah — an episode also recounted in the Hebrew Bible (books of Second Kings, Isaiah and Chronicles), Herodotus' Histories and Josephus' Judean Antiquities.