Brief Introduction

Archaeological and historical evidence is used to trace the development of various ancient Near Eastern cultures. The rise of the first civilizations in the Fertile Crescent provides the focus of the first half of the course. The second half covers development of the great empires of Egypt, the Hittites, Assyria, Babylon, and Persia, ending with the Hellenistic era brought about by the conquest of Alexander the Great in c. 300 BCE.

The emphasis throughout is on the political, social, religious, and economic systems that allowed these great civilizations to flourish, along with the institutions and values that made up the fabric of daily life. The relationships and interaction between the various cultures are stressed, and the similarities, differences, and possible influences between Near Eastern civilizations and the rise of western civilization in Greece explored.

Syllabus for 118TS

Readings will be assigned from the following (see Course Schedule for specific assignments):

Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia, Facts on File
by Michael Roaf, New York, 1990.

Life in the Ancient Near East
by Daniel C. Snell, 3100-332 B.C.E. Yale University Press, New Haven, 1997.

Available on reserve:

The Ancient Near East. An Anthology of Texts and Pictures
by James B. Pritchard, ed., Vol. 1 Princeton University Press, 1975 (ISBN: 0691002002). Should you want your own copy it’s available at textbooks.com for $17.

Ancient Near Eastern texts relating to the Old Testament
by James B. Pritchard, ed., Princeton University Press, 1975. This is an older edition with the same readings that will also be placed on reserve.