ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORY OF ART OF ANCIENT NEAR EAST II

The course belongs to the "Core educational activities" of the archaeological curriculum of the Bachelor's Degree Programme in "Conservation of Cultural Heritage and Performing Arts Management" and corresponds to the second part of the 12 CFU exam of "Near Eastern archaeology and art history".
It will present the students with an in-depth analysis of a specific theme or topic in the field of Near Eastern archaeology. Compared to the first part of the course, the object of study will be widened from Mesopotamia to the surrounding regions as well. The aim of the course is that students acquire, a.o. by reading scientific contributions in languages other than Italian, a knowledge of the subject exceeding a purely handbookish level, and that they become aware of the methods and processes through which archaeological data contribute to the reconstruction of a specific aspect of past civilisations and become familiar with the international terminology of a particular field of study. The object of this year's course will be Neneveh, the great assyrian capital of the first millennium BC, and its history

At the end of the course students will have a thorough knowledge of Nineveh, one of the most important archaeological sites of the Near East, of the stages of its discovery, of its main momuments, artworks and categories of artefacts and, finally, of its importance for the history of Near Eastern civilisation. Through the case-study of Nineveh, they will become aware of the aims and strategies which guide the investigation of a large archaeological site , of the problems connected with its preservation, and of the process which from the collection phase of archaeological lead to historical reconstruction.
They will have a good command of Italian and international terminology concerning the topics discussed during the course, and will be able to read and critically evaluate short studies, in Italian, French and English, on the subject.

NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY AND ART HISTORY I
Besides this, there are no other pre-requirements for this course, although it is advisable to have a basic knowledge of methods and themes of archaeological research. This can be also acquired by following other archaeological disciplines at the same time as this one.
Students interested in the civilisations of the Ancient Near East may also choose: History of the Ancient Near East; Egyptology; Phoenician-punic archaeology; Prehistory and protohistory of Eastern Mediterranean; Islamic Archaeology and Muslim Art History, Assyriology; Semitic Philology, History of Religions I

The course will deal with Niveveh, the famous assyrian capital of the 1st millemmium BC, from its prehistoric origins (VI millennium BC) to its destiny after the distruction in 612 BC until the recent destructions which followed the Gulf Wars. The main results of the excavations, from the site's rediscovery in the mid-19th century AD until the most recent research projects will be presented and discussed in the framework of the development of the aims and methods of archaeological research in the region. The site's transformation "from village to metropolis" will be folllowed by analysing, for each phase, the site's topography, the main architectural monuments, the artistic production and material culture, its importance in the framework of the contemporary cultures of the ancient Near East and the symbolic value it still maintains in the western culture.

Notes taken during the lessons and displayed PP presentations (downloadable from the Moodle platform)
Suggested readings:
L.P. PETIT, D. MORANDI BONACOSSI (eds.), Nineveh, the Great City. Symbol of Beauty and Power (Papers on Archaeology of the Leiden Museum of Antiquities 13), Leiden: Sidestone Press 2017.
D. STRONACH, K. CODELLA, s.v. Nineveh, in E.M. MEYERS (ed.), The Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East, New York-Oxford 1997, 144-148
P. MATTHIAE, Ninive, Milano 1998 (Electa)
Further literature will be communicated during the course.
During the course, a list of articles will be provided, the reading of two of which is requested for the exam
Students who are unable to attend the lessons are invited to ask the instructor for a different program and bibliography.

The exam will be oral, and will consist of: 1) a discussion about some of the topics dealt with during the lessons and 2) the presentation, by the student, of one of the selected articles. The student may be asked to comment some of the slides shown during the course. The evaluation will take into account both the degree of comprehension and knowledge of the subject acquired by attending the lessons and through individual study, and the ability to present a topic in an articulated way and by making use of an appropriate terminology.
Erasmus students with insufficient knowlegdge of Italian language wil be offered the possibility to take the exam in English

Frontal lessons with display of Power Point presentations (downloadable from the Moodle Platform) + reading of selected texts
The lessons may be integrated by lectures on specific subjects by Italian or foreign experts and other activities (guided visits to museums and exhibitions, seminaries and exercises)

Italian

The course corresponds to the first part of the 12 CFU exam.
Students are strongly advised to attend the lessons (lectures by invited scholars and other activities included).
An alternative program can be agreed upon for those for whom this is impossible to attend the lessons

Ca’ Foscari applica la Legge Italiana (Legge 17/1999; Legge 170/2010) per i servizi di supporto e di accomodamento disponibili agli studenti con disabilità o con disturbi specifici dell’apprendimento. Se hai una disabilità motoria, visiva, dell’udito o altre disabilità (Legge 17/1999) o un disturbo specifico dell’apprendimento (Legge 170/2010) e richiedi supporto (assistenza in aula, ausili tecnologici per lo svolgimento di esami o esami individualizzati, materiale in formato accessibile, recupero appunti, tutorato specialistico a supporto dello studio, interpreti o altro) contatta l’ufficio Disabilità e DSA disabilita@unive.it.

oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Cities, infrastructure and social capital" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development