ARCHAEOLOGY OF SYRO-MESOPOTAMIA

The course belongs to the interdisciplinary activities of both curricula ("Archaeology" and "Ancient Philology, literatures and history") of the Master's Degree Programme in "Ancient Civilisations: Literature, History and Archaeology" and to the core educational activities of the Medieval and Bizantine curriculum of the Master's Degree Programme in "History of Arts and Conservation of Artistic Heritage". It is one of the essential courses for students who want to specialise in the ancient civilisations of the Near East and of the Eastern Mediterranean.
It aims at providing students with advanced knowledge about the archaeology of pre-classical Syro-Mesopotamia and with methodological instruments enabling them to carry out a bibliographic research and produce and present, by making use of an appropriate terminology, an original synthesis about a specific subject related to the theme which is dealt with during the lessons. This year's course will be dedicated to interregional exchanges in the Near East and in the Eastern Mediterranean in the 2nd millennium BC

At the end of the course rhe student is expected to have not only a general knowledge of the pre-classical civilisations of Syo-Mesopotamia and of their material culture and artistic production, but also an in-depth knowledge of the subject dealt with during the course, based on reading specialised literature mainly in English language. He/she is also expected to be able to carry out, in a relatively short time, a bibliographic search about a specific topic, to prove able to choose with sufficient critical sense among the different available sources, to orally expose the results of his/her research to a specialised audience in an effective way and using an appropriate terminology, and to produce a short written essay following the rules required for scientific publications.

Near Eastern Archaeology and Art History I (advised: Near Eastern Archaeology and Art History II). Students who did not take a basic course in Near Eastern Archaelogy are invited to bridge the gap by reading a handbook about the subject. Considered that this is an advanced course, in order to follow it it is advisable to have a basic knowledge of the methods and general themes of archaeological research.

The course will deal with interregional exchanges in the Near East and in the Eastern Meditarranean in the 2nd millennium BC. A series of introductory lessons, by the lecturer, about long-distance exchanges in the ancient Near East, their development between the Middle and the Late Bronze Age, and some case studies will be followed by short oral presentations, by the students, of some archaeological sites relevant to the topic and of the main classes of artefacts involved. Each student is expected to prepare a short piece of research about one aspect (e.g. a class or artefacts etc.) of the course. This work will be orally presented and discussed during the last lessons, and tranformed into a short written essay before the exam.

Notes taken during the lessons and displayed PP presentations (downloadable from the Moodle platform)
Suggested readings:
L. Peyronel, Archeologia e Storia del Commercio nell'Oriednte antico, Roma (Carocci) 2008.
J. Aruz, K. Benzel, J.M. Evans (eds), Beyond Babylon. Art, Trade and Diplomacy in the Secodn Millennium B.C., New York (Metropolitan Museum of Art) 2008.
M. H. Feldman, Diplomacy by Design. Luxury Arts and an "International Style" in the Ancient Near East, 1400-1200 BCE, Chigaco, London (University of Chicago press) 2006.
G.M.M.G. AKKERMANS, G. M. SCHWARTZ, The Archaeology of Syria. From Complex Hunter-Gatherers to Early Urban Societies (ca. 16.000-300 BC), Cambridge 2003, pp. 288-359
For students who are unable to attend the lessons (this option is not recommemded), these texts will be joined by specific literature for an essay, the topic of which will be assigned by the lecturer.

Each student is expected to prepare a short piece of research about one aspect of the course theme. This work will be discussed during the last lessons and prepared in written form before the exam. Oral exam, including general questions about the topics discussed during the course, and a discussion of the short written paper prepared by the student. Evaluation will be based on the student's active participation to the lessons (presentations, discussions etc.), on the written essay and on the discussion during the exam. It will consider both the degree of comprehension and knowledge of the subject, and the ability to present a topic, both in oral and in written form, in an effective and articulated way and by making use of an appropriate terminology
Students are offered the possibility to take the exam (presentation and written essay included) in English language

The course is organised in the form of a seminary involving the active participation of students. A few introductory frontal lessons by the instructor (with display of Power Point presentations) will be followed by oral presentations, by the students, of specific aspects. Each of these will be followed by a general discussion. In case the Corona-virus-induced sanitary emergency will not be solved by the beginning of the lessons, these will be partially or totally carried out by video-conference.
At request of the students, and if there will be enough interested foreign students, the course may be (mostly) thought in English

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)

The course will take place during the second and third periods. At request of the students, and if there will be enough interested foreign students, the course may be (mostly) thought in English.
Since the course is organised in the form of a seminary, students are strongly advised to attend the lessons. Only in exceptional cases an alternative exam program (including a short written research paper) can be agreed upon.

Students interested in the civilisations of the Ancient Near East may also choose: Archaeology of Anatolia and the Caucasus, Archaeology of the Levant, Ancien Egyptian culture, Late and Hellenistic-Roman Egypt, Prehistory of the Near and Middle East, Cipriote archaeology, Aegean archaeology, Near Eastern History, Literatures of the Ancient Near East, Semitic Philology, The city in the Islamic world, Heritage: politics and practices in the Islamic world


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.

written and oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Poverty and inequalities" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development