HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST - II

The class of "History of the Ancient Near East II" is framed into both the History, and the Humanities curricula ("Corso di Laurea Triennale in Storia" and "Corso di Laurea Triennale in Lettere"). Its main goal is to provide an in-depth analysis of a monographic subject of study concerning institutions and ecomic, social, and cultural aspects of Ancient Near Eastern civilizations.

At the end of the course, students will have acquired a basic knowledge of the historical sources pertaining to the Ancient Near East, along with an up-to-date methodology for addressing a specific subject in this field of study. They will also be informed about historiography, bibliography and available digital resources.
During the course, students are also expected to:
a) participate with their colleagues in open discussions about historical issues in order to consolidate their critical capacities;
b) learn to collect, analyse and organize the documentation in view of a specific research project;
c) raise questions regarding the nature and reliability of the sources;
d) acquire the ability to write a short essay or exercise on an agreed subject and to present their results to their colleagues.

No specific prerequisit is required; a basic knowledge of the History of the Ancient Near East is necessary and can be acquired through a few readings that will be suggested at the beginning of classes.

Title: “The Old Akkadian period: history, ideology and administration of the first ancient Near Eastern empire”. The course focuses on a momentous period in Ancient Near Eastern history, with special regards to the development of royal ideology and land management. Individual lectures will touch upon several connected topics: historical premises that allowed for the inclusion of the city-state model in a larger frame; the modes of expression of imperial regime; political propaganda; administrative reforms; representation of power, etc. Accordingly, selected sources -- such as royal inscriptions, literary compositions, letters, administrative texts, etc. -- will be framed in their broader historical context, in order to evaluate innovation and continuity with regards to previous periods.

The lectures are meant to complement the "Archaeology and Art History of the ancient Near East II" course (E. Rova), which focuses on archaeological sources from the Old Akkadian period.

Foster, B.R. 2016: The Age of Agade : Inventing Empire in Ancient Mesopotamia. London / New York: Routledge.
Liverani, M. 1993: Akkad, the First World Empire: Structure, Ideology, Traditions. Padova: Sargon.

Additional bibliographical references are required to students that are unable to attend classes.

Oral exam.
Attending students: questions on the main topics addressed in class.
Non-attending students: further questions on the required additional bibliographical readings.

Public lectures. Sources and other materials will be provided through Power Point presentation or handouts. Discussion of specific topics will be carried out with attending students. An overview of digital sources and applications relevant to the field will be also given in the lectures.

Italian

Further meetings may be organized as part of the activities of the "Epigrafie del Vicino Oriente Antico" Lab (Palazzo Malcanton-Matrcorà - I piano)

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