NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY AND ART HISTORY I

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 "The Akkadian period: material evidence for the first Mesopotamian empire"

At the end of the course students will have gained an in-depth knowledge of all aspects of the material culture of a crucial phase of the ancient Mesopotamian civilisation and of its impact on the landscape. They will be able to elaborate some critical reflections about the different potential of archaelogical versus testual sources for the reconstruction historical processes, and about their possible integration. They will have a good command of Italian and international terminology concerning the description and the study of the different classes of materials and will be aware of the main methods used for their analysis.
They will be able to read and critically evaluate short scientific contributions about some of the subjects discussed during the lessons.

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 are advised to follow at the same time the scourse in Near Eastern History (prof. M. Maiocchi) which this year will analyse the same period from the point of view of textual sources.
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; Archaeology of the Islamic wolrd, Assyriology; Sumero-Akkadian epigraphy, Semitic Philology, History of Religions I.

The course will analyse the archaeological sources for the Akkadian period (2350-2200 BC ca) in Mesopotamia and in the surrounding regions, thereby concentrating on the archaeological manifesations of the early empires.
Some introductory lessons will present the chronology and historical events of the period; they will be followed by the analysis of the consequences on the territory (settlement distribution, exploitation and management of natural resources) of the Akkadian conquest. Special attention will be dedicated to comparing archaeological data to the narrative presented by contemporary textual sources, as well as to the recent hypotheses which connect the period's events with the climatic event of 4,2 ka BP. The last part of the course will present the material manifestations (architecture, visual arts, administrative tools) of the akkadian imperial ideology and of the empire's political and economic administration.

Notes taken during the lessons and displayed PP presentations (downloadable from the Moodle platform)
Suggested readings:
A. McMAHON, The Akkadian Period: Empire, Environment, and Imagination, in D. T. Potts (ed.), A Companion to the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, vol. II, Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell 2012, 649-667.
B. FOSTER, The Age of Agade, Inventing Empire in Ancient Mesopotamia, London, Routhledge 2025.
M. LIVERANI (ed.) Akkad, The First World Empire. Structure, Ideology, Traditions (HANE/S 5), Padova 1993.
P. AMIET, L’Art d’Agade au Musée du Louvre, Paris 1976.
During the course, a list of articles will be provided, the reading of two of which is requested for the exam.

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.
Grades
- 18-23/30 Sufficient knowledge of the subject, sufficient ability to present a topic in an articulated way and by making use of an appropriate terminology, serious mistakes or shortcomings
- 24-27/30 Fair knowledge of the subject, fair ability to present a topic in an articulated way and by making use of an appropriate terminology, mistakes or shortcomings of some significance
-28-30/30 Good or excellent knowledge of the subject, good or excellent ability to present a topic in an articulated way and by making use of an appropriate terminology, negligible mistakes or shortcomings
- 30/30 e lode see above, but with no errors or shortcomings
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 second part of the 12 CFU exam. Students are advised to follow at the same time the scourse in Near Eastern History (prof. M. Maiocchi) which this year will analyse the same period from the point of view of textual sources.
Students are strongly advised to attend the lessons (lectures by invited scholars and other activities included).

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 "Climate change and energy" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development