ARCHAEOLOGY OF ANATOLIA AND THE CAUCASUS

Academic year
2025/2026 Syllabus of previous years
Official course title
ARCHEOLOGIA DELL'ANATOLIA E DEL CAUCASO SP.
Course code
FM0438 (AF:568740 AR:324394)
Teaching language
English
Modality
On campus classes
ECTS credits
6
Degree level
Master's Degree Programme (DM270)
Academic Discipline
L-OR/05
Period
2nd Semester
Where
VENEZIA
The course belongs to the "Archaeology" curriculum of the Master's Degree Programme in "Ancient Civilisations: Literature, History and Archaeology" (FMR2). It is part of the interdisciplinary activities of the archaeological (for which it is compulsory), historical-archaeological and historical-epigraphical paths of the "Western Asia and Eastern Mediterranean" sub-curriculum and of the pre- protohostoric path of the "Europe and Mediterranean" sub-curriculum. It is also one of 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" (FMR9).
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, as well as Eurasian Pre- and Proto-history.
It aims at providing students with advanced knowledge about the pre-classical archaeology of Anatolia and the Caucasus 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.
At the end of the course the student is expected to have not only a general knowledge of the pre-classical civilisations of Anatolia and the Southern Caucasus 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 in front of 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.
Since the lecturer who will hold the 2015/26 course (due to the sabbatical year of prof. Rova) has not yet been appointed, the topic of the course, which is in form of a seminary and therefore changes every year, will be communicated later
Notes taken during the lessons and displayed PP presentations (downloadable from the Moodle platform)

Suggested readings:
1) For a general introduction to the pre-classical cultures of Anatolia (a1) or, alternatively, of the Caucasus (1b)
1a) A. SAGONA, P. ZIMANSKI, Ancient Turkey, Oxon, New York (Routledge) 2009.
1b) A. SAGONA, The Archaeology of the Caucasus, Cambridge (Cambridge University Press) 2018

2) The literature about the the topic of the course will be communicated by the appointed lecturer

N.B. This section might be modifiedby the by the appointed 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 then 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 studemnt'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.

written and oral
- 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
NB: This section may be modified by the appointed lecturer
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.
At request of the students, and if there will be enough interested foreign students, the course may be (mostly) thought in English language
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 semester. 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 Syro-Mesopotamia, Archaeology of the Levant, Anthropology of images in the Eastern Mediterranean, Cipriote archaeology, Aegean archaeology, History and Anthropology of the ancient Near East, Cultures of Africa and Western Asia, History and Literatures of the Ancient Near East, Culture of ancient Egypt, Litaratures of ancient Mesopotamia, Semitic Epigraphy, Anatolian Epigraphy, The city in the Islamic world, Heritage: politics and practices in the Islamic world, History of Religions

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.

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

Definitive programme.
Last update of the programme: 29/03/2025