13805
Seminar
SoSe 13: Later Ancient Near Eastern Art and Archaeology
Brian Brown
Information for students
This course is offered in English; written assignments may be in German or English.
Comments
This course explores the material culture, society and history of the ancient Near East (primarily Mesopotamia, but also Anatolia, Syria and the Levant) from the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1600-1200 BCE) up to the disintegration of the Seleucid empire (ca. 60 BCE). This period witnesses the beginnings and/or development of numerous important socio-political and economic institutions that have had a large impact on human society: international systems of peer territorial states, imperialism, and large-scale mercantilism, to name just a few. We will use the material remains, along with the extant written sources, to examine these questions and others (e.g., collapse and regeneration; the issue of the West-East divide and the impact of Greco-Roman culture on the indigenous Middle Eastern cultures).
The course is divided into lectures, in which the broad outlines of the region's history and material culture are sketched, and seminars, in which we discuss specific topics of interest and the relevant scholarly literature. Course requirements include an oral presentation on an aspect or problem of the student's choice (ca. 30-45 minutes), plus a final 10-page paper. close
Suggested reading
Feldman, M. (2002), "Luxurious Forms: Redefining a Mediterranean 'International Style,' 1400-1200 B.C.E."; Liverani, M. (2005), "Imperialism"; Reade, J. (1979), "Ideology and Propaganda in Assyrian Art"; Sherratt and Sherratt (1991), "The growth of the Mediterranean economy in the early first millennium BC". close
14 Class schedule
Regular appointments
Fri, 2013-04-12 10:00 - 12:00
Fri, 2013-04-19 10:00 - 12:00
Fri, 2013-04-26 10:00 - 12:00
Fri, 2013-05-03 10:00 - 12:00
Fri, 2013-05-10 10:00 - 12:00
Fri, 2013-05-17 10:00 - 12:00
Fri, 2013-05-24 10:00 - 12:00
Fri, 2013-05-31 10:00 - 12:00
Fri, 2013-06-07 10:00 - 12:00
Fri, 2013-06-14 10:00 - 12:00
Fri, 2013-06-21 10:00 - 12:00
Fri, 2013-06-28 10:00 - 12:00
Fri, 2013-07-05 10:00 - 12:00
Fri, 2013-07-12 10:00 - 12:00