13806a

SoSe 13: Death in the Ancient Near East and Beyond

Brian Brown

Information for students

This course is offered in English; written assignments may be in German or English.

Additional information / Pre-requisites

Nur zusammen mit Ü 13806b.

Comments

It may seem obvious that the point of death and burial is the deceased individual who is buried. Yet dead people do not bury themselves (at least not literally). In fact, the way that the deceased are treated says much more about the living than it does about the dead. The ancient Near East offers much archaeological, textual, and artistic information about the importance that death and burial held in society. This seminar examines this evidence, along with some comparable data from other parts of the world, such as the Roman empire, Mesoamerica, and China. Topics include: - Theories and approaches to burial and commemoration - The different types and forms of burials encountered in the ANE from the prehistoric period (ca. 10,000 BCE) through the Roman period - Death and social stratification - Literary responses to death and dying (the Epic of Gilgamesh, Adapa, the Hebrew Bible) - Death and the landscape - How burials and monuments to the dead shape perceptions, create spaces, and establish ties to land - Feasting, ceremonies and rituals - Demographics: age, sex, disease, warfare, and how we can determine what the average life expectancy was Coursework will consist primarily of seminar discussion of the readings and primary evidence. Students will present case studies during a meeting at the end of the semester (to be scheduled). In addition, a final paper of approximately 15 pages is required. close