HISTORY 201
Ancient Near Eastern Civilizations
Spring, 2005
Required Books:
A. Kuhrt, The Ancient Near East, 3000-330 B.C., 2 vols. Routledge pb.
J. B. Pritchard, The Ancient Near East, 2 vols. Princeton U. Press pb.
H. Shanks, Ancient Israel, rev. and expanded ed., Prentice-Hall pb.
N.B.! You will find it helpful to have access to a Bible when we discuss ancient
Israel.
The Scope of the Course:
The course is an introduction to the major civilizations of Mesopotamia
(Sumerians, Babylonians, Kassites, Assyrians, etc.), Syria-Palestine (Canaanites,
Israelites, Phoenicians, etc.), Anatolia (Hittites, Urartians) and Iran (Medes and Persians)
during the four millennia preceding the conquest of the area by Alexander the Great.
Some attention will be paid to parallel developments in Egypt. Stress will be placed on
general issues of continuity and diversity, as well as on such specific topics as:
urbanization, political organization, imperialism, law, social structure(class, family,
gender), literature and art. We will rely heavily on ancient documents and artifacts. The
course concludes with a look at the interaction between the cultures of this region and
Greece, as well as the impact of Christianity. The use of documents and archaeological
data are intended to make clear how the history and culture of the ancient Near East has
been reconstructed and interpreted.
Format and Requirements:
The format will be primarily lectures, but there will be room for discussion
dependent of course on the size of the class. The lectures will be ‘informal’, meaning that
you may interrupt – in a civil manner – at any time for questions, clarifications or,
perhaps, suggestions for alternative interpretations of the evidence. The readings
represent only part of the “stuff” of the course; the lectures will include additional source
materials, discussions of cultures not adequately covered in the readings and recent new
interpretations. You are under no obligation to accept any of these interpretations – mine
or the books’ – but you must know them all.
Your final grade will be based on a one-hour, in-class mid-term examination and
a two-hour final, both of the essay type. Your will have a choice of questions, and I will
distribute a study sheet for each examination at least a week in advance. The final
examination will not be cumulative. The grades on the two essays on the final will be
entered as separate grades, so that your final grade will be based on the three essay
grades.
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An effort has been made to select representative readings on the civilizations we
will consider. You need to read them carefully, taking notes on your reading. I will show
you how to read the ancient sources.
READING SCHEDULE
Jan. 24:
Introduction to the Course
Jan. 26:
Introduction to the Study of the Ancient Near East
READ: Kuhrt I, 1-15.
Jan. 28, 31:
The Prehistory of the Near East
READ: Kuhrt I, 19-27.
Feb. 2 – 9:
The Near East in the 3rd Millennium BCE
READ: Kuhrt I, 27-73; Pritchard: I, 31-34, 85-86; II, 204-15,
132-35; I, 28-30; II, 123-32, 195-204, 136-41, 215-17, 31-36.
Feb. 11 – 21:
The Near East to ca. 1600 BCE
READ: Kuhrt I, 74-117: Pritchard: II, 70-72, 174-78, 180-86,
188-92, 94-96; I, 260-62, 133-70; II, 36-41, 187-88, 73-79; I, 8085; II, 5-17; I, 231-33, 31-39; II, 26-28; I, 76-80; II, 17-26; I, 7576; II, 142-67. Optional: Kuhrt I, 118-73.
Feb. 23 – Mar. 4:
The Near East, ca. 1600 – ca. 900 BCE
READ: Kuhrt I, 225-381 (Optional: 185-224); Pritchard: II, 89-93,
82, 42-45, 29-30, 71-72, 79-81; I, 87-132, 182-86, 16-24, 262-77.
March 7:
Mid-term Examination
Mar. 9, 11, 14-18:
The Levant & Israel, 1200 – 720 BCE
READ: Kuhrt II, 385-472; Shanks, 1-165; Pritchard: I, 209-11;
215-21.
Mar. 30 – Apr. 8:
The Neo-Assyrian Empire: ca. 900 – 610 BCE
READ: Kuhrt II, 473-546; Shanks, 165-90; Pritchard II, 113-18;
I, 188-203; II, 99-104, 49-69, 168-73, 121-22.
Apr. 11, 13:
Anatolia, ca. 900 – ca. 550 BCE
READ: Kuhrt II, 547-72.
Apr. 15-20:
Babylonia, ca. 900 – 539 BCE
READ: Kuhrt II, 573-622 (optional: 623-46); Pritchard: II, 10413; I, 203-05; II, 81 (#19); I, 75-76, 212-14; Shanks, 190-216.
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Apr. 22, 27, May 2:
One Man’s Mede is Another Man’s Persian: The
Achaemenid Empire
READ: Kuhrt II, 647-701; Pritchard: I, 206-08, 245-49, 278-83;
II, 83-86, 193-94; Shanks, 216-29.
May 4, 6:
Hellenism & Christianity
READ: Shanks, 231-98; Pritchard: II. 118-20.
Instructor: G. E. Kadish
Office: LT 609
Phone: x72488
e-mail: kadishg@binghamton.edu
Office hours: M 3:30 – 4:30; W 1:10-2:10, Th 9-10 and by appointment.
This is a 4-credit course.