28772 - History of Ancient Near East (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

Purpose of the course is to make students sensitive to a structural approach toward the various civilizations that flourished in the ancient Near East from the IV to the I millennium BC. At the end of the course the student will acquire a deep knowledge of the historical and cultural development of that region before the Persians; will get acquainted with the key issues of the historiographical research in this field along with its peculiar sources and methodology; will be able to place the main historical events and phenomena in their proper geographical and chronological setting; will have learnt to recognize the elements of continuity and discontinuity through time and space; will be capable of understanding the original features of the ancient Near Eastern civilizations.

Course contents

The course offers an introduction to the history of the ancient Near East and is divided into two parts. The first part will provide an overview of the political, socio-economic, religious and cultural structures of the civilizations that flourished in the region comprised between Egypt, the Aegean, and Central Asia in the period between the emergence of early states and writing (end of the fourth millennium BC) and the death of Alexander the Great at Babylon (323 BC).

The second part of the course will focus on the key features of the legal traditions of the cuneiform world, and, more in general, on the administration of justice in the ancient Near East; a wide range of Sumerian and Akkadian legal sources (law “codes”, royal edicts, trial records, etc.) in translation will be examined during classes.

Readings/Bibliography

Attending students (i.e., attendance of at least 12 lessons)

Part 1

M. Liverani, Antico Oriente. Storia, società, economia. Roma/Bari: Laterza, 2011 (or any previous edition).

Part 2

For consultation only:

R. Westbrook (a c.), A History of Ancient Near Eastern Law. Leiden: Brill, 2003.

Texts in translation:

M.T. Roth, Law Collections from Mesopotamia and Asia Minor. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1997².

C. Saporetti, Antiche Leggi. I “Codici” del Vicino Oriente Antico. Milano: Rusconi, 1998.

F. Joannès (a c.), Rendre la justice en Mésopotamie. Archives judiciaires du Proche-Orient ancien (III^e-I^er millénaires avant J.-C.). Saint-Denis: Presses Universitaires de Vincennes, 2000.

M. Molina, La ley más antigua. Textos legales sumerios. Madrid/Barcelona: Editorial Trotta/ Edicions de la Universitat de Barcelona, 2000.

Students not attending classes are invited to contact the teacher in order to arrange an alternative program.

Teaching methods

Lectures and class discussions.

Assessment methods

Students who attend at least 75% of the lessons are considered to be attending students.

Oral examination aiming at verifying the student’s knowledge of the topics covered during the course and of the assigned readings. The overall evaluation will take into account attendance to classes and active participation in class discussions.

Excellent knowledge of the topics, clarity in the exposition, correct use of the terminology, and ability to formulate and develop critical and rigorous arguments are necessary to attain an excellent mark.

Students showing good knowledge of the main themes treated during the course, ability to discuss specific issues, while failing to use an appropriate terminology, will receive a good mark.

Students who do not show an adequate knowledge of the topics discussed during the course will not pass the exam.

Exam sessions are scheduled for the following months (for all students): April, May, June, October, November 2025; January 2026.

Teaching tools

PowrPoint presentations and other teaching materials will be provided by the instructor.

The teaching tools used during the lessons will also be available on http://virtuale.unibo.it/

Students who, for reasons dependent on disabilities or specific learning disorders (SLD), require compensatory tools must first contact the appropriate office: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students

Office hours

See the website of Palmiro Notizia