508184 - HISTORY, EPIGRAPHY AND WRITING SYSTEMS OF THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST

courses

ID:

508184

Duration (hours):

36

CFU:

SSD:

STORIA DEL VICINO ORIENTE ANTICO

Year:

2025

Date/time interval

Primo Semestre (22/09/2025 - 19/12/2025)

Course Objectives

The main objective of the course is to understand the significance of the introduction of writing in the history of civilizations. In particular, the course aims to explore aspects of the culture and societies of the pre-classical Near East (Anatolia, Syria, Mesopotamia) through the study of the principal writing systems and of monuments bearing inscriptions. Some lectures will also be devoted to the history of the decipherment of certain scripts. Another focus will be on research and reflections concerning the phenomenon of writing, its impact on oral cultures, and the various uses of writing in different social contexts. The course also includes practical exercises in reading short inscriptions, as well as in-depth seminars.

Course Prerequisites

Basic knowledge (at the level of a university handbook) of the History of the Ancient Near East

Teaching Methods

Frontal lectures combined with opportunities for active student participation.

Assessment Methods

The exam consists of an individual oral test aimed at assessing the knowledge and skills acquired with respect to the course content. It includes questions on the topics covered in the lectures and in the required readings. The final evaluation will be based on the level of understanding of the topics examined and on the ability to present the acquired knowledge clearly and accurately.

Texts

For attending students a. One of the following: M. Pope, The Story of Decipherment: From Egyptian Hieroglyphs to Maya Script, 1999 (only the sections on cuneiform). J. Friedrich, Decifrazione delle scritture scomparse, 1961 (1st Italian edition) or later editions (only the sections on cuneiform). b. Two of the following: C. Walker, La scrittura cuneiforme, 2008 (English ed.: C. Walker, Cuneiform, 1987). G. Neumann, System und Ausbau der hethitischen Hieroglyphenschrift. Translated and annotated by N. Bolatti-Guzzo and M. Marazzi, in N. Bolatti-Guzzo, S. Festuccia, M. Marazzi (eds.), Centro Mediterraneo Preclassico. Studi e ricerche III, 2012, pp. 11–52. P.J. Boyes, Script and Society. The Social Context of Writing Practices in Late Bronze Age Ugarit, 2021, pp. 115–196. The suggested readings are indicative of specific aspects of the issues addressed in the course. Additional studies and readings will also be presented during the semester and may be proposed as alternatives. For non-attending students a. One of the following: G. Cardona, Antropologia della scrittura, 1981. J. Goody, Il potere della tradizione scritta, 2002. b. One of the following: M. Pope, The Story of Decipherment: From Egyptian Hieroglyphs to Maya Script, 1999 (only the sections on cuneiform). J. Friedrich, Decifrazione delle scritture scomparse, 1961 (1st Italian edition) or later editions (only the sections on cuneiform). c. One of the following: K. Radner – E. Robson (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Cuneiform Culture, Oxford 2011, Part I: Materiality and Literacy, pp. 5–116. C. Walker, La scrittura cuneiforme, 2008 (English ed.: C. Walker, Cuneiform, 1987). C. Mora, Anatolian Hieroglyphic Documentation, in S. De Martino (ed.), Handbook Hittite Empire, Berlin–Boston 2022, pp. 45–92. P.J. Boyes, Script and Society. The Social Context of Writing Practices in Late Bronze Age Ugarit, 2021, pp. 115–276.

I. Orality and writing: modern studies, research, and reflections on the “writing phenomenon” (M.E. Balza) II. The origin, use, function, and diffusion of writing in the Ancient Near East (3500–500 BC): the features of the earliest attested scripts; logo-syllabic and alphabetic scripts; the main writing supports, writing tools, and textual typologies; the spread of writing and the experts of writing: who could read and write? (M.E. Balza) III. Decipherment and decipherers: history of scholarship and current research (M.E. Balza, C. Mora) IV. Focus on selected scripts, with short reading exercises (M.E. Balza, C. Mora): cuneiform writing, Anatolian hieroglyphic script, and the proto-alphabetic script of Ugarit.