ID:
508783
Duration (hours):
36
CFU:
6
SSD:
ANATOLISTICA
Year:
2025
Overview
Date/time interval
Primo Semestre (22/09/2025 - 19/12/2025)
Syllabus
Course Objectives
The course aims to provide students with an overview of the political history and main cultural features of the civilizations of Anatolia, Syria, and the Levant between the 3rd and 1st millennia BCE, in their interactions with Mesopotamia and Egypt.
The course will be primarily based on written sources, although archaeological evidence will also be considered where necessary, especially for the earliest phases (3rd millennium BCE). Ancient documents will be studied only in translation, and prior knowledge of Ancient Near Eastern languages is not required, but an introductory course in Akkadian is provided in November (dott. Fabio Bastici).
By the end of the course, students should have acquired an appropriate understanding of the different historical phases in Western Asia during the pre-classical period and be able to critically approach issues related to political ideology, as well as the literary and religious culture of the civilizations that flourished in this region.
The course will be primarily based on written sources, although archaeological evidence will also be considered where necessary, especially for the earliest phases (3rd millennium BCE). Ancient documents will be studied only in translation, and prior knowledge of Ancient Near Eastern languages is not required, but an introductory course in Akkadian is provided in November (dott. Fabio Bastici).
By the end of the course, students should have acquired an appropriate understanding of the different historical phases in Western Asia during the pre-classical period and be able to critically approach issues related to political ideology, as well as the literary and religious culture of the civilizations that flourished in this region.
Course Prerequisites
None; it is a basic introductory course. A general knowledge of the history of the Ancient Near East is useful but not required.
Note: For students with no prior knowledge of the history of the Ancient Near East, a pre-course on the History and Archaeology of the Mediterranean is offered in September, including some classes dedicated to the history of the Near East. Attendance at this pre-course is highly recommended.
Note: For students with no prior knowledge of the history of the Ancient Near East, a pre-course on the History and Archaeology of the Mediterranean is offered in September, including some classes dedicated to the history of the Near East. Attendance at this pre-course is highly recommended.
Teaching Methods
Lectures with powerpoint presentations.
Assessment Methods
Oral Examination: Students are expected to study the selected chapters from the recommended handbook, as well as the topics presented and discussed during classes, with the support of the PowerPoint slides. The assessment will consider both the knowledge of the content (up to 70%) and the ability to explain and discuss the topics (up to 30%).
Texts
The handbook to be studied for the exam is:
M. van de Mieroop, A History of the Ancient Near East 3000–323 BC, 3rd edition, Malden – Oxford – Chichester, 2016 (only the chapters specifically indicated by the teacher before and/or during classes).
In addition to this core bibliography, further reading suggestions will be provided in class for sections B1–4.
PowerPoint presentations and recordings of classes will be made available to students on KIRO (https://elearning.unipv.it/).
Students who already possess prior knowledge of the history of the Ancient Near East are asked to arrange a special study program with the course coordinator (M. Giorgieri).
M. van de Mieroop, A History of the Ancient Near East 3000–323 BC, 3rd edition, Malden – Oxford – Chichester, 2016 (only the chapters specifically indicated by the teacher before and/or during classes).
In addition to this core bibliography, further reading suggestions will be provided in class for sections B1–4.
PowerPoint presentations and recordings of classes will be made available to students on KIRO (https://elearning.unipv.it/).
Students who already possess prior knowledge of the history of the Ancient Near East are asked to arrange a special study program with the course coordinator (M. Giorgieri).
Contents
The following program is organized as a basic introductory course, aimed at students with little or no prior knowledge of the civilizations of the ancient Near East.
Classes will consist of lectures in which the teacher presents, with the aid of PowerPoint presentations, the main content—facts, names, and dates—drawn from written and archaeological historical sources, covering selected chapters of the history of Anatolia, Syria, Upper Western Mesopotamia, and the Levant. The focus is therefore on the westernmost part of the Near East, while inevitably taking into account Mesopotamia proper (Sumer, Babylonia, Assyria) and Egypt.
Note: Students who have already acquired specific knowledge of the history, civilizations, and languages of the ancient Near East, and who have obtained at least 6 CFU in this field, are asked to contact the course coordinator (M. Giorgieri) to arrange a tailored study program.
The course is divided into different units. Following a general introductory section, aimed at presenting the political context of Western Asia in the pre-classical period and the main historical sources (both written and archaeological), the subsequent units will focus on the various periods of the history of Anatolia, Syria, Upper Western Mesopotamia, and the Levant during the Early and Middle Bronze Age, the Late Bronze Age, and the Iron Age.
A) INTRODUCTORY GENERAL PART (4 hours)
-Class 1 (5th Nov, M. Giorgieri): General introduction to Western Asia in pre-classical age (3rd-1st millennium BCE): geography; peoples, languages and civilizations; the chronological frame and a brief historical outline (2 h.)
-Class 2 (7th Nov, M. Giorgieri & M. Capardoni): The sources for the reconstruction of history and culture of the Western Asia:
a) Writing(s) and written sources in Anatolia and Syria in the 3rd and 2nd millennium BC: the cuneiform writing and the Anatolian Hieroglypic script (1 h.)
b) Archaeological sources (1 h.)
B) POLITICAL AND CULTURAL HISTORY OF WESTERN ASIA BETWEEN 3RD AND 1ST MILL. BCE.: ANATOLIA, SYRIA, UPPER WESTERN MESOPOTAMIA AND LEVANT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN HISTORY
B1) Early Bronze Age (3rd millennium BC; 6 hours)
-Class 3 (11th Nov, M. Capardoni): The Urban Revolution and the political developments in 3rd Millennium Southern Mesopotamia (2 h.)
-Class 4 (12th Nov, M. Capardoni): Rise and fall of the urbanisation in Syria (2 h.)
-Class 5 (14th Nov, M. Capardoni): The Early Bronze Age in Anatolia (2 h.)
B2) Middle Bronze Age (ca. 2000-1600 BC; 6 hours)
-Class 6 (18th Nov, M. Giorgieri & M. Capardoni): Movements and shifts of populations in Anatolia, Upper Mesopotamia and Syria between the 3rd and the 2nd mill. BCE: Amorites, Hurrians and Indo-Europeans: the written and the archaeological evidence (1 h. +1 h.)
-Class 7 (19th Nov, M. Capardoni): Nomads and sedentary people: the Middle Bronze Age in Syria (2 h.)
-Class 8 (21st Nov, M. Giorgieri): The political landscape of Anatolia during the MBA (2 h.)
B3) Late Bronze Age (ca. 1600-1200 BC; 10 Hours)
-Class 9 (25th Nov, M. Giorgieri & A. Matessi): The new political scenario in the 16th century and the emergence of new Great Powers in Western Asia: a general introduction
a) Anatolia and Syria (Hatti, Mittani) (1 h.)
b) New Kingdom Egypt (1 h.)
-Class 10 (26th Nov, M. Giorgieri): Hittites and Hurrians between 16th and 15th century: the Old and Middle Hittite Kingdom; beginning and development of the Mittani Kingdom (2 h.)
-Class 11 (28th Nov, M. Giorgieri & A. Matessi): Amarna-Akhetaten, the Amarna Age and the end of the Mittani Kingdom in the 14th century (1 h. + 1 h.)
-Class 12 (2nd Dec, M. Giorgieri): The Hittite Empire in the 14th-13th century (2 h.)
-Class 13 (3rd Dec, M. Giorgieri): The Hurrian-Hittite cultural symbiosis: religion and mythology (2 h.)
B4) Iron Age (ca. 1200-700 BC; 10 hours)
-Class 14 (5th Dec, A. Matessi): The transition between the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age in Anatolia and Syria (2h.)
-Class 15 (10th Dec, A. Matessi): Technological innovations in Iron Age Western Asia (2h.)
-Class 16 (12th Dec, A. Matessi): Multilingualism and multiculturalism in Iron Age Syria and the Levant (2h.)
-Class 17 (16th Dec, A. Matessi): The Phoenicians (2h.)
-Class 18 (17th Dec, A. Matessi): The Assyrian empire and its western expansion (2h.)
Classes will consist of lectures in which the teacher presents, with the aid of PowerPoint presentations, the main content—facts, names, and dates—drawn from written and archaeological historical sources, covering selected chapters of the history of Anatolia, Syria, Upper Western Mesopotamia, and the Levant. The focus is therefore on the westernmost part of the Near East, while inevitably taking into account Mesopotamia proper (Sumer, Babylonia, Assyria) and Egypt.
Note: Students who have already acquired specific knowledge of the history, civilizations, and languages of the ancient Near East, and who have obtained at least 6 CFU in this field, are asked to contact the course coordinator (M. Giorgieri) to arrange a tailored study program.
The course is divided into different units. Following a general introductory section, aimed at presenting the political context of Western Asia in the pre-classical period and the main historical sources (both written and archaeological), the subsequent units will focus on the various periods of the history of Anatolia, Syria, Upper Western Mesopotamia, and the Levant during the Early and Middle Bronze Age, the Late Bronze Age, and the Iron Age.
A) INTRODUCTORY GENERAL PART (4 hours)
-Class 1 (5th Nov, M. Giorgieri): General introduction to Western Asia in pre-classical age (3rd-1st millennium BCE): geography; peoples, languages and civilizations; the chronological frame and a brief historical outline (2 h.)
-Class 2 (7th Nov, M. Giorgieri & M. Capardoni): The sources for the reconstruction of history and culture of the Western Asia:
a) Writing(s) and written sources in Anatolia and Syria in the 3rd and 2nd millennium BC: the cuneiform writing and the Anatolian Hieroglypic script (1 h.)
b) Archaeological sources (1 h.)
B) POLITICAL AND CULTURAL HISTORY OF WESTERN ASIA BETWEEN 3RD AND 1ST MILL. BCE.: ANATOLIA, SYRIA, UPPER WESTERN MESOPOTAMIA AND LEVANT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN HISTORY
B1) Early Bronze Age (3rd millennium BC; 6 hours)
-Class 3 (11th Nov, M. Capardoni): The Urban Revolution and the political developments in 3rd Millennium Southern Mesopotamia (2 h.)
-Class 4 (12th Nov, M. Capardoni): Rise and fall of the urbanisation in Syria (2 h.)
-Class 5 (14th Nov, M. Capardoni): The Early Bronze Age in Anatolia (2 h.)
B2) Middle Bronze Age (ca. 2000-1600 BC; 6 hours)
-Class 6 (18th Nov, M. Giorgieri & M. Capardoni): Movements and shifts of populations in Anatolia, Upper Mesopotamia and Syria between the 3rd and the 2nd mill. BCE: Amorites, Hurrians and Indo-Europeans: the written and the archaeological evidence (1 h. +1 h.)
-Class 7 (19th Nov, M. Capardoni): Nomads and sedentary people: the Middle Bronze Age in Syria (2 h.)
-Class 8 (21st Nov, M. Giorgieri): The political landscape of Anatolia during the MBA (2 h.)
B3) Late Bronze Age (ca. 1600-1200 BC; 10 Hours)
-Class 9 (25th Nov, M. Giorgieri & A. Matessi): The new political scenario in the 16th century and the emergence of new Great Powers in Western Asia: a general introduction
a) Anatolia and Syria (Hatti, Mittani) (1 h.)
b) New Kingdom Egypt (1 h.)
-Class 10 (26th Nov, M. Giorgieri): Hittites and Hurrians between 16th and 15th century: the Old and Middle Hittite Kingdom; beginning and development of the Mittani Kingdom (2 h.)
-Class 11 (28th Nov, M. Giorgieri & A. Matessi): Amarna-Akhetaten, the Amarna Age and the end of the Mittani Kingdom in the 14th century (1 h. + 1 h.)
-Class 12 (2nd Dec, M. Giorgieri): The Hittite Empire in the 14th-13th century (2 h.)
-Class 13 (3rd Dec, M. Giorgieri): The Hurrian-Hittite cultural symbiosis: religion and mythology (2 h.)
B4) Iron Age (ca. 1200-700 BC; 10 hours)
-Class 14 (5th Dec, A. Matessi): The transition between the Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age in Anatolia and Syria (2h.)
-Class 15 (10th Dec, A. Matessi): Technological innovations in Iron Age Western Asia (2h.)
-Class 16 (12th Dec, A. Matessi): Multilingualism and multiculturalism in Iron Age Syria and the Levant (2h.)
-Class 17 (16th Dec, A. Matessi): The Phoenicians (2h.)
-Class 18 (17th Dec, A. Matessi): The Assyrian empire and its western expansion (2h.)
Course Language
English
More information
Attending classes is strongly recommended. Students who are unable to attend the course are required to arrange an alternative study program with the teacher coordinator of the course (M. Giorgieri).
Degrees
Degrees
THE ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN WORLD. HISTORY, ARCHAEOLOGY AND ART
Master’s Degree
2 years
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People
People (3)
Teaching staff
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