Programme

The course provides an introduction to the archaeology and art history of the Ancient Near East through the analysis of the major civilisations, socio-political transformations, and architectural, artistic, and material developments that characterised the region between the fourth and first millennia BC. Particular attention will be devoted to the formation and development of complex societies, the emergence of the first urban centres and state organisations, as well as to the dynamics of cultural, political, and economic interaction among the different regions of the Ancient Near East. The course will address the following topics: the geographical and cultural definition of the Ancient Near East and the main traditions of archaeological research; methodologies and sources for the study of the archaeology and art history of the Ancient Near East; the emergence of urbanization and state formation in Mesopotamia: the Uruk period and the transformations of the fourth millennium BC; the Sumerian city-states and Mesopotamia in the third millennium BC: temple and palatial architecture, material culture, sculpture, and visual arts; the Akkadian Empire and the emergence of the first imperial systems; the Third Dynasty of Ur and the political and cultural transformations between the end of the third and the beginning of the second millennium BC; Mesopotamia in the second millennium BC: Babylon, Mari, Assyria, and the major political and cultural centres; Syria and the Levant during the Bronze Age: urbanization, palatial systems, interregional relations, and the main archaeological evidence; Anatolia and the Hittite world, with particular reference to monumental architecture and artistic production; the crisis at the end of the Bronze Age and the transformations of political and settlement systems at the beginning of the Iron Age; craft production and material culture: pottery, glyptic art, metallurgy, and ivory working; funerary practices and the representation of social identities; religion, cult practices, and sacred spaces; iconography and visual languages of the Ancient Near East; the circulation of people, objects, technologies, and cultural models among Mesopotamia, Syria, the Levant, Anatolia, and neighbouring regions. The course also aims to provide students with the tools necessary to identify, describe, and contextualise the principal archaeological and artistic evidence of the Ancient Near East and to understand its significance within broader historical, social, economic, political, and religious processes.

Core Documentation

The required and recommended readings will be indicated annually, in relation to the topics covered in the course.

Attendance

Teaching will consist of two classes per week, preferably held in person, with the possibility of online teaching where necessary.

Type of evaluation

The assessment will take into account attendance and active class participation. The final assessment will consist of an oral examination divided into two parts: a PowerPoint presentation on a topic chosen by the student from among those covered during the course, followed by questions and discussion on the topics included in the course syllabus. The overall evaluation will take into account the student’s knowledge of the course content, the ability to correctly place themes, sites, and archaeological evidence within their chronological and cultural contexts, the ability to establish connections between the different topics addressed, clarity of presentation, and the appropriate use of specialist terminology.