Dr. John Lewis
Spring, 2006
Office: 113
Andrews
Phone: 289-5346 jlewis8@ashland.edu
As guides to this fascinating story, we will read two secondary histories. Two volumes published by Blackwell, A History of the Ancient Near East and A History of Egypt, will serve to condense the complex material and literary evidence for these areas into coherent chronological order. The Chronological Outline that I have prepared will form the backbone for our understanding of the historical relationships. The primary material is complex, in languages that are foreign indeed, and fragmentary—but it is voluminous. We will stop at certain key points and read, in English translation, from the direct evidence. Be ready to discuss the readings for each class. Class lectures are designed primarily to add to the material in the text. The readings are mandatory, and must be completed prior to the assigned class date. Bring the appropriate book to each class.
Two Writing assignments (each a 1500 word essay, 5 pages) will address an assigned aspect of Mesopotamia, and Egypt. Each essay must be typed and edited for grammar, citing primary sources, expressing an argument and supporting the argument with the readings.
A research paper will be the capstone to the class. This will be a fifteen – eighteen page paper, on a topic of your choice, from suggestions in the research paper bibliography and guide, and which we discuss in advance. Each essay must be typed and edited for grammar, citing primary sources, expressing an argument and supporting the argument with the readings. Suggested research topics are below, and may be found at www.classicalideals.com/Ancient Near East Biblio and Projects.htm
Grading: Grades are based on the following:
2 Writing assignments 10% each
Midtern exam 30%
Final Exam 30%
Research Paper: 30%
Class attendance and participation may affect your final grade.
Here is my boilerplate verbiage on Academic Honesty. Plagiarism results in an F for the paper, and is always reported to the registrar, never an exception. Please note carefully: plagiarism is stealing someone else’s work and passing it off as your own. ANY DIRECT COPYING that is not enclosed in quotation marks is plagiarism, even if the source is cited. USING SOMEONE ELSE’S IDEAS is plagiarism, even if you do not quote the words exactly. PARAPHRASING—rewording someone else’s passage—is plagiarism, and simply noting the source does not make it otherwise. If you are in doubt, see me in advance. If I am in doubt, I reserve the right to ask you to pass an oral examination on your paper.
No internet web sites under any circumstances are acceptable for any written work! unless discussed in advance. For this course, you must read books. There are, of course, many good internet sources on the Near East—perhaps no period has benefited so much from the internet, and I am looking for new ones—but, we must discuss, and evaluate, them first.
Accommodations Statement from Classroom Support Services: “For students who have specific physical, psychiatric, or learning disabilities and require accommodations, please let me know early in the semester so that your learning needs can be appropriately met. It is your responsibility to provide documentation for your disability to the Office of Disability Services, 105 Amstutz Hall, ext. 5953.”
Academic Responsibility
and Integrity Statement:
“Academic integrity must be
maintained at all times. No form of cheating or plagiarism will be tolerated.
Such actions will be dealt with in accordance with the procedures documented in
the Ashland University Student Handbook.”
READINGS:
Primary Sources include:
Handout Package: The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Tale Sinehu, and various treaties, diplomatic exchanges, panegyrics and historical accounts.
The Old Testament Bible.
Secondary, Textbook Reading (Required):
Van de Mieroop, M. A History of the Ancient Near East (Oxford: Blackwell Publishers,
2004).
Grimal, N. A History of Egypt (Oxford: Blackwell, 2005).
Handout Package; Chronology and Maps.
SCHEDULE
PART ONE: MESOPOTAMIA
WEEK 1, 1/9 From Prehistory into Uruk: 9000-2900 BC
Van de Mieroop ch.2: 17-38
Point of focus: Early Southern Mesopotamian Cities
WEEK 2, 1/16: Early Dynastic Centralization 2900-2330 BC
The Eridu Genesis
Epic of Gilgamesh
Van de Mieroop chs.3-4: 39-79
Point of Focus: The Rise of Akkad
WEEK 3, 1/23: Isin, Hammurabi’s Babylonia, and Assyria: 2000-1760
Treaty between Abban and Yarilim
Royal Records
Mesopotamian Law Codes
Van de Mieroop ch.5, 6: 80-118
Point of Focus: Early Empires of Assyria, Babylonia, and Hatti
WEEK 4, 1/30: Western States: Regional Competitors and Hittites: 1500-1200
Treaty between Suppiluliuma and Mattiwaza
Van de Mieroop ch.7, 8: 121-160
Point of Focus: Kassite Babylonia, Middle Elamites, Hittites, Rise of Assyria
WEEK 5, 2/6: Thirteenth-Century Collapse: 1200-1100 BC
Van de Mieroop ch. 9, 10: 161-194
Attack on Jericho: Old Testament: Joshua 1-11
Merneptah Stele
Point of Focus: Regional Upheaval
WEEK 6, 2/13: Assyria’s Second Rise, and Decline: 880-612 BC
Van de Mieroop ch. 12, 13: 216-252
Autobiography of Sargon
Point of Focus: Assyra and Babylonia
WEEK 7, 2/20: Babylonians, Medes and Persians
Van de Mieroop ch. 14: 252-266
Point of Focus: the Persian Onslaught
First Essay due: Write an historical essay describing one vital
aspect of the development of either (1) the early Assyrian, or
(2) early Babylonian state. What main flow of events can you
discern?
WEEK 8, 2/27: MIDTERM EXAM: MESOPOTAMIA
PART TWO: EGYPT
Introduction to Egypt: Predynastic and Archaic Egypt: pre-2800 BCE
Point of Focus: The Basic Outline of Egyptian History
WEEK 9, 3/6: Spring Break
WEEK 10, 3/13: The Old Kingdom and 1st Intermediate Period: 2800-2100 BCE
The Great Pyramids and Egyptian Religion
Egyptian Art and Architecture: The Narmer Palette
Grimal ch.4: 63-101
Point of Focus: Old Kingdom Kings
WEEK 11, 3/20: The Middle Kingdom and Hyksos Invasion: “Amun is Head”: 2100-1674 BCE
Sesostris III and the Tale of Sinuhe
Grimal chs.7, 8: 155-196
Point of Focus: International Relations
WEEK 12, 3/27: The New Kingdom: 1670-1300 BCE
From Hyksos to the Tuthmosids and Akhnaten
Autobiography of Ahmose I
Egyptian Book of the Dead
Grimal chs.9,10: 199-244
Point of Focus: The Eighteenth Dynasty
WEEK 13, 4/3: The Ramesids: 1295-1069 BCE
Egyptian Account of the Battle of Kadesh
Peace Treaty between Rameses and Mutwatalli II
Grimal ch.11: 245-292
Point of Focus: Rameses II and Foreign Policy
WEEK 14, 4/10: The Third Intermediate Period: 1069-760 BCE
The Theban Priesthood and the Rule of Amun
Grimal chs.12,13: 293-333
Point of Focus: Thebes vs. the Delta
WEEK 15, 4/17: The Kushite Invasions: 760-323 BCE
Grimal ch.14: 334-366
Point of Focus: The Nubians
Second Essay due: Discuss the intersection of religion, politics and military affairs in Egypt. Consider, for instance, one or more of these questions: How was the rule of the Pharaohs maintained? What was their relationship with the priesthood? How was this religious emphasis reflected in architecture, military records, sacred script, or art?
WEEK 16, 4/24: : Persians and Greeks: 323-31 BCE
The Behistan Inscription
Cyrus: Charter of Rights
Cyrus: Decree for the Release of the Jews
Grimal ch.15: 367-382
Van de Mieroop ch.15: 267-280
Point of Focus: The Persians
Research Paper due.
5/1: FINAL EXAM: EGYPT AND MESOPOTAMIA L
SUMMER! J
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This page updated
01/15/06 Dr. John Lewis
classicalideals@yahoo.com