History of the Ancient Near East2

elective courses

A history of the ancient Near East from the beginning through the fall of the Achaemenid Empire, including Mesopotamia, Syria, Anatolia, Iran, ancient Egypt. Generally, a political history is presented, with references to economic, social and cultural issues, as well as regional interconnections.

The lecture offers an outline of the history of the ancient Near East from the beginning through the conquests of Alexander the Great. The presented topics are as follows: 1. Prehistory of the ancient Near East; 2. Mesopotamia in the time of Sumerians, the coming of the Semites and other people, origins and development of the first territorial states, history of Babylonia and Assyria in the 2nd and 1st millennia BC; 3. History of Syria and Palestine (Ebla, Yamhad, Mittani, Amurru, Hittite-Egyptian conflict; Israel, Phoenicia, states of northern Syria; 4. History of Anatolia (pre-Hittite period, Hittite states, post-Hittite states, Phrygia, Lydia, Persian times); 5. History of Urartu; 6. History of Iran (Elam, early Iranian states, Achaemenid Empire, its expansion and Persian-Greek conflict); 7. History of Egypt from its unification through the conquests of Alexander the Great. The lecture is focused on the political history, but other issues will be also discussed, such as economy and society, cultural developments and cross-cultural interconnections.

M.L. Uberti, Wprowadzenie do historii Starożytnego Bliskiego Wschodu, Warszawa 2010;

J. Zabłocka, Historia Bliskiego Wschodu w starożytności, Wrocław-Łódź 1982;

D. Arnaud, Starożytny Bliski Wschód. Od wprowadzenia pisma do Aleksandra Wielkiego, Warszawa 1982;

H. W. F. Saggs, Wielkość i upadek Babilonii, Warszawa 1962;

H. Klengel, Historia i kultura starożytnej Syrii, Warszawa 1971;

M. Popko, Huryci, Warszawa 1992;

O. R. Gurney, Hetyci, Warszawa 1970.;

T. Bryce, Life and Society in the Hittite World, Oxford 2002;

T. Bryce, The Kingdom of the Hittites. New Edition, Oxford 2005;

K.M. Ciałowicz, Początki cywilizacji egipskiej, Kraków 1999;

E. Drioton, Egipt faraonów, Warszawa 1970.

Learning outcomes:

Knowledge

- has basic knowledge of history of the ancient Near East and Egypt

- can name and characterize basic cultural phenomena of the ancient Near East and Egypt

Skills

- can use the knowledge of history of the ancient Near East and Egypt to analyze and interpret events taking place in the modern world

Social competences

- has awareness of the cultural distinctness of the ancient Near East and Egypt, its historical roots and its significance for understanding modern world

- is aware of significance the culture of the ancient Near East and Egypt

Oral examination