Overview

1.              Overview

Short Description

This course provides the student with an introductory knowledge of the main archaeological issues in the Near East from the Neolithic to the Achaemenid period. Major events such as the beginning of farming, urbanism, development of cultural groups and cultural transformations, environmental change, and the rise and fall of empires will be covered.

Some of the major aims of the course are:

• To provide an introduction to the archaeology and early history of the Near East, with emphasis on the civilizations of Mesopotamia, the Levant, Anatolia, and Iran.
• To consider the nature and interpretation of archaeological and textual sources in approaching the past of the Near East.
• To consider major issues in the development of human society in the Near East, including the origins and evolution of sedentism, agriculture, complex societies, urbanism, literacy, and empires.
• To introduce students to a sample of exciting current field projects in the archaeology of the Near East and major archaeological issues researched.
• To introduce students to the Near Eastern collections of the British Museum.

Major issues including the development of interest in the Near East and its legacy are also included.

The course is taught through two-hour lectures over Term II. In addition, a visit to the Near Eastern collections of the British Museum has been incorporated into the scheduled sessions for the course.

Assessment will be through two essays, each of about 2500 words.

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