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2022/2023

Ancient Art of Anterior Asia

Code: 100576 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2500239 Art History OB 2 1

Contact

Name:
Annabel Villalonga Gordaliza
Email:
annabel.villalonga@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
catalan (cat)
Some groups entirely in English:
No
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
Yes

Prerequisites

There are not any prerequisites, but it is advisable to have some notions of English, French and Italian in order to be able to consult the specialised bibliography.

Objectives and Contextualisation

The aim of this subject is to provide a wide introduction to Middle East Ancient Art.

Having finished the course, the student should be able to:

  1. Recognise,  characterise and identify functions of the most important works of art.
  2. Place them correctly in their historical and cultural context.
  3. Master the terminology and vocabulary of the course.
  4. Interpret the iconography and symbolism of the works of art.

Competences

  • Critically analysing from the acquired knowledge a work of art in its many facets: formal values, iconographic significance, artistic techniques and procedures, elaboration process and reception mechanisms.
  • Interpreting a work of art in the context in which it was developed and relating it with other forms of cultural expression.
  • Recognising the evolution of the artistic imagery from the antiquity to the contemporary visual culture.
  • Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Accurately defining and explaining an artistic object with the specific language of art criticism.
  2. Analysing ideas about an artistic phenomenon in a given cultural context.
  3. Analysing the creators of an artistic phenomenon in a specific cultural context.
  4. Analysing the recipients of an artistic phenomenon in a specific cultural context.
  5. Applying the iconographic knowledge to the reading of artistic imagery.
  6. Connecting an artistic imagery with other cultural phenomena within its period.
  7. Distinguishing the elaboration techniques and processes of an artistic object.
  8. Efficiently presenting knowledge in oral and written form.
  9. Examining an artistic imagery and distinguishing its formal, iconographic and symbolic values.
  10. Explaining the reception mechanisms of a work of art.
  11. Identifying the artistic imagery, placing it into its cultural context.
  12. Reconstructing the artistic outlook of a particular cultural context.

Content

1. Southern and Central Mesopotamia: sumerians and akkadians.

2. Central and Northern Mesopotamia: babylonians and assyrians.

3. Anatolian Peninsula: hittites.

4. Iranian Plateau: persians.

5. Levantine Coast: phoenicians.

Methodology

 

1. Theory classes directed by the teacher. The teacher explains orally and with the visual support of PowerPoint to the students the essential aspects of the subject, systematizing the contents and suggesting suitable bibliography to prepare the exam. 

1.1 Attendance to sessions of seminars and practices led by the teacher and / or other specialists.

2. Comprehensive reading of texts. A compulsory reading book * is proposed and it will be evaluated in a test.

 * to be determined.

 



 

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Theory classes/ seminar. 44 1.76 3, 4, 2, 11, 5, 1, 7, 9, 12, 6
Type: Supervised      
Review from a reading 12 0.48 3, 4, 2, 11, 5, 1, 7, 9, 12, 6
Type: Autonomous      
Personal study, reading comprehension and critics 90 3.6 3, 4, 2, 5, 1, 7, 9, 12, 6

Assessment


The subject will be evaluated by applying the following procedures:

- Written tests: 60% Written tests (each one 30%). In these tests all the subject matter of the course contained in the class explanations will be evaluated. The average of the two written tests must be a minimum of 5. Otherwise, the student must submit to the re-evaluation of the subject of the block that has failed.

- Compulsory reading test questionnaire: 20%

-Critical reading in gender key: 20%

 

Remarks:

At the time of each assessment activity, lecturer will inform students (Moodle) of the procedure and date of review of each test.  

The student will receive the grade of "Not assessable" as long as they do not complete none of the assessment activities.


In the last days of the course there will be a reassessment exclusively for those students who have failed some or some of the previous partial written tests. Therefore, those who have not taken them in the planned date nor those who have passed them will not be able to present themselves. Reassessment is only possible to pass the failed tests with a maximum grade of 6. The delivery of reviews or other evaluable activities that have not been presented on the date set by the teacher are excluded from the reassessment process.

In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject,the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.

 

 

 

 

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Compulsory reading test 20% 0.8 0.03 3, 4, 2, 11, 10, 8
Critical reading in gender key 20% 0.6 0.02 11, 5, 1, 9, 10, 12, 6, 8
Test 1 30% 1.3 0.05 2, 1, 7, 9, 10
Test 2 30% 1.3 0.05 3, 4, 5, 10, 12, 6

Bibliography

AMIET, Pierre (1995): Historia Ilustrada de las formas artísticas vol I: Oriente Medio. Madrid: Alianza.

BENOIT, Agnès (2003): Art et archéologie: les civilisations du Proche-Orient ancien. Paris: Reunion des musées nationaux.

BENOIT,Agnès (2011): Les civilisations du Proche – Orient  ancien.  Paris: Petits manuels de l’ École du Louvre.

BITTEL, Kurt (1976): Los Hititas. Madrid: Aguilar.

COLLON, Dominique (1995): Ancient Near Eastern Art. Londres: University of California Press.

FRANKFORT, Henri A. (1982): Arte y arquitectura del Oriente Antiguo. Madrid: Cátedra.

GHIRSHMAN, Roman (1974): Persia. Protoiranios, medos, aqueménidas. Madrid: Aguilar. 

GÓMEZ LÓPEZ, Consuelo (2006): El arte en el Próximo Oriente antiguo. Madrid: Ediciones JC.

PARROT, André (1979) [2006]: Sumer. Paris: Gallimard.

PARROT, André (1970): Assur. Paris: Gallimard.

SASSON, Jack M. (2000): Civilizations of the Ancient Near East, Peabody, MA : Hendrickson Publishers.

 

Software

No specific software is needed.