History and Civilisation of the Ancient Middle East
Code: 106892 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Archaeology | OP | 3 |
Contact
- Name:
- Jordi Vidal Palomino
- Email:
- jordi.vidal.palomino@uab.cat
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
None
Objectives and Contextualisation
The aim of the subject is to study the history of the Ancient Near East, from the appearance of the first cities to the Hellenistic world. The study, beyond addressing the political development of the different states of the region, will also analyze social, economic and cultural history of the Ancient Near East.
Learning Outcomes
- CM21 (Competence) Recognise professional and social ethics to relate archaeological and historical analysis of the ancient world with current democratic values and practices, avoiding ideological manipulations.
- KM32 (Knowledge) Recognise the theoretical and methodological debates of classical archaeology and ancient history to promote a critical and reflective capacity.
- SM33 (Skill) Develop critical thinking to analyse and assess the processes of generating archaeological information from the classical world and offer one's own views.
- SM34 (Skill) Briefly expose the historical processes of antiquity from its complexity and its archaeological expressions.
Content
Theme 1: Introduction to Ancient Near Eastern Studies
History and historiography of the Ancient Near East. Periodization and chronology. Geography
Theme 2: Origin of the State
Process of Neolitization. Rise of the first states
Theme 3: Third millennium BCE
Sumer and Akkad. Political and religious aspects. Social and economic aspects.
Theme 4: Second millennium BCE (I)
The Amorite dynasties. Political and literary aspects. Social and economic aspects.
Theme 5: Second millennium BCE (II)
The club of the great powers. Political, diplomatic and military aspects. Social and economic aspects.
The Canaanite world. The cultural and religious background of the Bible. Social and economic aspects.
Theme 6: The Sea Peoples
The crisis of 1200 in the Ancient Near East. Disappearance of the Mycenaean world and the Hittite Empire. The fall of Ugarit and the restructuring of the Canaanite world.
Theme 7: First millennium BCE
The great empires: Assyria and Babylon. Political and military aspects. Social and economic aspects.
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Lectures | 90 | 3.6 | |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Classroom practices, resolution of exercises | 30 | 1.2 | |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| reviews, readings | 30 | 1.2 |
The teaching methodology will consist of the combination of lectures, presentation of reviews and papers, reading of specialized bibliography, classroom practices and resolution of exercises.
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.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exam 1 | 40% | 0 | 0 | CM21, KM32, SM33, SM34 |
| Exam 2 | 40% | 0 | 0 | CM21, KM32, SM33, SM34 |
| Oral presentation in class | 20% | 0 | 0 | CM21, KM32, SM33, SM34 |
The evaluation of the subject will consist of three activities.
(1) Exam 1 (40%)
(2) Exam 2 (40%)
(3) Oral presentation in class (20%)
On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.
Re-evaluation
Students will obtain a “Not assessed/Not submitted” course grade unless they have submitted more than 30% of the assessment items.
In order to participate in the re-evaluation, it will be necessary to have presented at least two of the three programmed evaluation activities.
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.
This subject entirely prohibits the use of AI technologies in all of its activities. Any submitted work that contains content generated using AI will be considered academic dishonesty; the corresponding grade will be awarded a zero, without the possibility of reassessment. In cases of greater infringement, more serious action may be taken.
In the event that tests or exams cannot be taken onsite, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB’s virtual tools (original weighting will be maintained). Homework, activities and class participation will be carried out through forums, wikis and/or discussion on Teams, etc. Lecturers will ensure that students are able to access these virtual tools, or will offer them feasible alternatives.
Single evaluation
There is no single evaluation.
Bibliography
Bibliography
Klengel, Horst, 1992: Syria, 3000 to 300 BC. Berlin.
Kuhrt, Amelie, 2000: El Oriente Próximo en la Antigüedad (2 vols.). Barcelona.
Liverani, Mario, 1995: Antiguo Oriente. Barcelona.
Liverani, Mario, 2003. Relaciones internacionales en el Próximo Oriente antiguo, 1600-1100 a.C. Barcelona.
Liverani, Mario, 2005: Más allá de la Biblia. Barcelona.
Liverani, Mario, 2022: Asiria. La prehistoria del imperialismo. Madrid.
Margueron, Jean Claude, 1995: Los mesopotámicos. Madrid.
Oppenheim, A. Leo, 2003: Antigua Mesopotamia. Madrid.
Podany, Amanda H. 2024: Tejedores, escribas y reyes. Una nueva historia del Próximo Oriente Antiguo. Córdoba.
Postgate, Nicolas, 1999: La Mesopotamia arcaica. Madrid.
Sanmartín, Joaquín / Serrano, José Miguel, 1998: Historia Antigua del Próximo Oriente: Mesopotamia y Egipto. Madrid.
Van de Mieroop, Marc, 2020: Historia del Próximo Oriente Antiguo (ca. 3000-323 a.C.). Madrid.
Software
PowerPoint
Groups and Languages
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 1 | Catalan/Spanish | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 1 | Catalan/Spanish | first semester | morning-mixed |