Il corso fornisce allo studente la conoscenza e la capacità di comprensione delle culture del Vicino Oriente antico, tra IV e I millennio a.C., attraverso l’uso di libri di testo avanzati, stimola la conoscenza e la capacità di comprensione applicate alle tematiche affrontate durante il corso, dalla storia degli studi ai periodi presi in esame come casi studio. Tramite competenze adeguate, aiuta a sviluppare l’autonomia di giudizio, inclusa la riflessione su temi storici, artistici ed archeologici, e le abilità comunicative, il pensiero critico su aspetti e problematiche delle diverse culture vicino-orientali, e la capacità di apprendere anche la terminologia adeguata, necessaria per intraprendere studi successivi con un alto grado di autonomia. L'insegnamento intende formare gli studenti alle teorie, alle metodologie e alle tecniche moderne di analisi dei dati archeologici, artistici e letterari delle maggiori culture antico orientali della Mesopotamia e del Levante, tra IV e I millennio a.C.

The course provides the student with the knowledge and understanding of the cultures of the ancient Near East, between the 4th and 1st millennium BC, through the use of advanced textbooks, stimulates knowledge and understanding applied to the issues addressed during the course, from the history of studies to the periods examined as case studies. Through appropriate skills, it helps to develop the autonomy of judgment, including reflection on historical, artistic, and archaeological themes, and communication skills, critical thinking on aspects and problems of the different Near Eastern cultures, and the ability to also learn the appropriate terminology, necessary to undertake subsequent studies with a high degree of autonomy. The course aims to train students in theories, methodologies, and modern techniques for the analysis of archaeological, artistic and literary data of the major ancient oriental cultures ofMesopotamia and the Levant, between the fourth and first millennium BC.

Syllabus of the course 10595492 Near Eastern Archaeology a.y. 2025-2026

Introduction to the Archaeology and Art History of the Ancient Near East

Program/Content

The course includes a first part dedicated to the general geographical and chronological framework of the Mesopotamia and the Levant, the history of excavations and studies. Subsequently, an overview of the history of art and architecture, urban planning and monuments, material culture and technologies of the cultures of the Near East in the Bronze Age will be made.

The second part will be focused on some Levantine key-sites and on some selected cases-study of the archaeological periods illustrative of the development of cultures, the dynamics of sedentary-nomadic cultures, the social stratification, the appearance and collapse of the city, funerary archaeology and the archaeology of religion in the ancient Near East.

Teaching method, strategies and tools

The classes are taught, with the aid in the classroom of ppt presentations, excavation reports, and other didactic material.

Students will be provided with presentations, images and other didactic materials used during the lessons.

The slides and the material used during the lessons will be made available on the didactic platforms; the bibliography will be made available in pdf format.

The lessons include a moment dedicated to questions at the beginning for the review of what has been done previously, in order to address any doubts that have arisen after the last lesson or thanks to the study carried out by the students, and a moment of discussion at the end of the lesson for any clarifications and / or insights requested by the students.

Tests to verify the knowledge acquired and/or self-assessment

There will be two summary meetings, one in the middle and one at the end of the course, during which the central themes will be enumerated and the types of questions and reasoning useful for passing the exam will be examined.

Attendance at lessons and seminars, active participation in the classroom, knowledge of the indicated syllabus are fundamental elements for passing the final exam, while useful reasoning and self-study skills are useful elements.

Final evaluation methods

The final evaluation consists of an oral exam during which questions will be proposed on the topics discussed during the lessons and treated in the syllabus. To evaluate the candidate’s performance will compete the terminology used, the ability to expose the concepts and classification in the historical-geographical context.

To pass the exam you must obtain a mark of not less than 18/30. The student must demonstrate to express himself in an appropriate language, to have acquired sufficient knowledge of the basic topics presented during the lessons and to be able to orientate himself in the basic aspects of the discipline.

To achieve a mark of 30/30 cum laude, the student must instead demonstrate that he has acquired excellent knowledge of all the topics covered during the course, being able to link them in a logical and consistent way, as well as reasoning skills and autonomous study.

10595492, LT Global Humanities (L-42): Introduction to the Near Eastern Archaeology, 1st October- 10th December 2025

monday 10,00-12,00 Aula E, ex Vetrerie Sciarra

wednesday 12,00-14,00 Aula D, ex Vetrerie Sciarra

https://meet.google.com/ijm-jrzs-fbt