04-AO-AOT1B

Course identification: 04-AO-AOT1B
Class hours per week: 4
ECTS points: 15
Duration: 1 semester
Course offering: winter semester, every other year
Level: MA

Seminar: Ancient Near Eastern Texts: the 1st Millennium B

Content:
The module is dedicated to reading ancient Near Eastern literary texts of the 1st millennium BC, especially epics and mythology, prayers, hymns and invocations (with the appurtenant rituals and regulations), wisdom literature, lyrical texts or historical-legendary texts. Emphasis is placed upon reading Akkadian cuneiform texts of the 1st millennium BC, especially from Babylonia and Assyria, but bilingual (Sumerian-Akkadian) texts can also be incorporated into the curriculum. The linguistic form and the historical background of the texts read, including questions concerning the history of law, sciences and ideas, will be explained and discussed in class.

Learning objectives:
The student will acquire a comprehensive overview of the transmission of ancient Near Eastern literary texts of the 1st millennium BC. He/she will gain deeper knowledge of selected text groups and their historical background, including questions about the history of law, sciences and ideas. The student will have a good reading knowledge of the major literary dialects of Akkadian in the 1st millennium BC, especially detailed knowledge of Standard Babylonian. He/she will be capable of transliterating and translating the texts assigned or read in class, and of commenting on both their content and formal style. He/she will possess the ability to transliterate, translate and classify (with regard to content) more difficult Akkadian texts of the 1st millennium BC beyond the class curriculum with the help of dictionaries and sign lists.

Examination:
Written test (90 minutes).