Aim of the course is providing a general knowledge of the political, economic, social and cultural history of the civilizations of the pre-classical Ancient Near East, from the earliest phases (III millennium BCE) through the downfall of the Iron age Mesopotamian kingdoms (VI century BCE). It will also provide the critical tools required to study and analyse the documents and sources that are typical of those ages that pre-date the Greek-Roman history, by examining some specific examples that refer to highly significant periods (Late Bronze Age, Early Iron Age).
The course will regard the historical and cultural development of the civilizations of the Ancient Near East. Among the main topics, the following phases will receive specific attention:
- IV-III millennium, until the Ur III dynasty
- Birth of the great kingdoms of the Late Bronze Age
- The Amarna archives and the dyplomacy in the Ancient Near East
- The collapse of the Bronze age kingdoms and the Dark age
- The Neo-Assyrian rebirth and the small kingdoms of the Iron age
- From the Late Babylonian Empire to the Persian egemony
Students who do not attend the lessons must contact the teacher to define a specific program.
| Author | Title | Publisher | Year | ISBN | Note |
| Giusfredi, Federico | Babilonia e le sue storie | Bruno Mondadori | 2012 | 9788861596672 | Testo facoltativo di riferimento |
| - | Fonti documentarie in traduzione, fornite a lezione dal docente / Translated sources that will be provided by the teacher in class | ||||
| Giusfredi, Federico | Il vicino oriente antico: breve storia dalle origini alla caduta di Babilonia | Carocci | 2020 | 8829002976 | Il volume è in corso di stampa e apparirà a ottobre 2020. Lo studente potrà scegliere se usare questo manuale in alternativa a quello a cura di Lucio Milano. |
| Lucio Milano | Il vicino Oriente antico dalle origini ad Alessandro Magno | EM Publishers | 2012 | 9788897514091 | |
| Mario Liverani, Alfonso Archi, Giovanni Garbini | Voce "Vicino Oriente antico. Storiografia" | Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana Treccani | 2001 |
Oral test. Questions will regard the political, economic, social and cultural history of the Ancient Near East. The student will also be asked to critically comment one of the sources discussed in class.
During the test, together with the historical knowledge, the teacher will also judge the skill at critically analyse the sources, and the clarity of the exposition.
