Languages and Literatures of Ancient Western Asia

The course aims to provide a basic knowledge of cuneiform writing as well as an introduction to the Western Asia ancient languages which are documented from the end of the fourth millennium BC to the first century AD. During the course, the student acquires critical mastery of various textual sources, their connection with material culture and their use in view of historical reconstruction, familiarizing with the bibliographic resources and digital tools peculiar to Assyriology.

Knowledge: Acquisition of the general outlines of the languages and literatures written in cuneiform, with chronological and geographical framing of the pre-classical civilizations that developed in Mesopotamia, the Levant, Anatolia and Iran. Knowledge of methodologies for analyzing the materiality and the textual content of cuneiform sources. Outlines of the history of studies, from the birth of Assyriology to its most recent developments.
Applying Knowledge and Understanding: Acquisition of philological skills on specific textual typologies, with reading of cuneiform texts accompanied by their analysis and translation. Acquisition of critical skills in material and conceptual approaches to cuneiform sources, with awareness of their role in the historical reconstruction of the pre-classical civilizations of West Asia.