History of Ancient Western

The course provides a general introduction to the history of Ancient Western Asia and offers a basic grounding in the main historical, cultural, economic, and social developments of Mesopotamia, the Levant, and Anatolia from a diachronic perspective. The course covers a chronological span from the 4th to the 1st millennium BCE, from the emergence of the first urban societies and cities to the rise of territorial kingdoms and the great imperial formations, particularly the Assyrian and Babylonian empires.
Throughout the lectures, students will acquire an initial critical familiarity with different types of sources, textual and archaeological, and with their use in historical reconstruction.

Knowledge: Students will acquire a basic understanding of the historical development of the civilizations of Ancient Western Asia, with particular attention to the main features of political, economic, and social history in their chronological development. They will also gain familiarity with the tools and analytical methodologies used in the study of Ancient Western Asian history, as well as with the major historiographical approaches, from the emergence of the discipline to its most recent developments.
Skills: Students will develop the ability to critically analyse and evaluate historical evidence and archaeological and textual documents (in translation). They will also acquire the ability to understand and interpret the fundamental characteristics of the civilizations of Ancient Western Asia within their geographical, political, and socio-economic contexts.