NES 15. Introduction to Near Eastern Art and Archaeology Spring ...

NES 15. Introduction to Near Eastern Art and Archaeology
Spring 2012
MWF 10-11
Room: 106 Moffitt
Section 1: M 1-2, 271 Barrows (GSI: Andrea Creel)
Section 2: M 2-3, 271 Barrows (GSI: Antonietta Catanzariti)
Assignments, lecture images and readings will be posted to the class Bspace site.
Instructor:
Prof. Marian Feldman
411 Doe Library
feldman@berkeley.edu
office hours: Friday 9-10 & by appt
GSIs:
Antonietta Catanzariti
Email: a.catanzariti@berkeley.edu
Andrea Creel
Email: acreel@berkeley.edu
The ancient Near East (present-day Iran, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, and
Turkey) is considered the ‘cradle of civilization.’ Here in the regions of Mesopotamia,
Syria-Palestine, and Anatolia, the first urban societies arose and writing was invented.
The first empires marshaled large armies and amassed fabulous riches. Complex
religious and ritual ideologies were expressed in the art and architecture. And all has
been revealed by the archaeologist’s spade.
This course surveys the major archaeological sites and monuments from the earliest
settlements in the Neolithic (10,000-6000 BCE) down to the conquest of the Near East by
Alexander the Great in 330 BCE. Areas of coverage include Chatal Höyük, Sumer,
Akkad, Babylonia, Assyria, and Persia. Emphasis is placed on the relationship between
the arts and ancient society in order to enable students to acquire the skills for accessing
and appreciating ancient civilizations.
There is an in-class midterm exam (25% of final grade), a final exam on May 8 (30%),
and three section projects due over the course of the semester (a map assignment [10%],
a looking assignment [15%], and a museum assignment [15%]). Attendance and
participation is required at lectures and discussion sections (5%; see separate section
syllabus). All required assignments and exams must be completed to pass this course.
Excuses or requests for late assignments, for make-up exams, etc, will only be accepted
if they reach either Professor Feldman or your GSI BEFORE the paper is due or the
exam begins, and will be approved only at Professor Feldman’s discretion. Plagiarism –
the unacknowledged use of other’s intellectual scholarship including such misuse of internet
information – will be reported and will result in a failing grade for the course.
There are no prerequisites for this course; it is recommended for potential NES majors
and for students in other disciplines, both humanities and sciences. It fulfills the College
of Letters and Science breadth requirement in Arts and Literature or Historical Studies.

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REQUIRED TEXTS:
M. Roaf, Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East, 1996. This book is
currently out of print. A scan is available on bspace and a copy is on reserve at Moffitt.
You can also find used copies on-line.
M. Van De Mieroop, A History of the Ancient Near East, ca. 3000-323 BC, 2 nd rev.
edition, 2007. Available at the ASUC bookstore and on reserve at Moffitt.
SYLLABUS:
The What and Where of the Ancient Near East
Jan. 18: Geography and Environment
Cultural Atlas, pp. 18-24, 152-53
Van De Mieroop, Chapter 1
Jan. 20: Archaeology, Art and the Importance of Ancient History
Cultural Atlas, pp. 14-16
Bspace: M. Stokstad, “Introduction” in Art History, rev. 2 nd ed. (2005)
Bspace: D. Macaulay, Motel of the Mysteries (1979)
The Foundations of Civilization
Jan. 23: The Neolithic Revolution and Chatal Hoyuk
Cultural Atlas, pp. 25-39
Jan. 25: The Settlement of Mesopotamia
Cultural Atlas, pp. 42-56
The Rise of Urbanism
Jan. 27: The City of Uruk
Cultural Atlas, pp. 58-62
Van De Mieroop, Chapter 2.1
Jan. 30: Art and Writing
Cultural Atlas, pp. 69-73
Van De Mieroop, Chapter 2.2
Bspace: W. Moran, “The Gilgamesh Epic” in Sasson, ed., Civilizations of the
Ancient Near East (1995)
Feb. 1: Colonies and Trade I – Susa and Iran
Cultural Atlas, pp. 62-66
Van De Mieroop, Chapter 2.3
Bspace: Michael C. Astour “Overland Trade Routes in Ancient Western Asia” p.
1401-1406 in Sasson, ed., Civilizations of the Ancient Near East (1995)
Feb. 3: Colonies and Trade II – Syria and Egypt
Cultural Atlas, pp. 66-69

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States in Conflict
Feb. 6: The Sumerian Temple
Cultural Atlas, pp. 74-84, 90-91
Van De Mieroop, Chapter 3.1 and 3.2
Feb. 8: The Royal Cemetery at Ur
Cultural Atlas, pp. 84-86, 92-93
Van De Mieroop, Chapter 3.4
Bspace: excerpt from Zettler and Horne, eds., Treasures from the Royal Tombs of
Ur (1998)
Bspace: Pollock, “Of Priestesses, Princes and Poor Relations,” Cambridge
Archaeological Journal 1:2 (1991): 171-189
Feb. 10: Art and Text in Historical Narrative – The Stele of the Vultures
Cultural Atlas, pp. 88-89
Van De Mieroop, Chapter 3.5
Feb. 13: The City of Ebla
Cultural Atlas, pp. 86-87
Van De Mieroop, Chapter 3.3
Charismatic Kings I
Feb. 15: Sargon the Great of Agade
Cultural Atlas, pp. 96-98
Van De Mieroop, Chapter 4.1
Bspace: M. Liverani, “The Deeds of Ancient Mesopotamian Kings” in Sasson, ed.,
Civilizations of the Ancient Near East (1995)
Feb. 17: The Divine King, Naram-Sin
Cultural Atlas, pp. 98-99
Bspace: I. Winter, “The Stela of Naram-Sin” in Sasson, ed., Civilizations of the
Ancient Near East (1995)
Feb. 20: PRESIDENT’S DAY – NO CLASS
Feb. 22: Midterm Review
Feb. 24: MIDTERM EXAM
Charismatic Kings II
Feb. 27: The Pious King, Gudea
Cultural Atlas, pp. 99-100
Bspace: I. Winter, “Idols of the King: Royal Images as Recipients of Ritual Action
in Ancient Mesopotamia,” Journal of Ritual Studies 6/1 (1992): 13-42
Feb. 29: The Third Dynasty of Ur
Cultural Atlas, pp. 100-105
Van De Mieroop, Chapter 4.2

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Trade and Warfare
March 2: The Palace of Zimri-Lim at Mari
Cultural Atlas, pp. 116-20
Bspace: M.-H. Gates, “The Palace of Zimri-Lim at Mari,” The Biblical
Archaeologist 47/2 (1984): 70-87
March 5: Hammurabi, King of Babylon
Cultural Atlas, pp. 121-30
Van De Mieroop, Chapter 6.2
Bspace: Postgate, excerpt from “Laws and the Law,” in Early Mesopotamia:
Society and Economy at the Dawn of History (1992)
Allies and Enemies
March 7: The Mitannians in Northern Mesopotamia
Cultural Atlas, pp. 132-35
Van De Mieroop, Chapter 8.1
March 9: The Hittites in Central Anatolia
Cultural Atlas, pp. 136-39, 44-45
Van De Mieroop, Chapter 8.2
March 12: The Rise of the Assyrian State
Cultural Atlas, pp. 108-16, 139-40, 148-49
Van De Mieroop, Chapter 6.1 and 9.2
March 14: The Kassites and Elamites
Cultural Atlas, pp. 140-44
Van De Mieroop, Chapter 9.1 and 9.3
March 16: Relations with Egypt
Cultural Atlas, pp. 135-36, 144-46
Van De Mieroop, Chapter 7.1, 7.2, and 7.3
March 19: The Syrian Kingdom of Ugarit
Cultural Atlas, pp. 146-47, 150-51
Van De Mieroop, Chapter 8.3
March 21: Sea Peoples and Philistines – The Collapse of the Bronze Age
Cultural Atlas, pp. 146-50
Van De Mieroop, Chapter 10
Assyria and its Rivals
March 23: The New Expansion -- Ashurnasirpal II
Cultural Atlas, pp. 158-64, 194-95
Van De Mieroop, Chapter 12
Bspace: Liverani, “The Ideology of the Assyrian Empire,” in M. T. Larsen, ed.,
Power and Propaganda: A Symposium on Ancient Empires (1979)
March 26-30: SPRING BREAK

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April 2: The Aramaeans and Neo-Hittites
Van De Mieroop, Chapter 11.2
April 4: War or Trade? -- Shalmaneser III
Cultural Atlas, pp. 164-72
Bspace: A. K. Grayson, “Assyrian Rule of Conquered Territory” in Sasson, ed.,
Civilizations of the Ancient Near East (1995)
April 6: The Kingdom of Urartu and Hasanlu
Cultural Atlas, pp. 170-74
April 9: Reform and Usurpation -- Tiglath-Pileser III and Sargon II
Cultural Atlas, pp. 174-76, 178-82, 184
Van De Mieroop, Chapter 13.1, 13.2, and 13.3
April 11: The Seafaring Phoenicians
Cultural Atlas, pp. 156-57, 176-77
April 13: The “Palace without Rival” – Sennacherib at Nineveh
Cultural Atlas, pp. 182-88
April 16: The Final Glory – Ashurbanipal and the Fall of Assyria
Cultural Atlas, pp. 154-55, 183, 188-91
Van De Mieroop, Chapter 13.4 and 13.5
Bspace: M. Bogdanos, “The Casualties of War: The Truth About the Iraq
Museum,” American Journal of Archaeology 109 (2005): 477-526
Bspace: F. Deblauwe, “Going, Going, Going, Gone: A Report on Archaeological
Sites in Iraq,” Odyssey (Nov/Dec 2004)
Bspace: “Treaties and Legislation” from the Saving Antiquities for Everyone
website
The Final Empires
April 18: The City of Babylon –Wonder of the World
Cultural Atlas, pp. 192-93, 198-202
Van De Mieroop, Chapter 14.2
April 20: Israel and Judah
Cultural Atlas, pp. 198-99
Bspace: excerpts from A. Mazar, Archaeology of the Land of the Bible (1992)
April 23: The Rise of the Persian Empire – Cyrus to Darius I
Cultural Atlas, pp. 203-207, 210-11
Van De Mieroop, Chapter 15.1
April 25: The Glories of Empire – The Royal City of Persepolis
Cultural Atlas, pp. 207-21
Van De Mieroop, Chapter 15.2 and 15.3

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April 27: Alexander of Macedon and Remembrance of Times Past
Cultural Atlas, pp. 214-15, 222-23
Van De Mieroop, Chapter 15.4
May 8: FINAL EXAM – 3-6 pm