Sanders, Babylon: H. M. Oates The Epic Of Gilgamesh

History 111A
(Ancient Near East)
Professor Spyridakis
Fall 2013

REQUIRED READINGS

J. Oates, Babylon
N. K. Sanders, ed., The Epic of Gilgamesh
J. A. Wilson, The Culture of Ancient Egypt
H. M. Orlinsky, Ancient Israel

Before the midterm, read relevant chapters on the main Mesopotamian cultures in Oates ' Babylon as well as the Sanders and Wilson books. Orlinsky 's Ancient Israel should be read in the second part of the course, along with relevant materials on Persia in Oates ' Babylon. These readings supplement the lectures which offer a personal interpretation of ancient history and emphasize the cultural, religious and intellectual legacy of the Ancient Near East.

Exam questions will be based primarily on themes
and materials discussed in class and thoroughly covered in the readings.

GENERAL COURSE REQUIREMENTS

All students will be required to take the midterm and final examinations. Note, however, that the final examination (50% of course grade) is comprehensive, i.e., it covers the material of the entire quarter. The midterm (which is only 25% of your course grade) gives you the opportunity to discuss your exam with the readers and seek ways of improving your performance in the comprehensive final, in case your score is the result of inexperience rather than neglect.

You are also required to write a term paper dealing with any aspect of ancient Near Eastern history and culture that interests you and enhances your knowledge of the ancient world as well as your chosen academic field of study: e.g., an engineer could examine the construction of the pyramids, an agriculturalist could study the Egyptian system of irrigation, a design major the costumes and fashions of Babylon, etc. This requirement is worth 25% of your course grade. (For more information on topic selections, ect., please consult guidelines handout.)

EXAMS

The exams will consist of two parts: 60% of the exam grade will be based on an essay section (1 essay on midterm, 2 on final) and 40% will be based upon the identification section. Here you will be asked to identify and give the historical significance of some of the terms which will appear on the board and will be discussed in the lectures, i.e., you will need to explain what the term refers to, give some sort of date if appropriate and indicate what significance the term takes on when understood against the background of the major themes of ancient history.

EXAM DATES: Midterm, Monday, November 4
Final, Wednesday, December 11, 10:30am -12:30pm
PROFESSOR 'S OFFICE: 4205 Social Science & Humanities
PROFESSOR 'S OFFICE HOURS: MWF 12-1 and by appointment
CAMPUS PHONE: [phone]

RECOMMENDED BUT NOT REQUIRED BOOKS (especially for History and Humanities Majors):

Kramer, Samuel The Sumerians: Their History, Culture and Character
Kramer, Samuel History Begins at Sumer
Woolley, Sir Leonard The Sumerians
Heidel, A. Babylonian Genesis
Gordon, C. Hammurabi 's Code: Quaint or Forward Looking
Benton, R. The Idea of History in the Ancient Near East
Breasted, J. History of Egypt
Edward, I.E.S. The Pyramids of Egypt
Gardiner, A. Egypt of the Pharaohs
Frankfort, H. Ancient Egyptian Religion: An Interpretation
Marray, M. The Splendor that was Egypt
Lloyd, Seton The Art of the Ancient Near East

HEBREWS

Albright, W. F. Archaeology of Palestine
Cook, S. J. Introduction to the Bible
Herschel, A. The Prophets
Meek, T. J. Hebrew Origins
Prichard, J. B. Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament
DeVaux, Roland Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions 2 vls.

PERSIA

Chrishman, R. Iran
Masani, Rustan Zoroastrianism: The Religion of the Good Life
Olmstead, A. History of the Persian Empire

Paper Requirements/Guidelines

Paper length is 7 pages. You may pick any subject at all as it applies to the ancient history of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Persia, or the Hebrews.

1.
Choosing your subject: First, pick a topic that appeals to your particular interests, e.g., art, religion, laws, medicine, trade, family, social justice, philosophy, etc. Then you must pick a particular analytical approach. What will your subject tell us about the wider context of Ancient Near Eastern history? Helpful to your understanding of the Ancient Near Eastern history would be either economic, political, religious, cultural or social approaches. For instance, a social approach could include studies of philosophies or religion (e.g., What does the role of temple priests tell us about religion?) Narrow your topic to a particular time period. For example, if you want to take an economic approach, write on resources and trade and examine how trade is used by certain tyrannies. Keep your time span restricted so that your paper has a clear focus. The more narrow the topic, the better the paper. Avoid papers that are mere description, chronology of events, or straight
biographies.

2. Research: Keep in mind this is a history research paper. You will need a minimum of three sources other than those required for the class. Use 5x8 cards to keep track of useful notes and the title, author and page of the source. In your paper, summarize your notes into your own words – but still be certain to give a citation (footnote/endnote) for the source of the information. (A word on plagiarism: a heinous crime at all levels of literary endeavor – one to be avoided at all costs. Plagiarism is more than not citing the author of a quotation; it consists of borrowing ideas, facts, or the words of someone else as though it was your own, without footnotes or without quotation marks.) Also, for a paper this size, 30-40 quoted words is the maximum for the entire paper.

3.
Preparing to write your paper: Once you have collected enough material, read through all the notes you have taken. Then, before beginning the paper, write a one-page summary/outline of what you want to say. Be sure to organize the themes of your paper, so that you will have a clear introduction and thesis statement, several paragraphs in which you develop your ideas in order, and a tightly argued conclusion, in which you summarize what you have proved. A thesis must be more than a description of the topic; it should state your interpretation of the materials you have read. A helpful hint: Write your thesis AFTER you have written your paper; one never knows exactly what your evidence will prove until you are
done.

4. Typing the paper: Double-space all material except indented quotations, which are single-spaced. Margins are one inch (top, bottom and sides).

5. FOOTNOTES or ENDNOTES: When a book is first used, the most usual form is as follows: Harry M. Orlinksy, Ancient Israel (Cornell University Press, 1960) p. 66. The second time a book is cited, the title may be abbreviated, for example: Orlinksy, Ancient Israel, p 76; OR you may write Ibid., p. 182 (only if you cite the book a second time immediately after the first citation Ibid. means “the same”). If the citation is from an article, follow this form: A.M. Snodgrass, “The Hoplite Reform and History,” Journal of Hellenic Studies, 86 (1965), pp. 110-22. There are many permissible forms of citing; however, do not put the entire citation within the body of the paper – it is distracting when the reader is concentrating on content.

6. Bibliography: Put a bibliography of all books cited and of any other books that you found useful at the end of your paper. If you put endnotes at the end, the bibliography should follow the endnotes. A note on INTERNET SOURCES: not acceptable unless academic.
7. Grading your paper: In grading your paper, we shall be using four tests. How well did you conceive and develop the historical analysis of the problem you chose? How valuable were the sources in books and articles? How well did you argue/defend your thesis? How good was your style of writing in presenting your documentation and analysis? (In other words: Thesis, argument/defense, resources, and grammar).

PAPERS ARE DUE IN CLASS ON NOVEMBER 22, and will be returned December 11 (date of final exam). Late papers drop a grade for every day late.