PAPVA_49 From the Prehistoric Village to Early States in Ancient Near East

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2015
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
prof. Susan Pollock (lecturer), Mgr. Inna Mateiciucová, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Zdeněk Měřínský, CSc.
Department of Archaeology and Museology – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Lucie Valášková
Supplier department: Department of Archaeology and Museology – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Mon 2. 3. 9:10–11:35 K21, Tue 3. 3. 9:10–11:35 K32, Wed 4. 3. 9:10–11:35 K32, Thu 5. 3. 9:10–11:35 K33, Fri 6. 3. 9:10–11:35 K22, Mon 9. 3. 9:10–11:35 K21, Tue 10. 3. 9:10–11:35 K32, Wed 11. 3. 9:10–11:35 K32, Thu 12. 3. 9:10–11:35 K33, Fri 13. 3. 9:10–11:35 K22
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/30, only registered: 0/30, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The Chalcolithic Period in Mesopotamia.
Syllabus
  • Mesopotamia: Ubaid period: culture-historical overview Mesopotamia: Ubaid period: politically and socially egalitarian or hierarchical? Mesopotamia: Ubaid period: localized economies and inter-regional interactions Mesopotamia: Uruk period: culture-historical overview • Mesopotamia: Uruk period: tributary economies, specialization, and the growth of dependent labor Mesopotamia: Uruk period: ‘Uruk expansion’ and long-distance exchange • Levant: Chalcolithic: culture-historical overview Levant: Chalcolithic: growth of metallurgy Levant: Chalcolithic: cult, sanctuaries, and hoards Recording, accounting, and the invention of writing The representation of people in durable media: figurines, stelae, and seals Religion and ritual: architecture, image, and practice The growth of dependency: class and gender
Literature
  • Nissen, Hans (1988) The Early History of the Ancient Near East, 9000-2000 B.C. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
  • Pollock, Susan (1999) Ancient Mesopotamia: The Eden that Never Was. Cambridge University Press.
  • Carter, Robert A. and Graham Philip (eds.) (in press) Beyond the Ubaid: Transformation and Integration in the Late Prehistoric Societies of the Middle East, Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization. Chicago: Oriental Institute of the University of Chica
  • Henrickson, Elizabeth und Ingolf Thuesen (Hrsg.) (1989) Upon This Foundation - the 'Ubaid Reconsidered, Copenhagen: Carsten Niebuhr Institute Publications 10.
  • Bernbeck, Reinhard (2009) Class Conflict in Ancient Mesopotamia: Between Knowledge of History and Historicising Knowledge. Anthropology of the Middle East 4: 33-64.
  • Pollock, Susan (1992) Bureaucrats and Managers, Peasants and Pastoralists, Imperialists and Traders: Research on the Uruk and Jemdet Nasr Periods in Mesopotamia. Journal of World Prehistory 6(3):297-336.
  • Levy, Thomas (1995) Cult, Metallurgy and Rank Societies – Chalcolithic Period (ca. 4500-3500 BCE). In the Archaeology of Society in the Holy Land, Thomas Levy (ed.), pp. 226-243. London: Leicester Press.
Teaching methods
lectures
Assessment methods
written test, presence in the seminar (70%)
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught once in two years.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2013, Spring 2016, Spring 2017.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2015, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2015/PAPVA_49