PAPVB_15 The Ethnography of Mesopotamia and its Bordering Regions

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2018
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 3 credit(s). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
Füsun Ertug, Ph.D. (lecturer), Dr. phil. Maximilian Wilding (deputy)
Dr. phil. Maximilian Wilding (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Inna Mateiciucová, Ph.D.
Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Jitka Erlebachová
Supplier department: Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Thu 20. 9. 16:00–19:40 A24, Thu 27. 9. 16:00–19:40 A24, Thu 4. 10. 16:00–19:40 A24, Thu 11. 10. 16:00–19:40 A24, Thu 18. 10. 16:00–19:40 A24, Thu 25. 10. 16:00–19:40 A24
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 15 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/15, only registered: 0/15, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/15
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
This course aims to highlight the basics of socio-economics and daily life of the Near East, particularly focusing over Anatolia as main research interest of the lecturer. Ethnography and ethno-archaeology can be considered as main interpretation tools of the archaeologists. How do we interpret daily life of the past from what we have unearthed today? How can we visualize the faces, age and the gender of the people whose houses we are digging up? What types of perishable materials were there besides the bricks, stone, bone, pottery and a few carbonized wood& seed? What kinds of techniques were available and what were other ways of doing things? How people are /were using plants, for what purposes? The similarities and differences of perceptions, beliefs and ways of uses will be overviewed with some presentations and class discussions.
Syllabus
  • 1. Outline of the region. Natural landscapes. Climate. Biodiversity of the area and its resources. Intro to the ethnography and ethnoarchaeology of the area.
  • 2. Brief background info about its prehistoric & historical heritage.
  • 3. Ethnic, religious, linguistic and bio-cultural heritage of the area.
  • 4. Settlement patterns, sedentism and nomadic lifestyles.
  • 5. Subsistence strategies: gathering, farming (agriculture), animal husbandry, fishing &hunting, trading, regional labor networks.
  • 6. Subsistence related tools and facilities. Traditional architecture.
  • 7. Art and crafts of daily life. Simplicity and complexity of relationships. Gender division of labor.
  • 8. Techniques of data collection, main resources and literature. Discussions.
Literature
  • • Lindholm Charles, The New Middle Eastern Ethnography, Journal of the Royal Athnropological Institue 1 (4): 805-820.
  • Guests of the Sheik: An Ethnography of an Iraqi Village, New York: Anchor Books, 1995.
  • • Eickelman, Dale F., The Middle East: an Anthropological Approach, 3rd Ed., New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1998.
  • • Encyclopedic Ethnography of Middle East and Central Asia, R. Khanam (ed.), 1st Ed., 3 Vols, New Delhi: Global Visison Publishing House, 2005.
  • • Salamandra, Christa, A New Old Damascus – Authenticity and Distinction in Urban Syra, Indiana: University Press, 2004.
  • • Lewis, Norman N., Nomads and Settlers in Syria and Jordan, 1800-1980 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
Teaching methods
Lectures, class discussion, homework.
Assessment methods
Written exam.
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 Autumn 2012, Autumn 2014, Autumn 2016.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2018/PAPVB_15