T-TH 9:35-11:OO . . . . .101 Heger

Reading the Assignments

Class Attendance

Exams

Class Assignment Journal (CAJ)

Critical Analysis of Reading (CAR)

Reflective Essay

Web Critique

Extra Credit Options

Purpose of Course

This course will examine the rise of civilization and beginnings of recorded history in the major Old World centers of Egypt and Mesopotamia, the so-called "cradle of civilization". The focus of the course will be on the ancient roots of our civilized ideas: ideas about God, about civil society and law, about death and afterlife, about heroes and warriors, about sex and taxes, about ancient technology and the beginnings of science. Among the issues examined will be the misuse of archaeological information by the lunatic fringe. For more than a century archaeologists have been uncovering the prehistory of our history. We will dust off a few of the more interesting parts of this search into the past and look at why we think we are civilized after all.

Required Course Texts

• Frymer-Kensy, Tikva (1992) In the Wake of the Goddess: Women, Culture and the Biblical Transformation of Myth. NY: Fawcett Columbine.

• Montet, Pierre (1981) Everyday Life in Ancient Egypt in the Days of Ramesses the Great. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.

• Saggs, H. W. F. (1989) Civilization before Greece and Rome. New Haven: Yale University Press.

• A114 Reader [This is available only at Sir Speedy (794-1234) at 2039 Hempstead Turnpike , across from Home Depot, east of campus.]

 

Course Schedule

9/7 Introduction to objectives and requirements of course.

 

I. THE CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION

 

9/9 The Beginnings of Civilization

READ: Feder and Park (1997:430-457.483-486) in A114 Reader

 

9/14 Who Was Who in the Cradle of Civilization?

READ: Saggs, ch.1, pp. 1-20.

 

9/16 Ancient Egypt

Film: "Egypt: Quest for Eternity"

READ: Saggs, ch. 2, pp. 21-30 and Montet, pp. 1-30, 252-273

CAR 1 due: Reading Montet

 

9/21 No class (Conversion Day)

 

9/23 Daily Life in Ancient Egypt

READ: Montet, pp. 45-132

 

9/28 The Pyramids

READ: Saggs, ch. 3, pp. 47-61, Mertz (pp. 218-232) in A114 Reader

Film: "This Old Pyramid" (V-3764)

 

9/30 Mummies and Death in Ancient Egypt

READ: Montet, ch. XII, 300-330; Plutarch (pp. 29-32) in A114 Reader

CAJ 1 due: Death in Egypt

 

10/5 Pharaohs and Warfare

READ: Montet, chapters VIII-IX, pp. 192-251

 

10/7 Travel in the Ancient Near East

READ: Montet, pp. 133-191 and "The Tale of Sinuhe" (pp. 21-53) in A114 Reader

 

10/12 Exam #1

 

II. THE LEGACY OF THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST

 

10/14 Writing and the Alphabet

READ: Saggs, chs. 4-5, pp. 62-113; Rossini (1989:5-8, 10-26, 84-95)

 

10/19 The Legacy of Mesopotamia

Film: "Iraq: The Cradle of Civilization" (V-1923)

 

10/21 Urban Life in Ancient Mesopotamia

READ: Saggs, ch. 6, pp. 114-127

 

10/26 Law in the Ancient World

READ: Saggs, chs. 8-9, pp. 156-175, Kramer "The First Legal Precedent" (pp. 56-59) in "The Law Code of Hammurabi" (pp. 27-35) A114 Reader

CAJ 2 due: Ancient Justice

 

10/28 Warfare and the State

READ: Saggs, ch. 9, pp. 176-194

 

11/2 Trade and Natural Resources

READ: Saggs, chs. 7 (pp. 128-155) and 10 (pp. 195-219)

CAR 2 due: Reading Saggs

 

11/4 The Arts and Sciences

READ: Saggs, chs. 11-12, pp. 220-266 and Kramer "Schooldays..." (pp. 8-11) in A114 Reader

 

11/9 Exam #2

 

III. THE DOMESTICATION OF GOD AND WOMAN

 

11/11 Ancient Religion

READ: Saggs, ch. 13, pp. 267-290

 

11/18 Myth and the Old Testament

READ: Saggs, pp. 290-294, Frymer-Kensky (pp. vii-13), Hoerth (pp. 16-22) and "Adapa" (167- 172) in A114 Reader

 

11/23 The Epic of Gilgamesh

READ: Sanders (pp. 20-42, 59-116 ) in A114 Reader

CAJ 3 due: My Role in Gilgamesh

 

11/30 Archaeology and Noah's Flood

READ: Whitcomb and Morris (pp. xix-xxii, 65-79), Unger (pp. 55-71); Bright (pp.32-40) and "The Destruction of Mankind" (81-82) in A114 Reader

 

12/2 The Mother Goddess: A Feminist Restructuring of the History of Religion

READ: Frymer-Kensky, pp. 14-31, 45-80, 221-224 

 

12/7 Sexuality in the Ancient World

READ: Frymer-Kensky, 118-143, 153-167, 187-202

 

12/9 Pyramidiots, Chariots of the Gods and Sunken Continents

READ: Feder (1996:1-10, 165-220)

 

12/14 • REFLECTIVE ESSAY DUE in my office (216 Heger) TODAY by 3 PM

 

12/21 FINAL EXAM 10:30am-12:30pm in 100 Heger

Course Requirements

a. Demonstration that the information is understood

b. Use of relevant and appropriate information and examples from the course

c. Critical analysis of key concepts and perspectives

d. Synthesis and reformulation in your own words

e. Clarity , completeness and coherence of response

Exams cannot be made up without advance notice for a legitimate reason.

Each student is required to write a class journal assignment (CAJ) related to the assigned readings, and topics. Each assignment should be about 2-3 pages (typed, double-spaced) in length. The idea of the assignment is to show how your interact with the material you are reading or seeing. You must relate your ideas and opinions to the assigned reading or topic. I will provide written comments to help you improve your writing in an essay format so that you can do well on the three essay exams.

 

The grading for each CAJ is "outcome based," which means that a particular assignment can be revised or expanded as necessary to meet the established criteria for full credit of 4 points per assignment, assuming the first is handed in on time. I will substract one point if the assignment is not handed in on the date due. All assignments must be revised no later than the last official day (Dec. 9) of class, but I recommend you do the revision immediately for benefit from my comments. The criteria are:

• a. Level of effort (appropriate length and degree you interact with the material)

• b. Appropriate and relevant examples

• c. Coherent argument and clear presentation of points

• d. Assignment handed in on time

 

The following are the specific class assignments for the CAJ:

CAJ 1 (due 9/30) Death in Egypt. Based on a careful reading of Montet's chapter on"The Rites of Burial," pretend you are about to die and (hopefully) enter the afterlife properly. Explain in your own words what you think about death, how you expect to be judged in the afterlife, how you hope your body will be prepared as a mummy and what you expect your funeral to look like.

 

CAJ 2 (due 10/26) Ancient Justice . Based on your reading of the ancient law codes discussed by Saggs and in the biblical laws of Deuteronomy , chapters 21-27, give your impresions of ancient justice as defined in the lawcodes. Is there a double standard in treatment of males and females? Is there any evidence of ethnic or racial prejudice? What kinds of prohibitions seem strange to you and why?

 

CAJ 3 (due 11/23) Reading Gilgamesh. After reading the epic of Gilgamesh, pick one character (divine, human, or otherwise) and describe what interests you about that character and how he/she would be able to function in today's world. What does this character tell you about human nature, even after all the centuries since the epic was written?

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5. CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF READING (CAR)

 

Each student is required to complete a critical analysis of reading (CAR) for two of the assigned days readings. The purpose of this assignment is to improve the ability to understand the reading through critical reading of the text. A handout is provided for each CAR, a copy of which is also available on the class website. I will provide written comments to help you improve your study skills.

The grading for each CAR is "outcome based," which means that a particular assignment can be revised or expanded as necessary to meet the established criteria for full credit of 4 points per assignment, assuming the first is handed in on time. I will substract one point if the assignment is not handed in on the date due. All assignments must be revised no later than the last official day (Dec. 9) of class, but I recommend you do the revision immediately for benefit from my comments. These are:

• a. Shows relative mastery of the author's main points

• b. Shows relative mastery of author's style of writing

• c. Ability to recognize relevant examples

• d. Assignment handed in on time

CAR #1 (due 9/16) Critical Analysis of Montet Reading.

CAR #2 (due 11/2) Critical Analysis of Saggs Reading.

Purpose: The purpose of this essay is to creatively engage with the information learned in this course. Please consult the handout "How the Write a Better Essay" for ideas on how best to write your essay. This is not a term paper and it is not meant to be an exercise in providing descriptive details. The idea is toshow you can go beyond mere repeititon of details and place them in a meaningful historical narrative.

 

Details:

 

Imagine that you are an ancient Egyptian or an ancient Sumerian or Akkadian. You can be either male or female (this time around you get to choose), king or slave, moral pillar or crazed killer. The idea is to tell your life story, including details based on your the course material. Write the story in first-person. You should include some of the following information: description of the place you were born, description of your parents and their occupations, your family life, your religious beliefs, your marriage and children, the places you visited, the major accomplishments of your life, your good fortune and bad luck, any brushes you had with the law (cite a specific ancient law we studied), your fears and your hopes for the future. You do not have to footnote references, but you need to indicate the sources consulted at the end of your essay. You are encouraged to use internet sources (on the class website) to supplement the class material.

 

Grading: This essay is worth 14 points. The major criteria (each is worth 2 points) I will use to grade the essay are the following:

a. demonstration that the information presented is understood

b. use of relevant and appropriate examples from the course

c. covers an adequate range of issues

d. critical analysis of myth

e. ability to synthesize rather than merely repeat or describe

f. clarity and coherent explanation of points made

g. originality and creativity

 

Length: 6-7 pages (typed, double-spaced)

 

Due Date: You may hand in a draft copy for comments any time before Thanksgiving. The final copy of your essay is due no later than Dec. 14 at 3 pm.. This must be handed to me by hand. Do not simply leave it in my office box. I will be in my office on Thursday afternoon between 1- 3 pm. You are encouraged to hand in your essay on the last day of class. Late papers will have 3 points automatically taken off. Remember to attach the essay cover sheet handed out by the professor.

Each student in the class has an opportunity to earn 6 extra-credit points. Each option you choose is worth 3 points; you may choose up to two options. Attend the event or do the written option and write up a 3 page discussion of what you got out of it and how it relates to the course material. I am not interested in a lot of descriptive information, but rather your reflections on what were the important points and how these relate to the class material and themes. All extra-credit written assignments are due no later than the final exam in this class.

 

OPTIONS:

• Visit the Near Eastern collections in the Metropolitan Museum of Art or Brooklyn Museum. This requires a 3-page written assignment.

 

• Critique of "Hollywood" epic film on ancient Near East (ask professor for list). This requires a 3-page written assignment.

 

• Option you suggest and I approve in advance. This could be a relevant outside lecture, interview of someone of a different religion, relevant documentary, etc. This requires a 3-page written assignment.

Grading

Grading in this course is based on a 100 point scale (although the student has the opportunity to earn 103 points in the course). In general, the "A" range will extend from 90-100, the "B" range from 80-89, the "C" range from 70-79, the D-range starting at 64. The point accumulation breaks down as follows:

ITEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TOTAL POINTS

Exam # 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Exam # 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Exam # 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Class Assignment Journal (CAJ) . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Critical Analysis of Reading (CAR) . . . . . . . . . . 8

Reflective Essay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Web Critique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Extra Credit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106