ARCHAELOGY OF RELIGIOUS PRACTICES IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST
Academic Year 2023/2024 - Teacher:
NICOLA GIOVANNI LANERI
Expected Learning Outcomes
The study of the religious
practices of ancient Near Eastern societies aims at developing a better
knowledge of how to interpret ancient material culture for the students
interested in following an academic path in the field of archaeology. Moreover,
the subjects investigated during the course will be useful for a collaborating
with national and international museum environments.
The course will therefore stimulate
discussion on general issues (such as the birth of religion) and on case
studies related to the birth and development of religiosity in the Near East
from prehistoric times to the birth of Levantine monotheism during the first
millennium BC. In order to better stimulate an innovative approach to the
subject by the students, moments of interaction and study will be provided
through tools such as individual presentations, group discussions and thematic
round tables. This approach will stimulate a deeper knowledge of the subject,
but also new ways to improve students' autonomy of judgment and communication
skills.
Based on the Dublin descriptors, the
objectives of the course will be:
1) Knowledge and understanding.
Provide students with knowledge of the cultural development of religious
practices of the ancient Near East through the analysis of particularly
significant contexts.
2) Ability to apply knowledge and
understanding. To make the student able to consciously tackle a research in the
field of archeology of the ancient Near East thanks to the acquisition of
adequate tools and methodologies, both in the archaeological, head and
bibliographic fields. This purpose will be achieved through an in-depth
examination of some specific aspects with round tables during which students
will present reports on specific case studies.
3) Autonomy of judgment. Develop in
students a critical approach to contexts with systematic comparisons between
site descriptions and text analysis associated with religious practices.
4) Communication skills. Provide
students with specialized vocabulary to enable them to communicate adequately
to the scientific community.
5) Learning skills. Developing
students' autonomy in the ability to identify the most representative
scientific texts and understand them adequately thanks to a selection of
readings that can allow for in-depth research in the study of religious
practices in the ancient Near East.
Course Structure
The course will take place with lectures, while the interaction with
students will take place thanks to individual presentations within round tables
on specific topics related to the birth of Jewish monotheism during the first
millennium BC. There will be an ongoing test at the end of the first part of
the course dedicated to the period from prehistoric times up to the second
millennium BC.
Required Prerequisites
No prerequisites required.
Attendance of Lessons
Attendance is not compulsory
Detailed Course Content
The
course on the Archaeology of Religious Practices in the Near East will be
dedicated to the study of the material culture of the ancient societies that have inhabited
a large geographical area limited by the Mediterranean basin, to the west, and
by the Indus valley, to the east, dating from prehistoric periods until the arrival
of Alexander the Great in the region (330 BC). More specifically, it will
investigate the archaeological and textual data related to the religious
dimension of the societies inhabiting such large region that was marked by the appearance
of the first ceremonial architecture of humankind, as is the case of the 10000
years old buildings discovered at Göbekli Tepe (SE Turkey), of the beginning of
polytheism in southern Mesopotamia during the IV millennium BC, and, obviously,
the emergence of the first form of monotheism in the Levant the first millennium
BC.
Textbook Information
-
Laneri N. (2022) From Ritual to God Cambridge University Press. Pp. 1-250.
-
Oggiano I. (2005). Dal terreno al
divino. Archeologia del culto nella Palestina del Primo Millennio. Carocci. Pp.
1-300.
Please remember that in compliance with art 171
L22.04.1941, n. 633 and its amendments, it is illegal to copy entire books or
journals, only 15% of their content can be copied.
For further information on sanctions and regulations
concerning photocopying please refer to the regulations on copyright (Linee
Guida sulla Gestione dei Diritti d’Autore) provided by AIDRO - Associazione
Italiana per i Diritti di Riproduzione delle opere dell’ingegno (the Italian Association
on Copyright).
All
the books listed in the programs can be consulted in the Library.
