NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY AND ART HISTORY I

The course belongs to the "Core educational activities" of the archaeological curriculum of the Bachelor's Degree Programme in "Conservation of Cultural Heritage and Performing Arts Management" and corresponds to the second part of the 12 CFU exam of "Near Eastern archaeology and art history".
It will present the students with an in-depth analysis of a specific theme or topic in the field of Near Eastern archaeology. Compared to the first part of the course, the object of study will be widened from Mesopotamia to the surrounding regions as well. The aim of the course is that students acquire, a.o. by reading scientific contributions in languages other than Italian, a knowledge of the subject exceeding a purely handbookish level, and that they become aware of the methods and processes through which archaeological data contribute to the reconstruction of a specific aspect of past civilisations and become familiar with the international terminology of a particular field of study. The object of this year's course will be Mari, a large urban centre of the 3rd and 2nd millennium BC at the border between Mesopotamia and Syria.

At the end of the course students will have a thorough knowledge of Mari, one of the most important archaeological sites of the Near East, of the stages of its discovery, of its main momuments, artworks and categories of artefacts and, finally, of its importance for the history of Near Eastern civilisation. Through the case-study of Mari, they will become aware of the aims and strategies which guide the investigation of a large archaeological site , of the problems connected with its preservation, and of the process which from the collection phase of archaeological lead to historical reconstruction
They will have a good command of Italian and international terminology concerning the topics discussed during the course, and will be able to read and critically evaluate short studies, in Italian, French and English, on the subject.

NEAR EASTERN ARCHAEOLOGY AND ART HISTORY I

The course will deal with the site of Mari in Syria, a large urban centre of the 3rd and of the first half of the 2nd millennium BC located on the Euphrates river near the border with Iraq, which has been explored since the 1930ies by a French expedition. The main results of the excavations will be presented and discussed in the framework of the development of the aims and methods of archaeological research. The site's topography and architecture and its artistic production and material culture in the different periods of its life will be analysed and, finally, its importance in the framework of the contemporary cultures of the ancient Near East will be discussed.

Notes taken during the lessons and displayed PP presentations (downloadable from the Moodle platform)
Suggested readings:
- J.-.Cl Margueron, Mari, métropole de l’Euphrate, Paris 2004.
- Pascal Butterlin, Jean Margueron, Béatrice Muller, Michel Maqdissi, Dominique Beyer, Antoine Cavigneaux (eds), Mari, ni Est, ni Ouest, Actes du colloque "Mari ni Est ni Ouest" tenu en octobre 2010 à Damas, Syrie, 2 volumes, Paris, IFPO 2014 (Supplément Syria II)
Further literature will be communicated during the course.
During the course, a list of articles will be provided, the reading of two of which is requested for the exam
Students who are unable to attend the lessons are invited to ask the instructor for a different program and bibliography.

The exam will be oral, and will consist of: 1) a discussion about some of the topics dealt with during the lessons and 2) the presentation, by the student, one of the selected articles. The student may be asked to comment some of the slides shown during the course. The evaluation will take into account both the degree of comprehension and knowledge of the subject acquired by attending the lessons and through individual study, and the ability to present a topic in an articulated way and by making use of an appropriate terminology.
Erasmus students with insufficient knowlegdge of Italian language wil be offered the possibility to take the exam in English

Frontal lessons with display of Power Point presentations + reading of selected texts
The lessons may be integrated by lectures on specific subjects by Italian or foreign experts and other activities (guided visits to museums and exhibitions, seminaries and exercises)

Italian

Students are strongly advised to attend the lessons (lectures by invited scholars and other activities included).
An alternative program can be agreed upon for those for whom this is impossible

oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Natural capital and environmental quality" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development