ARCHAEOLOGY OF SYRO-MESOPOTAMIA

The course belongs to the "Archaeology" curriculum of the Master's Degree Programme in "Ancient Civilisations: Archaeology, Literature and History" (FMR2). It is part of the interdisciplinary activities of the archaeological (for which it is compulsory), historical-archaeological and historical-epigraphical paths of the "Western Asia and Eastern Mediterranean" sub-curriculum and of the pre- protohostoric path of the "Europe and Mediterranean" sub-curriculum. It is also one of the core educational activities of the "Medieval and Bizantine" curriculum of the Master's Degree Programme in "History of Arts and Conservation of Artistic Heritage" (FMR9).
It is one of the essential courses for students who want to specialise in the ancient civilisations of the Near East and of the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as Eurasian Pre- and Proto-history.
It aims at providing students with advanced knowledge about the pre-classical archaeology of Anatolia and the Caucasus and with methodological instruments enabling them to carry out a bibliographic research and produce and present, by making use of an appropriate terminology, an original synthesis about a specific subject related to the theme which is dealt with during the lessons.
This year’s course will focus on „Regional developments and innovations in Anatolia and the Caucasus, from the first sedentary hunter-gatherers of the Pre-Pottery-Neolithic to well-established farming communities in later stages of the Neolithic.“

By the end of the course, students are expected to have an in-depth knowledge of developments in the Neolithic of Anatolia and the Caucasus, based on the seminar and reading specialised literature mainly in English. They are also expected to be able to carry out a bibliographic search on a specific topic, demonstrate the ability to select sources with sufficient critical judgment, orally present the results of their research to a specialised audience effectively and using appropriate terminology, and produce a brief written essay adhering to the rules required for scientific publications.

Near Eastern Archaeology and Art History I (advised: Near Eastern Archaeology and Art History II). Students who did not take a basic course in Near Eastern Archaelogy are invited to bridge the gap by reading a handbook about the subject. Considering that this is an advanced course, it is advisable to have a basic knowledge of the methods and general themes of archaeological research to follow it.

This course will examine regional developments in Anatolia and the Caucasus, from the first sedentary hunter-gatherers of the Pre-Pottery-Neolithic to well-established farming communities in later stages of the Neolithic, thereby emphasising innovations essential to Neolithization processes far beyond the geographical area covered in this course. The introductory session will provide an overview of central topics and scholarly debates, highlighting the diverse innovations of the period. The sessions will examine regional and temporal developments through key sites within the different regions. The regions covered in these sessions are the Neolithic in the Tigris and Euphrates Basin, Central Anatolia (with special focus on Çatalhöyük), Western Anatolia (with special focus on Çukuriçi Höyük), Northwestern Anatolia, the Marmara Region, and the Central, Northern, and Southern Caucasus. The following sessions will synthesise thematic aspects of the Neolithic in Anatolia and the Caucasus – including architecture, material culture, funerary customs and symbolic aspects. Innovations of the Neolithic are in focus of this course. For this, students will prepare and orally present their research on different Neolithic innovations, followed by a general discussion of the presented topic. Each student will then prepare a brief written essay on the topic of their presentation.

1) Students’ notes taken during lessons and the content of the lecturer’s presentations.
2) Introductory texts:
- Chataigner 2024
C. Chataigner, The South Caucasus from the Upper Palaeolithic to the Neolithic: Intersection of the genetic and archaeological data, Quaternary Science Reviews 345, 2024, 109061. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.109061.
- Chataigner, Badalyan, Arimura 2014
C. Chataigner, R. Badalyan, M. Arimura, The Neolithic of the Caucasus. In: Oxford Handbooks Editorial Board (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Topics in Archaeology [online edition]. 2014.
- Horejs 2019a
B. Horejs, Migrating and creating social memories: on the arrival and adaptation of the Neolithic in Aegean Anatolia. İn: M. Brami, B. Horejs (Eds), The Central/Western Anatolian Farming Frontier. Proceedings of the Neolithic Workshop held at 10th ICAANE in Vienna, April 2016. Oriental and European Archaeology 12, Vienna 2019, 159–179.
- Horejs 2019b
B. Horejs, Long and short revolutions towards the Neolithic in western Anatolia and Aegean, Documenta Praehistorica 46, 2019, 68–83. doi: 10.4312/dp.46.5.
- Karul 2020
N. Karul, The Beginning of the Neolithic in Southeast Anatolia: Upper Tigris Basin, Documenta Praehistorica 47, 2020, 76–95. doi: 10.4312/dp.47.5.
- Özdoğan 2015
E. Özdoğan, Current Research and New Evidence for the Neolithization Process in Western Turkey, European Journal of Archaeology 18, 2015, 33–59. doi: 10.1179/1461957114Y.0000000079.
- Özdoğan 2022
M. Özdoğan, Reconsidering the Early Neolithic of Anatolia. Recent recoveries, some excerpts and generalities, L’Anthropologie 126, 2022, 103033. doi: 10.1016/j.anthro.2022.103033.
- Özdoğan 2024
M. Özdoğan, Cultural changes consequential to the formation of Neolithic way of living: The Upper Euphrates – Upper Tigris Basin. In: F. Djindjian, Union Internationale des Sciences Préhistoriques et Protohistoriques (eds.), Determinisms in Prehistoric Societies: Climate Changes, Environments, Functional Constraints and Cultural Tradition. Human Societies Facing Climate Change 3, Oxfordshire, UK 2024, 154–183.
- Özdoğan, Başgelen, Kuniholm 2011
M. Özdoğan, N. Başgelen, P. I. Kuniholm (eds.), The Neolithic in Turkey: New Excavations & New Research: The Tigris Basin. The Neolithic in Turkey 1, Istanbul 2011.
- Özdoğan, Başgelen, Kuniholm 2011
M. Özdoğan, N. Başgelen, P. I. Kuniholm (eds.), The Neolithic in Turkey: New Excavations & New Research: The Euphrates Basin. The Neolithic in Turkey 2, Istanbul 2011.
- Özdoğan, Başgelen, Kuniholm 2012
M. Özdoğan, N. Başgelen, P. I. Kuniholm (eds.), The Neolithic in Turkey: New Excavations & New Research: Central Turkey. The Neolithic in Turkey 3, Istanbul 2012.
- Özdoğan, Başgelen, Kuniholm 2012
M. Özdoğan, N. Başgelen, P. I. Kuniholm (eds.), The Neolithic in Turkey: New Excavations & New Research: Western Turkey. The Neolithic in Turkey 4, Istanbul 2012.
- Özdoğan, Başgelen, Kuniholm 2013
M. Özdoğan, N. Başgelen, P. I. Kuniholm (eds.), The Neolithic in Turkey: New Excavations & New Research: Northwestern Turkey and Istanbul. The Neolithic in Turkey 5, Istanbul 2013.
- Özdoğan, Başgelen, Kuniholm 2014
M. Özdoğan, N. Başgelen, P. I. Kuniholm (eds.), The Neolithic in Turkey: 10500–5200 BC: Environment, Settlement, Flora, Fauna, Dating, Symbols of Belief, with Views from North, South, East, and West. The Neolithic in Turkey 6, Istanbul 2014.
- Sagona 2018
A. Sagona, The Archaeology of the Caucasus: From Earliest Settlements to the Iron Age, New York 2018.
- Sagona, Zimansky 2009A. G. Sagona, P. E. Zimansky, Ancient Turkey. Routledge World Archaeology, London; New York 2009.
- Steadman, McMahon 2011
The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Anatolia, 10,000-323 B.C.E. Oxford, New York 2011.

3) Specific literature for the essay topics, selected by the students.

Each student is expected to prepare a paper on a Neolithic innovation. This work will be presented and discussed during the final lessons, then prepared in written form. Evaluation will be based on the student’s active participation in the lessons (presentations, discussions, etc.) and on the written essay. It will consider both the degree of comprehension and knowledge of the subject, and the ability to present a topic, both in oral and written form, in an effective and articulated way, using appropriate terminology.

written and oral

The lecturer has a duty to ensure that the rules regarding the authenticity and originality of exam tests and papers are respected. Therefore, if there is suspicion of irregular conduct, an additional assessment may be conducted, which could differ from the original exam description.

- 18-23/30 Sufficient knowledge of the subject, sufficient ability to present a topic in an articulated way and by making use of an appropriate terminology, serious mistakes or shortcomings
- 24-27/30 Fair knowledge of the subject, fair ability to present a topic in an articulated way and by making use of an appropriate terminology, mistakes or shortcomings of some significance
-28-30/30 Good or excellent knowledge of the subject, good or excellent ability to present a topic in an articulated way and by making use of an appropriate terminology, negligible mistakes or shortcomings
- 30/30 e lode see above, but with no errors or shortcomings

The course is organised as a seminary involving active student participation.
Introductory lessons by the instructor (including PowerPoint presentations) will be followed by students’ oral presentations on specific Neolithic innovations (20-minute presentation).
Each of these will be followed by a general discussion (10-minute discussion).
The course will be taught in English.

The course will take place during the 4th term. Since the course is organised in the form of a seminary, students are strongly advised to attend the lessons. Only in exceptional cases an alternative exam program (including a short written research paper) can be agreed upon. Students interested in the civilisations of the Ancient Near East may also choose: Archaeology of Syro-Mesopotamia, Archaeology of the Levant, Anthropology of images in the Eastern Mediterranean, Cipriote archaeology, Aegean archaeology, History and Anthropology of the ancient Near East, Cultures of Africa and Western Asia, History and Literatures of the Ancient Near East, Culture of ancient Egypt, Litaratures of ancient Mesopotamia, Semitic Epigraphy, Anatolian Epigraphy, The city in the Islamic world, Heritage: politics and practices in the Islamic world, History of Religions

Ca’ Foscari applica la Legge Italiana (Legge 17/1999; Legge 170/2010) per i servizi di supporto e di accomodamento disponibili agli studenti con disabilità o con disturbi specifici dell’apprendimento. Se hai una disabilità motoria, visiva, dell’udito o altre disabilità (Legge 17/1999) o un disturbo specifico dell’apprendimento (Legge 170/2010) e richiedi supporto (assistenza in aula, ausili tecnologici per lo svolgimento di esami o esami individualizzati, materiale in formato accessibile, recupero appunti, tutorato specialistico a supporto dello studio, interpreti o altro) contatta l’ufficio Disabilità e DSA disabilita@unive.it.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Climate change and energy" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development