U. S. Department of Education Title VI Project: The Middle East and Cross-Regional Connections

Building and Differentiating Cultural Identity in the Ancient World

Kathleen M. Pearle
kpearle@ccp.edu
Department of History and Philosophy
Community College of Philadelphia

1. Unit Title: Building and Differentiating Cultural Identity in the Ancient World

2. Target Courses: A module for History 120: World History; History 180: Women in History; Humanities 101: Cultural Traditions. The modules will be presented in four 3-hour segments to an evening class. There are two components to the module: Ancient Mesopotamia and the Ancient Hebrews, each 2 three-hour segments long.

3. Unit Goals:
- To make use of new interdisciplinary and cross-regional materials on the Middle East.
- To gain a more sophisticated understanding of the civilizations that were instrumental in the transmission of culture between East and West: namely, Sumeria/Assyria/Babylon, and The Hebrews as they moved through the Middle East and Egypt.
- To examine more closely gender constructs, cosmological viewpoints, and concepts of moral duty in ancient cultures.
- To understand more completely levels of complexity in cultural continuity. This would include gaining familiarity with the synthesizing or syncretistic (as opposed to the separatist) aspects of Hebrew civilization as it interfaced with both Mesopotamia and Egypt.

4. Background introduction: The framework for this course will allow us to examine the ways in which a number of civilizations in the Ancient Middle East explained and represented themselves within the context of the known world. Specifically, we will be able to examine the evolution of Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Neo-Babylonian, Hebrew/Israelite, Hittite, Hurrian, Persian, Bactrian, and early Christian identities. Since each of these civilizations developed within the context of the rich traditions of their immediate and far-reaching neighbors, the impact of cross-cultural and trans-regional connections and disconnections will also be an important consideration.

The following topics will inform the framework for HIST 120:
1) The scrim of reality: how do we know what we know? Historical frameworks and the nature of evidence
2) The physical context of cultural identity: geography, resources, technology, and political economy
3) Who turned on the lights (and how can we get on His/Their good side): creation stories as a window on gender, power, cultural genealogy and expectations in the cosmos
4) Moral tales of human trials: what epics and folk tales tell us about moral order and moral duty in the cosmos
5) Spirituality and sensuality: hymns, praise-songs and poetry as clues to cultural ideals about body and soul
6) Cultural identity and the nexus of power: divine pronouncements, law, and the way the socio-political system works
7) Loyalties and allegiances: the individual within the family, clan, tribe, city-state, army, empire
8) Artistic sensibilities: self-representation and the depiction of outsiders in art, architecture and artifacts
9) Tools in the survivor kit: the transmission of culture; the nature of adaptation and change
10) Legacies and mental models: civilization in the final analysis; how do we balance their mental models against our own?

Description of Units:
Unit A: Building and Differentiating Cultural Identity between the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers in Ancient Mesopotamia
1) Unit One: (Part I) The physical context of cultural identity: geography, resources, technology, and political economy. (Part II) Who turned on the lights (and how can we get on His/Their good side): creation stories as a window on gender, power, cultural genealogy and expectations in the cosmos.
2) Unit Two: (Part I) Moral tales of human trials: what epics and folk tales tell us about moral order and moral duty in the cosmos. Loyalties and allegiances: the individual within the family, clan, tribe, city-state, army, empire. (Part II) Spirituality and sensuality: hymns, praise-songs and poetry as clues to cultural ideals about body and soul.
3) Unit Three: (Part I) Cultural identity and the nexus of power: divine pronouncements, law, and the way the socio-political system works.
4) Unit Four: Facing in/facing out. (Part I) Artistic sensibilities: self-representation and the depiction of outsiders in art, architecture and artifacts. (Part II) Tools in the survivor kit: the transmission of culture; the nature of adaptation and change.

Unit B: Building and Differentiating Cultural Identity in Canaan by Way of Ur and Pithos among the Ancient Hebrews
1) Unit One: (Part I) The physical context of cultural identity: geography, resources, technology, and political economy. (Part II) Who turned on the lights (and how can we get on His/Their good side): creation stories as a window on gender, power, cultural genealogy and expectations in the cosmos.
2) Unit Two: (Part I) Loyalties and allegiances: the individual within the family, clan, tribe, and city-state. Cultural identity and the nexus of power: divine pronouncements, law, and the way the socio-political system works.
3) Unit Three: (Part I) Spirituality and sensuality: hymns, praise-songs and poetry as clues to cultural ideals about body and soul.
4) Unit Four: Facing in/facing out. (Part I) Artistic sensibilities: self-representation and the depiction of outsiders in art, architecture and artifacts. (Part II) Tools in the survivor kit: the transmission of culture; the nature of adaptation and change.

UNIT A: Building and Differentiating Cultural Identity between the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers in Ancient Mesopotamia. Creation stories and epic tales evolve in specific geographical, cultural and historical contexts. They serve to explain a particular culture's efforts to make sense of the world; they can be mined for what they reveal about a culture's value system.

Background questions for students: Countries can have creation stories. Most of the stories told about the creation of the United States are only minimally true, but reveal important messages. What, for example, is the meaning of the story of George Washington cutting down the cherry tree?

5. Readings:

"Marduk, God of Gods" from Hamilton, Virginia. In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World. Harcourt: New York, 1988.
"The Huluppu Tree", "Inanna and the God of Wisdom" and "The Courtship of Inanna and Dumuzi" from Wolkstein, Diane and Kramer, Samuel Noah. Inanna Queen of Heaven and Earth: Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer . Harper & Row Publishers : New York, 1983.

Jackson, Danny P. The Epic of Gilgamesh. Bolchazy-Carducci: Wauconda, Illinois, 1997.

Selections from Driver, G. R. and Miles, John C. The Babylonian Laws. Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1955.

6. Classroom activities: These consist of

1) Introductory lectures to provide background and a framework for the readings and visual materials
2) Technology: slides and power point
3) Small group discussions on the readings
4) Collaboration and sharing/small group presentations on focus questions
5) Museum visit: The Royal Tombs of Ur and/or Mesopotamia, Egypt and Canaan. Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology of the University of Philadelphia

I. Description of Unit Activities:
Unit A: Building and Differentiating Cultural Identity between the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers in Ancient Mesopotamia

Unit One Ancient Mesopotamia: (Part I) The physical context of cultural identity: geography, resources, technology, and political economy.

Geography: The students will preview a series of slides that show the climate and geography of Mesopotamia, particularly of wet and dry periods. They will view maps of the early cities. In small groups they will speculate about how geography and climate might influence a culture's view of the cosmos/universe.

Power point slides of Sumerian/Akkadian landscapes and excavations; maps of Mesopotamian cities.

(Part II) Who turned on the lights (and how can we get on His/Their good side): creation stories as a window on gender, power, cultural genealogy and expectations in the cosmos.

Creation stories: Students will brainstorm about the modes of expression that views of the universe might take. We will discuss characteristics of creation stories. Why do we tend to believe some of them but call others myths? We will read a selection from the Enuma Elish titled "Marduk, God of Gods" (Hamilton, 79-85). We will decode the story by creating a column of adjectives that apply to male characters in the story and a column of adjectives that apply to females.

Focus questions:

1. What adjectives and attributes did you list for male characters; female characters?
2. What was the nature of creation? Did it mirror any human experience?
3. How would you characterize the personae of the various gods? How did they relate to each other? What function did the most powerful gods in the epic fulfill?
4. What might have been the nature of the interaction between humans and nature in Mesopotamia; between man and man; between woman and man?
5. What might have been the nature of the interaction between man and man in Mesopotamia; between woman and man?
6. What might have been the principles upon which Sumerian civilization was based?

Gods and Goddesses as patrons of urban life; understanding cultural genealogy & gender:

Students will divide into small groups. We will distribute three ritual poems/hymns evenly among the groups: "The Huluppu Tree", "Inanna and the God of Wisdom" and "The Courtship of Inanna and Dumuzi" (Wolkstein and Kramer). Each group will also receive a copy of Inanna's family tree (Gilgamesh is included). After explaining the most important conventions of Sumerian ritual poetry/hymns, notably the practice of repetition, the instructor will ask each group to read their respective stories and to present their story to the class. During the presentations we will again listen for adjectives and attributes of males and females and will use the focus questions listed above to refine our analysis of gender construction and the role that religion played in cultural construction and the transmission of values.

Power point slides of impressions of the gods and goddesses from Sumerian cylinder seals.

Unit Two Ancient Mesopotamia: (Part I) Moral tales of human trials: what epics and folk tales tell us about moral order and moral duty in the cosmos. Loyalties and allegiances: the individual within the family, clan, tribe, city-state, army, empire.

Students will read The Epic of Gilgamesh. We will discuss the basic characteristics of epics. The instructor will present a mini-lecture on the background of the loss, rediscovery and translations of the Akkadian epic. Particular attention will be paid to depictions of civilization versus savagery; the function of sacred prostitution; the nature of friendship between equals; the relationship between humans and the gods; the Akkadian flood story; the human quest for immortality.

Focus questions:
1. What kind of figure is Gilgamesh?
2. What are the characteristics of a civilized culture? Uncivilized creatures?
3. What roles do the gods play in the story?
4. What becomes Gilgamesh's quest in this epic? Why?
5. When Gilgamesh's quest is completed, what is his view of his fate? What lessons does Gilgamesh learn, and how would you characterize them?
6. What do those lessons tell you about the Akkadian/Sumerian view of the cosmos?

(Part II) Spirituality and sensuality: hymns, praise-songs and poetry as clues to cultural ideals about body and soul.

We will return to the references to sensuality and sexuality in "The Courtship of Inanna and Dumuzi" and compare them to the harlot's encounter with Enkidu in the Gilgamesh epic.

Focus questions:
1. What is the apparent relationship between sexuality and spirituality in Mesopotamian culture?
2. How does that relationship differ from our own cultural models?
3. What were the apparent tasks of humans on earth?

Field Trip to the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology of the University of Pennsylvania

Unit Three Ancient Mesopotamia: (Part I) Cultural identity and the nexus of power: divine pronouncements, law, and the way the socio-political system works.

Pre-field trip exercise:
Students will divide into small groups. The instructor will distribute equally among the groups three selections from the laws of Hammurabi that treat crimes of -- and punishments for -- transgressions against property and sexual mores, and crimes of violence. After explaining the historical background of the Babylonian ascendancy in Mesopotamian history, the instructor will ask each group to read their respective law code selections and to present the highlights of the code to the class. During the presentations we will use the focus questions listed below to refine our analysis of gender construction and the role that law played in cultural construction and the transmission of values. At the museum, we will view the exhibit on cuneiform and Babylonian laws.

Focus questions:
1. Why did Hammurabi order laws to be compiled?
2. What principles of justice and compensation are evident in the laws? What recourse did society have against wrongdoers?
3. What evidence of social classes in Babylonian society do the laws provide?
4. How did women's rights compare to those of men?
5. What do the laws tell us about responsibility for sexual activity?
6. What do the laws tell us about power and authority within the family?

Unit Four Ancient Mesopotamia: Facing in/facing out. (Part I) Artistic sensibilities: self-representation and the depiction of outsiders in art, architecture and artifacts. (Part II) Tools in the survivor kit: the transmission of culture; the nature of adaptation and change.

Parts I and II of Unit Four will be addressed by visiting the following exhibits:

Museum Exhibit: "The Royal Tombs of Ur":
Extravagant jewelry of gold, lapis-lazuli, and carnelian, cups of gold and silver, bowls of alabaster, and extraordinary objects of art and culture were among the Mesopotamian treasures uncovered in the late 1920s by renowned British archaeologist C. Leonard Woolley in a joint expedition by the British Museum and the University of Pennsylvania Museum. The royal tombs at Ur opened the world's eyes to the full glory of ancient Sumerian culture (2600-2500 B.C.) at its zenith.

A spectacular find, the royal cemetery excavations of that early era in archaeology remain one of the most remarkable technical achievements of Near Eastern archaeology, and they helped to catapult Woolley's career. Indeed at the time of its discovery, the royal cemetery at Ur competed only with Howard Carter's discovery of the intact tomb of the boy pharaoh, Tutankhamen, for public attention. By the end of the excavation in 1934 Woolley had become, as The Illustrated London News termed him, a "famous archaeologist," with his own series on BBC Radio, and in little more than a year he was awarded knighthood.

The royal cemetery tomb of Lady Puabi, like the tomb of King Tutankhamen, was an especially extraordinary find for being intact, having escaped looting through the millennia. The tomb featured a vaulted chamber set at the bottom of a deep "death pit"; the lady was buried lying on a wooden bier. She was identified by a cylinder seal bearing her name and found on her body. The seal is carved in cuneiform and written in Sumerian, the world's first written language.

Lady Puabi wore an elaborate headdress of gold leaves, gold ribbons, strands of lapis lazuli and carnelian beads, a tall comb of gold, chokers, necklaces, and a pair of large crescent-shaped earrings. Her upper body was covered in strings of beads made of precious metals and semi-precious stones stretching from her shoulders to her belt, while rings decorated all her fingers. An ornate diadem made of thousands of small lapis lazuli beads with gold pendants of animals and plants was on a table near her head.

Many more artifacts, now world famous in the fields of art, history and archaeology, were found by Woolley in the larger cemetery. The University of Pennsylvania Museum collection includes several of the world's earliest known musical instruments-bull's headed lyres in silver, gold or bronze. A famed "Ram-in-the-Thicket" statuette of a goat (misnamed with a Biblical reference) also attests to the exceptional artistry of the period.

Students will understand function of royal burial rituals in constructing cultural identity. They will tie cultural artifacts to previously studies modes of self-representation and expressions of cultural values.

Focus questions:
1. What does the Mesopotamian way of death tell us about life?
2. What are the long-term cultural contributions of Ancient Mesopotamia?
In what ways was culture transmitted?
Finally the Museum's exhibit on Canaan and the early Hebrews, as well as the Assyrian holdings, will provide visual evidence of some of the ways in which cultural legacies survive and/or contribute to successive civilizations. (See Unit B Activities)

7. Writing Assignments: Any of the focus questions can be used singly or in combination to create writing assignments. The writing assignments below require students to think critically and comparatively.

1. Choose one story EACH from the Tales of Gilgamesh, Marduk and Inannah. Use the messages and the details of the tales to discuss HOW THE STORIES YOU CHOSE SHED LIGHT ON LIFE IN ANCIENT Mesopotamia, specifically on one of the following themes:

" Justice and how to overcome injustice
" What the rituals of death tell us about life
" Sexuality and spirituality
" What's love got to do with anything?
" The pathological fears of the Sumerians
" Leadership and mental models
" Religion and magic
" Family values

Here are some things to remember:

" You are not only describing, but also analyzing. You need to ask yourself, and then explain, fairly frequently what is the meaning of the information you are conveying.

" You need to document. This includes direct quotes when appropriate, paraphrases, or direct references. In all cases you need to indicate the page on which your information is available. If you use additional sources, you will need to credit them as well.

" There is a reason for asking you to choose at least one story from each of three parts of the book. This way you can include in your discussion deities, ruling mortals, and commoners.

2. Probably ever since parents have been putting children to bed, they have been telling bedtime stories. From the perspective of a Sumerian parent, create a bedtime story that includes:
" The belief system of the culture
" The values
" The hero
" An adventure

3. Write a set of instructions to an artist /architect who is being commissioned to create and execute a monumental piece of art or architecture which will serve to immortalize Mesopotamian civilization. Explain what values, events, and accomplishments ought to be depicted in this (hopefully) eternal work of art.

4. As far as we know, no Mesopotamian ruler or would-be ruler ever received a manual on how to be a successful leader, like the one Ptah-Hotep wrote for his son. Your job is to use a format similar to Ptah-Hotep's, and write instructions for a Mesopotamian leader of your choice.

8. Further resources for faculty or students:
Baring, Anne and Cashford, Jules The Myth of the Goddess : Evolution of An Image. Arkana/Penguin Books: New York, 1993.
Dalley, Stephanie. Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, The Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others. Oxford UP: Oxford, 1989.
George, A.R.. House of the Most High: The Temples of Ancient Mesopotamia. Eisenbrauns : Winona Lake, Indiana 1993.
Hamilton, Virginia. In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World. Harcourt: New York, 1988.
Jackson, Danny P. The Epic of Gilgamesh. Bolchazy-Carducci: Wauconda, Illinois, 1997.
Leick, Gwendolyn. Sex and Eroticism in Mesopotamian Literature . Routledge : New York, N.Y. 1994.
Priestess Princess Enheduanna, "Exaltation of Inanna." Ed. Serinity Young, An Anthology of Sacred Texts By and About Women . The Crossroad Publishing Co. : New York, 1994.
Priestess Princess Enheduanna, "Inanna and Enlil." Ed. Serenity Young, An Anthology of Sacred Texts By and About Women .The Crossroad Publishing Co : New York, 1994.
Wolkstein, Diane and Kramer, Samuel Noah. Inanna Queen of Heaven and Earth: Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer . Harper & Row Publishers : New York, 1983.
Young, Serinity. An Anthology of Sacred Texts By and About Women .Ed. Serinity Young, The Crossroad Publishing Co. : New York, 1994.

9. Related Websites:
The main internet clearinghouse on sites providing information on the Ancient Near East is Abzu, compiled by bibliographer Charles E. Jones.
Another internet site focused on ancient history is Ancient Near East - Ancient/Classical History, provided by N.S. Gill.

10. Syllabus: Attached after description of Unit B.

UNIT B: Building and Differentiating Cultural Identity in Canaan by Way of Ur and Pithos among the Ancient Hebrews. At this point students will have encountered the cultures of both Mesopotamia and Egypt. They will have read creation stories, hymns, prayers, wisdom literature. They will be familiar with the respective values and the stories of heroes in each culture. We will begin this unit by speculating on the possible effects that nomadic life and weak political unity might have on the world view and the creation story of the Hebrews.

11. Readings:

The Bible: The Old Testament (Hebrew) selections from Genesis I, Exodus, the Holiness Code (Leviticus 11-20); and laws on chastity and impurity (Deuteronomy 22-25), and a selection from The Song of Songs.

Two selections from the fictionalized account of Dinah's life from Diamant, Anita. The Red Tent. New York: Picador, 1997 (Part II, Chapter 7; Part III, Chapter 1).

12. Classroom Activities:
Unit B: Building and Differentiating Cultural Identity in Canaan by Way of Ur and Pithos among the Ancient Hebrews

Unit One Ancient Hebrews: (Part I) The physical context of cultural identity: geography, resources, technology, and political economy.

Geography: The students will preview a series of slides that show the climate and geography of the route taken by the patriarch Abraham and his descendants described in the Hebrew Bible (Genesis 12-25).

Film: In the Beginning. This documentary examines archaeological sites in Egypt and Mesopotamia, which yield clues about stories in the Books of Genesis and Exodus.

Students will have read the flood story of Utnapishtim in The Gilgamesh Epic, as well as The Egyptian version of the story of Potiphar's wife, "The Story of Two Brothers". Lecture material on Akkadian kings will have included the story of the birth of King Sargon, who was consigned to a basket that floated up on the royal estate. Students will divide into small groups. The instructor will distribute three stories from the Hebrew Bible equally among the groups: the flood (Genesis 6-9); Joseph's story (Genesis 37-50); Moses' early life (Exodus 1-5). Each group will also receive a copy of Joseph's family tree. Each group will read their respective stories and present their story to the class. During the presentations we will listen for commonalities and differences between the Bible stories and their earlier counterparts. Will use the focus questions listed below to refine our analysis of the role that religion played in cultural construction and the transmission of values.

Focus questions:
1. Why does the flood occur, and why is Noah chosen to be saved from drowning?
2. How does the moral content of the story differ from the flood story of Utnapishtim? What is the purpose of human life?
3. What details in Joseph's story indicate the cultural influence of Egypt on the Hebrews?
4. How might historians view the story of Moses' birth and young manhood? Why are there parallels with the story of Sargon?

(Part II) Who turned on the lights (and how can we get on His/Their good side): creation stories as a window on gender, power, cultural genealogy and expectations in the cosmos.

Students will recall earlier discussions about the nature of creation stories. Following a mini-lecture on the writing and compilation of Biblical texts, the instructor will read Genesis 1-4 and the Hebrew story of Lilith.

Focus questions:
1. What is the significance of two different versions of the creation of man and woman?
2. What is the relationship of humans to the rest of God's creation? How do God's expectations for humans differ from those of the Mesopotamian and/or Egyptian Gods?
3. What is the nature of the relationship between Adam and Eve before the temptation? After the temptation? What cultural messages about gender have we inherited from the stories?
4. What similarities exist between the Sumerian Lilith in ""The Huluppu Tree" and the Hebrew story, and how can you account for them?

Unit Two: (Part I) Loyalties and allegiances: the individual within the family, clan, tribe, and city-state. Cultural identity and the nexus of power: divine pronouncements, law, and the way the socio-political system works.

Following a mini-lecture on the history of the Hebrews between the time of the Exodus and the reforms of King Josiah, students will divide into small groups. I will distribute four stories from the Hebrew Bible equally among the groups: the story of Dinah, half-sister of Joseph (Genesis 34); Moses' leadership and God's law ( Exodus 20-24); the Holiness Code (Leviticus 11-20); and laws on chastity and impurity (Deuteronomy 22-25). Small-group discussion will focus on gender, moral order and moral duty in the cosmos. Each group will report a summary of its discussions to the class using the following focus questions:

Focus questions:
1. In two other civilizations you have studied divine pronouncements, law, and the way the socio-political system works. How do these interrelated contingencies work differently for the Hebrews?
2. What is the nature of God's relationship to his chosen people? How and why are they to set themselves apart from other people? How are they to relate to outsiders?
3. What are the principal values and modes of acceptable behavior for Hebrews?
4. How do the laws compare to the laws of Hammurabi?
5. What kinds of attitudes toward sexual behavior do theses laws reflect, and how is that behavior regulated?
6. What status and rights do women possess in the context of these laws?

Unit Three: Spirituality and sensuality: hymns, praise-songs and poetry as clues to cultural ideals about body and soul.

Students will divide into small groups. The instructor will distribute three stories equally among the groups: two selections from the fictionalized account of Dinah's life, The Red Tent (Part II, Chapter 7; Part III, Chapter 1) and a selection from The Song of Songs in the Hebrew Bible. Small-group discussion will focus on the relationship between spirituality and sensuality. Each group will report a summary of its discussions to the class using the following focus questions:

Focus questions:
1. Given the harsh depiction of Egyptians in the Hebrew Bible, and the harsh laws for backsliding, is the rape of Dinah by Shalem in (Genesis 34) to be believed? Is the relationship between Dinah and Shalem in The Red Tent plausible?
2. What is the nature of the relationship between man and woman in The Song of Songs? How does this selection compare with Egyptian love poetry? With the story of the courtship of Inannah and Dumuzi? With the other depictions of sexuality and male-female relationships in the Torah?

Field Trip to the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology of the University of Pennsylvania

Unit Four: Facing In/facing out. (Part I) Artistic sensibilities: self-representation and the depiction of outsiders in art, architecture and artifacts. (Part II) Tools in the survivor kit: the transmission of culture; the nature of adaptation and change.

Parts I and II of Unit Four will be addressed by visiting the following exhibits:

Museum Exhibit: "Canaan and Ancient Israel":
This is the first major North American exhibition dedicated to the archaeology of ancient Israel and neighboring lands, features hundreds of rare artifacts from about 3000 to 586 B.C., excavated by University of Pennsylvania archaeologists in Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon. The exhibit offers a fresh perspective on the land of the Bible, and provides a pivotal crossroads for visitors to the Museum's other renowned galleries on ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Mediterranean World.

Focus questions:
1. How did the beliefs of the Hebrews evolve as they came into contact with other cultures?
2. The political states created by the tribes of Israel were short-lived. How is it that the Hebrews and their God survived the death of their own nation, when the same cannot be said for much larger and powerful empires?
13. Writing Assignments: Any of the focus questions can be used singly or in combination to create writing assignments. The writing assignments below require students to think critically and comparatively.
1. Although peoples in different cultures in the past may have thought and felt differently than we do about personal matters like love and friendship, sickness and death, they certainly cared about such matters. Historians use all sorts of documents to understand the personal lives and feelings of people in past cultures (without assuming that people have always thought and felt the same ways the "we" do).
Use various types of documents about ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Hebrew tribes to explain what some people in each society thought and felt about either
" love and friendship
" OR
" sickness and death.
2. Analyze the role of the Hebrews in the foundations of western civilization. What made the Hebrews different from other Near Eastern societies?

3. Ironically one of the weakest and poorest peoples- the Hebrews - made some of the most substantial contributions to the cultures stemming from the Eastern Mediterranean. The Chaldeans had only a temporary impact. What is more influential in the long term, ideas or power? (Support heavily)

14. Further resources for faculty or students:
Albright, W.F. Yahweh and the Gods of Canaan. London: Athlone Press, 1968.
Diamant, Anita. The Red Tent. New York: Picador, 1997.
Friedman, R.E. Who Wrote the Bible? San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1997.
Gibson, J.C.L. Canaanite Myths and Legends. Edinburgh: T&T Clarks, Ltd., 1978.
Gonen, R. Burial patterns and cultural diversity in late Bronze Age Canaan. Indiana: Eisenbrauns, 1991.
L'Heureux, C.E. Rank among the Canaanite gods: El, Ba'al and the Repha'im. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1979.
Myers, Carol.Ed., Women in Scripture. Cambridge, UK: Eerdmans, 2000.
Pettey, R.J. Asherah: goddess of Israel. New York: P. Lang, 1990.
Rabinowitz, J. Faces of God: Canaanite mythology or Hebrew theology. Woodstock, CT: Spring Publications, 1998.
Reford, D.B. Egypt, Canaan and Israel in Ancient Times. Princeton: Princeton University Press. 1992.
Roaf, M. Cultural Atlas of Ancient Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East. Oxford: Equinox, 1990.

15. Related Websites:
For "The Bible:Old testament" and comparative questions see: Norton "Discovery modules" from internet: www.wwnorton.com

16. Syllabus:

COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF PHILADELPHIA Prof. K. Pearle
HISTORY 120 Office: NERC
THE ANCIENT WORLD Phone:
FALL 2004 Hrs: 5:30-6:30 M
MONDAYS 6:30-9:25 pm e-mail: kpearle@msn.com

REQUIRED TEXTS:
Charles Freeman, Egypt, Greece and Rome (Oxford University Press, 1999). Designated as text in syllabus assignments.

Danny P. Jackson, The Epic of Gilgamesh ( Bolchazy-Carducci: Wauconda, Illinois, 1997). Designated as Jackson in syllabus assignments.

Jonathan Dee, Chronicles of Ancient Egypt (Collins & Brown, 1998). Designated as Dee in syllabus assignments.

Robert Graves, Greek Gods and Heroes (Dell Laurel Leaf, 1960). Designated as Graves in the syllabus assignments.

xeroxed material to supplement required texts

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Ancient Civilization aims at achieving a basic understanding of the evolution of the ancient world from the earliest recorded history to the fall of the Roman Empire. From a western perspective, some of the major historical problems of the ancient world will be examined through lectures and discussions of the assigned primary and secondary sources.

PROCEDURES: Students are required to attend class meetings and to complete all assigned readings. The class format combines lectures, discussions and small group work. There will be a required visit to the Museum of the University of Pennsylvania.

ASSESSMENTS: There will be THREE one-hour essay examinations written in class ON A PRE-PREPARED TOPIC. In addition, the FOURTH piece of written work will be a focused research project on building and differentiating cultural identity in the ancient world. Students select the focus. Research paper is 5 pages in length.
Each piece of written work will be weighed equally in determining the final grade (Each worth 20%, a total of 80%). Each will test for comprehension of historical problems, critical thinking, and the creative utilization of historical data. Proper English is expected. There will be no unexcused absences on exam days. All authorized make-ups will be written at the instructor's convenience. Unwritten exams, as well as cheating and/or plagiarism will receive an F for the assignment in question.

In addition, class participation and small group work will be worth 20% of the final grade. You are invited and encouraged to meet with the instructor during office hours to clarify or resolve matters, which cannot be covered in class.

SCHEDULE OF CLASSES: WEEK OF:
I. Introduction to Ancient History: What We Think We Know 9/13
The Ancient Near East: Mesopotamian geography & cosmology
Text: chapt 1
xeroxed material

II. The Ancient Near East: Mesopotamian heroes, hymns & monuments 9/20
text: chapt. 5
Jackson
xeroxed material

III. Ancient Egypt, the "Gift of the Nile" 9/27
text: chapt 2
Dee: pp. 16-63

IV. Egypt as an Imperial Power 10/4
text: chapt 3
Dee: pp. 66-135
FIRST EXAM 10/4

V. Hebrews as Insiders & Outsiders in Ur, Egypt & Canaan 10/11
text: chapt 4
Dee: pp. 138-159
xeroxed material

VI. Dark Ages & Heroes: The Babylonian Captivity & the Trojan War 10/18
text: chapts 6 & 7
Graves: pp. 1-47
xeroxed material

VIII. The Rise of the Polis 10/25
text: chapts 8- 10 (to p. 168)
Graves: pp. 48-94
SECOND EXAM 10/25

IX. Daily Life in Classical Greece 11/1
text: chapts 11, 12 & 14
Graves: pp. 95-142

X. Persia and the Hellenistic Synthesis 11/8
text: chapts 13, 15-17
xeroxed material

SCHEDULE OF CLASSES: WEEK OF:

XI. Early Rome 11/15
text: pp. 294-336
xeroxed material

XII. The Rise & Fall of the Roman Republic 11/22
text: chapts 20-21 (to p. 380)
xeroxed material
THIRD EXAM 11/22

XIII. The Roman Empire 11/29
text: chapt. 22-25
xeroxed material

XIV. The Transformed Empire: Christians & Barbarians 12/6
text: chapts 26-30
xeroxed material

FINAL RESEARCH PAPER DUE 12/20