Ancient Near East Course Listings

Lower Division Course

10W. Jerusalem: The Holy City. (5)  Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Enforced requisite: English Composition 3 or 3H. Survey of religious, political, and cultural history of Jerusalem over three millennia as symbolic focus of three faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Transformation of sacred space as reflected by literary and archaeological evidence through examination of testimony of artifacts, architecture, and iconography in relation to written word. Study of creation of mythic Jerusalem through event and experience. Satisfies Writing II requirement. Letter grading.

Upper Division Courses

M101A. Egyptian Art and Archaeology. (4)  (Formerly numbered Near Eastern Languages M101A.) (Same as Art History M101A.) Lecture, three hours. Study of architecture, sculpture, painting, and minor arts during Predynastic period and Old Kingdom. P/NP or letter grading.

M103A-M103B. Ancient Egyptian Civilization. (4-4)  (Formerly numbered M104A-M104B.) (Same as History M103A-M103B.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour (when scheduled). Course M103A is not requisite to M103B. Designed for juniors/seniors. Political and cultural institutions of ancient Egypt and ideas on which they were based. P/NP or letter grading. M103A. Chronological discussion of Prehistory, Old and Middle Kingdom. M103B. New Kingdom and Late period until 332 B.C.

M104. History of Ancient Mesopotamia and Syria. (4)  (Formerly numbered M105.) (Same as History M104.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour (when scheduled). Designed for juniors/seniors. Political and cultural development of "Fertile Crescent," including Palestine, from Late Uruk to neo-Babylonian period. Letter grading.

M110A-M110B-M110C. Iranian Civilization. (4-4-4)  (Same as History M110A-M110B-M110C and Iranian M110A-M110B-M110C.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour (when scheduled). History of ancient Iran from rise of Elam to end of Sasanian dynasty -- Elamite civilization and Mede, Achaemenid, Arsacid, and Sasanian Empires. Emphasis on ancient Iran, but may be offered for early Islamic period. P/NP or letter grading.

120A-120B-120C. Elementary Ancient Egyptian. (5-5-5)  Lecture, five hours. Course 120A is requisite to 120B, which is requisite to 120C. P/NP or letter grading. 120A. Introduction to hieroglyphic script and phonology and morphology of Middle Egyptian. Basic rules of Middle Egyptian syntax, with focus on nominal, adjectival, and adverbial sentences. 120B. Verbal system and syntax of verbal sentences of Middle Egyptian. 120C. Reading of authentic Egyptian texts to deepen knowledge of Egyptian grammar and to acquire familiarity with aims and methods of philology, study of ancient texts.

121A-121B-121C. Intermediate Ancient Egyptian. (5-5-5)  Lecture, three hours. Requisite: course 120C. Course 121A is requisite to 121B, which is requisite to 121C. Readings in ancient Egyptian literature. P/NP or letter grading.

123A-123B. Coptic. (5-5)  Lecture, three hours. Course 123A is requisite to 123B. Introduction to Coptic grammar and reading of Coptic texts. P/NP or letter grading.

124. Middle Egyptian Technical Literature. (4)  Lecture, three hours. Requisite: course 121C. Reading of Middle Egyptian technical literature in hieroglyphic transcription. Medical, veterinary, mathematical, and astronomical texts included. P/NP or letter grading.

130. Ancient Egyptian Religion. (5)  Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Introductory survey of various ancient Egyptian religious beliefs and practices, their origin, and development. Discussions of religiopolitical institutions such as divine kingship and pious foundations. P/NP or letter grading.

140A-140B-140C. Elementary Sumerian. (4-4-4)  Lecture, three hours. Requisites: Semitics 140A, 140B. Elementary grammar and reading of royal inscriptions, letters, and administrative texts from the Ur III period. P/NP or letter grading.

145. Sumerian Literary Texts. (4)  Lecture, three hours. Requisites: courses 140A, 140B. Reading and interpretation of selected Sumerian literary texts. P/NP or letter grading.

150A-150B-150C. Survey of Ancient Near Eastern Literatures in English. (4-4-4)  Lecture, three hours. Each course may be taken independently for credit. P/NP or letter grading. 150A. Mesopotamia; 150B. Egypt; 150C. Syria and Palestine, Asia Minor, Persia.

160. Origins of Agriculture. (4)  (Formerly numbered 160A-160B.) Lecture, three hours. Requisite: Anthropology 8. Overview of prehistory of ancient Near East, with focus on human origins, origins of agriculture, and first cities. P/NP or letter grading.

161. Archaeology of Prehistoric Mesopotamia. (4)  Lecture, three hours. Survey of prehistoric archaeological periods in Mesopotamia. P/NP or letter grading.

162. Archaeology and Religion of Israel. (4)  Lecture, three hours. Survey of archaeology of Palestine from Bronze Age to destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, with emphasis on religious development of ancient Israel. P/NP or letter grading.

163. Archaeology of Iran. (4)  Lecture, three hours. Designed to introduce students to Iranian archaeology from prehistoric through Achaemenid times. P/NP or letter grading.

164A. Sumerians. (4)  Lecture, three hours. Survey of main archaeological periods in Mesopotamia, with special emphasis on historic periods and with reference to neighboring cultural areas. P/NP or letter grading.

164B. Assyrians. (4)  Lecture, three hours. Survey of main archaeological periods in Mesopotamia, with special emphasis on historic periods and with reference to neighboring cultural areas. P/NP or letter grading.

164C. Babylonians. (4)  Lecture, three hours. Survey of main archaeological periods in Mesopotamia, with special emphasis on historic periods and with reference to neighboring cultural areas. P/NP or letter grading.

165. Egyptian Archaeology. (4)  Seminar, three hours. Requisite: one course from M103A, M103B, 130, or Near Eastern Languages 50A. Opportunity to research aspects of topics in ancient Egyptian archaeology. Topics vary each year. May be repeated for credit. P/NP or letter grading.

170. Introduction to Biblical Studies. (4)  Lecture, two hours. Knowledge of original languages not required. The Bible (Old and New Testaments) as a book. Canon, text, and versions. Linguistic, literary, historical, and religious approaches to Bible study. Survey of history of interpretation from antiquity to the present. P/NP or letter grading.

M185D. Religions of Ancient Near East. (4)  (Formerly numbered M193D.) (Same as History M185D.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour (when scheduled). Designed for juniors/seniors. Main polytheistic systems of ancient Near East, with emphasis on Mesopotamia and Syria and with reference to religion of ancient Israel: varying concepts of divinity, hierarchies of gods, prayer and cult, magics, wisdom, and moral conduct. P/NP or letter grading.

197. Individual Studies in Ancient Near East. (2 to 4)  Tutorial, one hour. Limited to juniors/seniors. Individual intensive study, with scheduled meetings to be arranged between faculty member and student. Assigned reading and tangible evidence of mastery of subject matter required. Individual contract required. P/NP or letter grading.

199. Directed Research or Senior Project in Ancient Near East. (2 to 4)  Tutorial, one hour. Limited to juniors/seniors. Supervised individual research or investigation under guidance of faculty mentor. Culminating paper or project required. Individual contract required. P/NP or letter grading.

Graduate Courses

M201. Archaeological Research Design. (4)  (Same as Archaeology M201C.) Seminar, three hours. Requisites: Archaeology M201A, M201B. How to design archaeological projects in preparation for M.A. thesis or Ph.D. phase. Students do exploratory research to select subject, then write research design that could form basis for extensive paper, grant application, or oral examination. Students work closely with faculty members and report weekly on their progress. Preparation of at least two oral progress-report presentations, one on theoretical framework and one on practical aspects of project. Final written research design that incorporates theoretical and practical aspects of research and formulates bridging arguments required. S/U or letter grading.

210. Late Egyptian. (4)  Lecture, three hours. Requisites: courses 121A, 121B, 121C. Late Egyptian grammar and reading of both hieroglyphic and hieratic texts. May be repeated for credit. S/U or letter grading.

211A-211B. Egyptian Texts of the Greco-Roman Period. (4-4)  Lecture, three hours. Requisite: course 121C. Introduction to grammar and orthography of hieroglyphic texts from Greco-Roman temples. Text readings and translation of various textual types. Letter grading.

220. Seminar: Ancient Egypt. (4)  Seminar, three hours. May be repeated for credit. S/U or letter grading.

221A-221B. Demotic. (4-4)  Lecture, three hours. Requisite: course 121C. Introduction to Demotic grammar and orthography. Reading of texts from various genres. S/U or letter grading.

230. Seminar: Ancient Syria/Palestine. (4)  Seminar, three hours. Examination of selected topics on political, social, and intellectual history of ancient Israel. Exploration of how historical, social, and political contexts shaped and influenced interpretation and use of biblical texts. May be repeated for credit. S/U or letter grading.

240A-240B-240C. Seminars: Sumerian Language and Literature. (4-4-4)  Seminar, two hours. Readings of texts from various Sumerian periods and literary genres; selected problems in linguistic or stylistic analysis and literary history. S/U or letter grading.

M250. Seminar: Ancient Mesopotamia. (4)  (Same as History M207.) Seminar, three hours. Selected topics on political, social, and intellectual history of ancient Mesopotamia. May be repeated for credit. S/U or letter grading.

250X. Seminar: Ancient Mesopotamia. (1)  Seminar, three hours. Selected topics on political, social, and intellectual history of ancient Mesopotamia. Course for students who participate regularly in class meetings but without the homework required in course M250. May be repeated for credit. S/U grading.

260. Seminar: Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology. (2 to 4)  Seminar, two hours. May be repeated for credit. S/U or letter grading.

261. Practical Field Archaeology. (2 to 8)  Fieldwork, two hours. Participation in archaeological excavations or other archaeological research in the Near East under staff supervision. May be repeated for credit. S/U or letter grading.

262. Seminar: Object Archaeology. (4)  Seminar, two hours; laboratory, one hour. Selected topics in analysis and interpretation of Near Eastern archaeological finds in museum collections. Students work with objects in Heeramanek Collection of Los Angeles County Museum of Art. S/U or letter grading.

263. Seminar: Egyptian Monuments. (4)  Seminar, two hours. Selected monuments and sites in area of Luxor (Ancient Thebes). Architecture and decoration of temples and tombs; structure and occupation of settlements. May be repeated. S/U or letter grading.

M265. Depositional History and Stratigraphic Analysis. (4)  (Same as Archaeology M265.) Lecture, two hours. Theoretical understanding of depositional processes ("laws") which lead to site formation and of stratigraphic procedures to be used in recovery of embedded cultural materials. Study of issues covered in the literature, with specific test cases from actual excavations and site reports. Coverage of theoretical implications of such disciplines as surveying and pedology with the help of specialists. S/U or letter grading.

272. Semitic Background of New Testament. (4)  Lecture, two hours. Requisites: Hebrew 102A, 102B, 102C, Semitics 130, Greek 1, 2. Study of Semitic elements in Greek New Testament: traditions transmitted in Aramaic, relations to Old Testament and to post-Biblical literature, and Palestinian Judaism. S/U or letter grading.

596. Directed Individual Study. (2 to 8)  Tutorial, to be arranged. May be repeated for credit. S/U or letter grading.

597. Examination Preparation. (2 to 8)  Tutorial, to be arranged. S/U grading.

599. Ph.D. Dissertation Research and Preparation. (2 to 8)  Tutorial, to be arranged. S/U grading.