The Legacy of Ancient Mesopotamia 19-AMU-PIE-SZ-LAM

Syllabus
Week 1: The Discovery of Ancient Mesopotamia
Week 2: Overview of Mesopotamian Beliefs on the Order of the World
Week 3: Written on Clay and Stone: Mesopotamian Writing and Historical Traditions
Week 4: Alphabet – Who and Where Has Invented it?
Week 5: Agriculture and Animal Domestication
Week 6: Formation of Cites and the Beginnings of Urban Life
Week 7: Urban life and Urban Institution
Week 8: Image of the King and the Ideology of Universal Control
Week 9: Looking into Sky: birth of Astronomy and Astrology
Week 10: Looking into the Future: other methods of divination
Week 11: Mesopotamian Mathematics
Week 12: Mesopotamian Literary Traditions
Week 13: Greeks and Ancient Mesopotamia
Week 14: Bible and Christianity and Ancient Mesopotamia
Week 15: The Legacy of Ancient Mesopotamia
Module aim
Ancient Mesopotamian civilization which are present today in the European culture. The subject will be approached in three sections. The first (lectures 1-3) should present general overview of Mesopotamian civilization, the second (lectures 4-12) would discuss particular fields in which influence of Ancient Mesopotamia on the modern European civilisation could be traced, the third (Lectures 13-15) would focus on how these elements were transferred and embedded into modern European civilisation.
Prerequisites
- Good knowledge of English language

Assessment criteria:
- in class presence
- essay
- oral exam
Grades:
5,0 – very good knowledge of Mesopotamian legacy; very high knowledge of the cultural and social context of Mesopotamian culture, high ability to indicate elements of Mesopotamian origin in contemporary culture and means of their transfer; deep understanding of role played by multiculturalism in formation of contemporary European culture.

4,5 – good or very good knowledge of Mesopotamian legacy; very high knowledge of the cultural and social context of Mesopotamian culture, high ability to indicate elements of Mesopotamian origin in contemporary culture and means of their transfer; deep understanding of role played by multiculturalism in formation of contemporary European culture.

4,0 –good knowledge of Mesopotamian legacy; high knowledge of the cultural and social context of Mesopotamian culture, ability to indicate major elements of Mesopotamian origin in contemporary culture and means of their transfer; understanding of role played by multiculturalism in formation of contemporary European culture.

3,5 –satisfactory knowledge of Mesopotamian legacy; intermediate knowledge of the cultural and social context of Mesopotamian culture, limited ability to indicate major elements of Mesopotamian origin in contemporary culture and means of their transfer; understanding of role played by multiculturalism in formation of contemporary European culture.

3,0 – sufficient knowledge of Mesopotamian legacy; basic knowledge of the cultural and social context of Mesopotamian culture, limited ability to indicate elements of Mesopotamian origin in contemporary culture and means of their transfer; basic understanding of role played by multiculturalism in formation of contemporary European culture.

2,0 – insufficient knowledge of Mesopotamian legacy; unsatisfactory knowledge of the cultural and social context of Mesopotamian culture, lack of ability to indicate major elements of Mesopotamian origin in contemporary culture and means of their transfer; lack of understanding of role played by multiculturalism in formation of contemporary European culture.