ASSYRIOLOGY

Note: A number of graduate courses in Near and Middle Eastern   Civilizations normally demand ability to handle primary sources in the original   language or languages. Some of the courses listed below may require reading   knowledge of a second European language.		  

NMC 1001Y INTRODUCTION TO OLD BABYLONIAN (=NML305Y)

This elementary Akkadian course is devoted to the study of the classical Old Babylonian dialect. The grammar is studied in depth throughout the year, using as textbook J. Huehnergard’s A Grammar of Akkadian. Students must also learn the basic cuneiform signs in their standard Neo-Assyrian shape. At the end of the year students will have read most of the Code of Hammurabi and selections from omen literature, royal inscriptions, and letters. It would be advantageous for students to obtain a copy of the basic sign list in advance of the commencement of the course. Evaluation is based upon a series of tests and class participation.

P.A. Beaulieu

NMC 1002Y SELECTED STANDARD BABYLONIAN TEXTS (=NMC 405Y)

This intermediate Akkadian course is devoted to the study of the literary Akkadian dialect of the late second and first millennia, usually known as Standard Babylonian. Students will read excerpts of literary texts and royal inscriptions in R. Borger’s Babylonisch-Assyrische Lesestücke and eventually proceed to more ambitious compositions such as The Annals of Sennacherib and Enuma Elish. Students are also expected to deepen their knowledge of the Neo-Assyrian cuneiform script. Evaluation is based on two term tests and class participation.

P.A. Beaulieu

NMC 1003Y AKKADIAN HISTORICAL TEXTS

In this course we read and analyse texts that are commonly called "historical", such as royal inscriptions, chronicles, historical-literary compositions, kudurrus, etc. Considerable attention is devoted to both the historical aspects of the context and historiographical questions. Texts in various dialects and scripts are studied.
P.A. Beaulieu

NMC 1006Y AKKADIAN LITERARY TEXTS

In this course we will read extensive selections from the Akkadian Gilgamesh Epic. Reference to the Gilgamesh Sumerian material (in English translation) and extensive bibliography about the epic will also be examined in class. Texts: S. Parpola, The Standard Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, The Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project, Helsinki, 1997. J. Black, A. George and N. Postgate, A Concise Dictionary of Akkadian, 2nd Printing, Harrassowitz, 2000.
P.A. Beaulieu

NMC 1007Y AKKADIAN LETTERS AND BUSINESS DOCUMENTS (EARLY PERIOD)

This course is devoted to the study of letters, legal texts, and administrative documents from ca. 2350-1600 B.C. (Old Akkadian to Old Babylonian). The purpose is for students to deepen their ability to read classical and peripheral Old Babylonian texts with the cursive script of that period, and acquire basic knowledge of Old Akkadian. Attention will also be paid to the historical and cultural significance of these texts and to their archival and archaeological context.
P.A. Beaulieu

NMC 1008Y AKKADIAN LETTERS AND BUSINESS DOCUMENTS (LATE PERIOD)

This course is devoted to the study of letters, legal texts, and administrative documents from the Middle, Neo- and Late Babylonian periods (ca. 1400-100 B.C.). Considerable attention is devoted to the archival and archaeological context of these documents and to their political, economic, and social setting. By the end of the year students are expected to acquire a working knowledge of Middle and Neo-Babylonian grammar and script.
P.A. Beaulieu

NMC 1613Y ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN RELIGIONS(=NMC 380Y)

A comparative study of common myths and religious practices of the ancient Near East based on a study of Sumerian, Babylonian, Ancient Syrian, Biblical, Hittite and Ancient Greek texts.
D. Frayne

University of Toronto