Religion of Mesopotamia 2800-DMRELMEZ
The lecture shall be addressed to the students of archaeology, especially these interested in the Near East and Mesopotamia, as well as to the studying other disciplines (no previous preparation as to the history and archaeology of Mesopotamia shall be required). At the introductory stage, basic problems of defining, describing and interpreting religious systems in general shall be discussed, and then various aspects of Mesopotamian religion presented - beliefs, pantheon, institutions, cult, and rituals. While most important writings of the "religious literature" shall be within the scope, no less stress shall be put on viewing and explaining archaeological evidence - buildings, cultic and ritual furniture, and iconography of the gods, mythological and ritual scenes. Besides the "official, monumental and solemn" religion of the elites, we shall also look for the "common religion of every-day life".
Type of course
Mode
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Extended knowledge about the Mesopotamian religion, as manifested in different source materials (texts, ikonography, architecture, small finds), with various possibilities of their analyse and interpretation. Understanding of the role of religion in both private/individual life and in the social dimension. Ability to identify and explanate complex iconographic presentations (from recalling specific deities and their symbols to elaborated cultic-religious scenes and their context). Archaeological basis for a reconstruction of the "religious behaviour" and the "Weltanschauung" systems.
Assessment criteria
Oral exam - memorisation of basic informations (pantheon, cultic centres, forms of cult, cosmo- and theological narrations); presentation of an iindividually chosen feature or artifact, or some problem issue, adequately illustrated and an attempt of own interpretation
Additional information
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