Admission requirements
Students who wish to enrol in this class should have intermediate or advanced knowledge of the Akkadian language and cuneiform script.
Description
The Cyrus Cylinder has a range of different meanings for contemporary audiences, from icon of hope to symbol of national identity. In this course, we will contextualize this object across the ages, beginning in the time of its production in c. 539–538 BCE, to its reception in antiquity, its discovery in the 19th century, and the various meanings it gathered during the 20th and 21st centuries. We will reflect on the object’s changing societal relevance and how these changes feed back into scholarly engagement with it.
Course objectives
Students who attend this seminar will:
acquire profound knowledge of the history of the Cyrus Cylinder as an object, a text and an icon;
be able to identify and reflect on developments in its reception since antiquity;
situate the production of this object in its original cultural, political and archival contexts;
reflect on the societal relevance of ancient history;
critically engage with scholarship beyond Assyriology on the history of the Pesian Empire and the figure of Cyrus the Great in this history;
develop their philological skills, practice their ability to process, discuss and evaluate primary and secondary Assyriological evidence;
be trained to lead discussions in a public medium;
be trained to conduct original research and to report results clearly and timely, in oral and written form, for different target audiences.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
- Seminar
Assessment method
Assessment
50% research paper. The requirements for MA and ResMA students are differentiated: ResMA students are expected to write an original research paper; MA students may write an overview of the history and state of scholarship on a given question.
50% podcast project. Students will collaboratively design and record a podcast on the Cyrus Cylinder in Context.
The requirements for MA and ResMA students Classics and Ancient Civilizations are differentiated: ResMA students are expected to identify their own original research topic, find literature, and write a scholarly report; MA students may expect more help in choosing their topic and their papers may consist of a critical assessment of the status quaestionis on a given question.
Weighing
The final mark for the course is established by (i) determination of the weighted average combined with (ii) the additional requirement that the paper needs to be minimally 5.5.
Resit
If the overall mark is unsatisfactory, the paper can be repeated after consultation with the lecturer. The mark for the podcast will still count in such a case.
Exam review
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Reading list
to be announced
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Registration À la carte education, Contract teaching and Exchange
For the registration of exchange students contact Humanities International Office.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Arsenaal.