Description
Theme for this academic year: Old Akkadian
Old Akkadian is the Semitic language of Mesopotamia during the 3rd millennium B.C. Most of the sources date to the period of the Akkadian Empire with such famous kings as Sargon and Naram-Sin (ca. 2350-2150). In this seminar we will read texts written in the Old Akkadian dialect. The texts contain royal inscriptions, letters, and also a literary text. They can be quite difficult, because the orthography is not as sophisticated as in the second millennium. A number of sounds of the Old Akkadian dialect cannot be expressed in the Sumerian script. Consequently, knowledge of later dialects such as Old Babylonian is required.
Course objectives
The ability to decipher, transliterate and translate cuneiform texts from the selected period.
Knowledge of the historical development, function and cultural context of the selected texts.
Timetable
Please consult the timetable on the Classics and Ancient Civilizations website.
Mode of instruction
- Workgroup
Course Load
Total study load: 280 hours
Class: 28 hours
Translating independently: ca. 42 hours
Reading literature: ca. 40 hours
Writing essays: ca. 56 hours
Writing the final essay: ca. 114 hours
Assessment method
The final grade will be composed of:
essays (60%)
grade for the presentation (40%)
Reading list
- To be announced in class
Registration
Students are requested to register through uSis, the registration system of Leiden University for this course. General information about uSis is available in English and Dutch.