Description
The theme of this academic year: Hurrian.
Hurrian is a language that was widely spoken in the north of Mesopotamia, in Syria and in Anatolia. The oldest sources go back to the end of the third millennium and the last signs of Hurrian presence date to the Neo-Assyrian period. The most important texts that we have today are the so-called Mittani letter of king Tushratta, the bilingual text from Hattusha and a number of cultic texts from Ugarit, Emar and Hattusha. Although great progress has been made and most of the textual material can now be understood quite well, there are still words and constructions that defy explanation. In this class an introduction to the Hurrian language will be followed by a study of the Mittani letter and a few bilingual texts from Anatolia and Ugarit.
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
See Timetable Classics and Ancient Civilizations: Assyriology
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.