In the Beginning: Cosmos and Creation in the Ancient World

As in every human society, the people of ancient Mesopotamia (Iraq) and Egypt wondered about the universe, their world, and how it came about in the first place. Preserved for us in ancient texts and images, their ideas share some things in common with more familiar ancient traditions, such as the creation account in the Bible. In this course, you will look at these ancient texts and images and learn how to dissect them to find what their authors were thinking. In the process, you will discover some surprisingly sophisticated concepts that are still present in our own culture.