Ancient Near Eastern and Egyptian Literature

3 Units

This course offers a broad survey of Ancient Near Eastern and Egyptian literature. We will explore the rich heritage of narrative and mythological compositions through which the Mesopotamians and Egyptians tried to explain the natural phenomena, the religious beliefs and the history of the world around them. Examples of this include myths of creation, stories about gods, the great Flood, the Epic of Gilgamesh, the story of Sinuhe and many others. Other genre of literature will be explored such as the most ancient Legal Codes in history, Pyramid Texts, Wisdom Literature and Proverbs, Love Poetry and Humoristic compositions. Finally, some time will be devoted to the relation of these literatures with the texts that were composed in the Levant, where the alphabet was envisioned, and with the Bible, which grew within this Near Eastern context. All the texts will be read in English translation. Offered as ANEE 210 and WLIT 210 . Counts as a Communication Intensive course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.