Introductory Sumerian I

Harvard FAS

The course provides an introduction to the Sumerian language, a language isolate spoken in ancient Mesopotamia and probably the world’s first written language. Although several aspects of Sumerian remain debatable, students learn the fundamentals of the grammar and writing system as well as the most common cuneiform signs in a variety of lapidary and cursive contexts. Many of the texts that are covered are a variety of dedicatory inscriptions from the time of Gudea (ca.…