The Great City: Neo-Assyrian Nineveh

Graduate / Professional

Survey of the history of the Assyrian city of Nineveh and its changing urban landscape, with a focus on developments between the ninth and seventh centuries BCE, when Nineveh became the world’s largest urban center. Emphasis on palaces, temples, libraries, parks, roads, fortifications, gates, and public spaces. Nineveh’s legacy in the Hebrew Bible and classical literature are discussed as well, as is the city’s excavation history, including recent salvage work in the wake of the destruction wrought upon the site by ISIS. While mostly based on written sources, the course also considers some of the archaeological evidence. Prerequisite: Beginning Akkadian. M 4pm-5:55pm