CLST 208
Type: 200 level
Units: 3.00
Term: Winter 2024
Instructor: Dr. Carbon
Delivery: In-Person
Exclusion: CLST 207.
Textbook: (Recommended but not required) M. Van De Mieroop, A History of the Ancient Near East, ca. 3000-323 BC, Third Edition, 2016.
The course materials will principally include the posted slides and selected translations of ancient passages made available in onQ.
A ‘cradle of civilization’ on the landbridge between Africa and Eurasia, the Levant is a problematic term that has been used to refer to the Mediterranean coast of the Middle East (from Cyprus and southeastern Turkey down to the beginning of Egypt). Seldom unified or fully controlled by major political powers, this part of the ancient world reveals a dynamic mosaic of different cultures: Aramean, Cypriot, Hittite, Israelite, Phoenician, among many others. This course offers a broad survey of the cultural, economic, and political history of this complex region and its peoples from about 4000 to 525 BC. We also explore how the study of this history continues to be written today and how it relates to a number of contemporary issues (state formation, population movements, warfare, slavery, modern identities, etc.).