Students will study the archaeology of the Levant from earliest times through late antiquity. Emphasis will focus on the material culture of various periods and the applicability of archaeological evidence to the reconstruction of the history of the ancient Near East. Students will be expected to become competent in Semitic languages as well as in the history of the area. Specialization and/or combination of related fields can be arranged.
A variety of opportunities for archaeological
work are available for students interested in the archaeology of the Near
East. These include the
Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon, which is conducted by the Harvard
Semitic Museum under the directorship of Professor Lawrence E. Stager
of NELC.
COURSES
Summer
Field School and Education Program for Ashkelon Excavations: The Leon Levy Expedition
Academic Year
Ancient Near East 105. History of the Ancient Near East: The Levant
(up to Alexander the Great)
Lawrence E. Stager Half course. The civilization and cultural traditions
of the peoples of Syria-Palestine from the third millennium to the time
of Alexander the Great. Note: Expected to be given in 2002-03.
Ancient Near East 107. History
and Historiography in the Ancient Near East
Peter Machinist Half course (fall term).
Conceptions of history and the practice of historical writing in the ancient
Near East. Discussions based on a comparative study of texts from a variety
of cultural traditions, such as the Hittites, Mesopotamia, ancient Israel/
Hebrew Bible, and Second Temple Judaism, together with classical Greece.
Some acquaintance would be desirable, though not required, of Biblical
and ancient Near Eastern history and one of its languages, and of a modern
research language such as French or German.
Ancient Near East 109r. History
and Historiography in the Ancient Near East: Seminar
Lawrence E. Stager and Peter Machinist. Half course (spring term).
Topic for 2002-2003: The Aramaeans, particularly in the pre-Hellenistic
Near East. We will examine issues of political history, economy, society,
language, religion, art, and material culture, involving the interplay
of textual and non-written archaeological sources. Expected to be given
in 2002-03.
Ancient Near East 115. Archaeology
of the Levant (Syria-Palestine)
Lawrence E. Stager and
Ofer Bar-Yosef Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
A chronological survey of the archaeology of the Levant in which material
culture provides a window on human evolution, society, economy, and religion
from the Lower Palaeolithic to Hellenistic times. Special topics include
the earliest colonization of Homo erectus, the origin of modern humans,
the emergence of farming and pastoral societies, the formation and dissolution
of Bronze Age city-states, and the rise and fall of Iron Age kingdoms
such as Israel, Moab, and Edom. This course will have a lab section. Note:
Expected to be given in 2002-03.
Ancient
Near East 117. Biblical Archaeology
Lawrence E. Stager Half course (fall term).
Archaeology and texts, such as the Bible, used to reconstruct aspects
of social, economic, and religious life (from courtier to commoner) in
ancient Israel during the Iron Age.
Ancient
Near East 118. Syro-Palestinian Pottery
Lawrence E. Stager Half course (fall term).
A basic introduction to the pottery sequence of Palestine and Syria from
Neolithic through Roman times, with emphasis on typological attributes
having chronological significance. Conducted in the Harvard Semitic Museum
laboratory.
Ancient Near East 215r. Problems
in the Archaeology of Bronze and Iron Age Levant: Seminar
Lawrence E. Stager Half Course (spring term).
Topic for 2004-05: To be announced.
Expected to be given in 2004-05.
Ancient Near East 310. Reading
and Research in Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology
Lawrence E. Stager
Faculty:
