Imperialism, Trade, and Diplomacy in Ancient Egypt and the Neat East

Annotation

Imperialism, Trade, and Diplomacy in Ancient Egypt and the Near East

Povinně-volitelný předmět

LS 2020/2021

Garant: doc. PhDr. Jana Mynářová, Ph.D. ([e-mail])

Vyučující: Federico Zangani, Ph.D. ([e-mail])

Druh atestace: zápočet (2/-) počet kreditů: 4; jazyk výuky: angličtina

This course will explore how the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Syria-Palestine, Anatolia, Mesopotamia, Persia, the

Aegean, and the wider Mediterranean were brought into contact with one another and shaped by a complex set of political, economic, and cultural interconnections. Its chronological scope ranges from the earliest forms of empire in the Near East in the 3rd millennium BC, through the interconnectedness of the Bronze and Iron Ages, until the Hellenistic kingdoms and the Roman conquest of Mesopotamia in the early 2nd century AD. The course has no prerequisites, and is intended for students with interests that may range from the ancient Near East and the Classical world to the modern Middle East, international relations, economic history, and the social sciences.

Particular emphasis will be placed on continuity and change in the geopolitical dynamics that shaped the Near

East and the Mediterranean in ancient times and that continue to characterize the whole region nowadays. This should provide the students with a solid conceptual framework which is applicable to the study of history in cross-cultural and interdisciplinary perspective.

Course objectives

Upon completion of this course, students will have learnt, amongst other things:

• the historical development of the major powers of the Near East and the Mediterranean;

• the criteria which define an empire as opposed to other territorial states;

• the political and economic interests underlying imperialism in the ancient world;

• modes of trade and long-distance exchange in the Near East and the Mediterranean;

• how diplomacy may allow several imperial powers to pursue their own interests without resorting to military conflict between one another.

This course also provides students with an opportunity to practice foundational skills such as:

• formal academic writing, including appropriate citation of scholarly literature;

• methods of historical research;

• analysis of primary sources from cultures that are remote in time and space;

• critical engagement with scholarly literature;

• identification of new research questions and proposal of new research projects;

• evidence-based formulation of hypotheses and theories;

• oral and written formulation of persuasive arguments;

• better understanding of the historical and sociopolitical complexity of the Middle East.

Class format and schedule: The course meets once a week (2 hours per class), and the classes will be a combination of lecture and discussion of assigned readings.

Grades and assignments: The course will be graded only passed/failed and student will be evaluated based on participation, a mid-term essay, a classroom presentation and a final paper. Students are expected to read the assigned readings (both primary sources in English translation and secondary literature) in advance of each class and come up with questions and comments. Readings will be circulated in pdf format a week in advance, so no textbooks are required. The midterm essay (2,000 words + bibliography) will focus on the analysis of complex issues through a critical engagement with primary sources and scholarly literature. It will also be an opportunity for the students to practice formal academic writing, including bibliographical references. At the end of the course, students will have to give a short classroom presentation and write a final essay paper (5,000 words + bibliography) on a specific topic or research question of their choice. Students are required to discuss their research topics with the instructor at least a month in advance.