Syllabus
Monday, 9:30–11:00
1) Introduction to Sumerian: Language and Cuneiform Script Monday, 11:30–12:30
2) Substantives 1– Word Categories, Number, Gender, Possession Monday, 14:00–15:30
3) Exercises 1: Reading Cuneiform Tuesday, 9:30–11:00
4) Substantives 2 – The ten cases in Sumerian Tuesday, 11:30–12:30
5) Pronouns, Demonstrative Particles and Numbers Tuesday, 14:00–15:30
6) Exercises 2: First words Wednesday, 9:30–11:00
7) The Nominal Chain Wednesday, 11:30–12:30
8) Verb 1 – The Verbal Chain, Verbal Classes Wednesday, 14:00–15:30
9) Exercises 3: First inscription of Gudea Thursday, 9:30–11:00
10) Verb 2 – Conjugation and Conjugation Prefixes Thursday, 11:30–12:30
11) Verb 3 – The Case Elements Thursday, 14:00–15:30
12) Exercises 4: Inscriptions from Ur-III-Period Friday, 9:30–11:00
13) Verb 4 – The Modal Prefixes Friday, 11:30–12:30
14) Verb 5 – Enclitic Copula, Non-finite Forms, Subordination Friday, 14:00–15:00
15) Exercises 5: A Statue of Gudea
Annotation
This class will introduce you to the oldest known language in the world, “Sumerian”, which was a living language during the 3rd millennium BC in Mesopotamia, the Land between the Euphrates and the Tigris, that is today’s Iraq. It died out around 2000 BCE, but it was used – similar to Latin in Europe – as a scientific and religious language until the 1st millennium BC in Babylonia and Assyria.
In interactive lessons, knowledge about its vehicle, the cuneiform script system and a basic grammar will be acquired, so that successful participants will be able to read simple inscriptions (and other texts) from original objects, such as statues and tablets.