Download Mesopotamian Literature NES 105

Mesopotamian Literature NES 105
Fall 2008
T-Th 3:30-5, 151 Barrows Hall
Prerequisites: none
Instructor: Niek Veldhuis, Barrows Hall 280.
[email protected]
510-642-6175
Office hours:
Monday 2-3PM
Wednesday 1-2PM
or by appointment
General Course Description
The ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia have left us a rich body of myths, songs, and narrative texts that
provide information about numerous aspects of their culture. In this course we will investigate literary,
religious, and scholarly texts, to see what these sources tell us about this fascinating ancient civilization. All
original texts are read in translation. A visit to the Hearst Museum of Anthropology will enable us to get a
first-hand impression of what cuneiform texts look like.
Text Book
Benjamin Foster, From Distant Days. Myths,Tales, and Poetry of Ancient Mesopotamia. Bethesda, MD:
CDL Press, 1995. You may also use the unabridged two-volume version Before the Muses, Bethesda MD:
CDL Press, 1993.
Reader
A number of articles and texts in translation will posted on bSpace.
Resources
The following websites and handbooks may be used for preparing classes and presentations.
Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature (ETCSL):
http://www-etcsl.orient.ox.ac.uk
This website provides editions and translations of Sumerian literary texts. The texts are referred to by a
number; for instance ‘Gilgameš and Aga’ is #1.8.1.1. After opening the main page go to ‘Browse by
number’ (top of the page). Click through until you reach the number you need.
Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative:
http://cdli.ucla.edu/
Oriental Institute, Chicago:
maps http://oi.uchicago.edu/OI/INFO/MAP/ANE_Maps.html
teacher’s Resource Center: http://oi.uchicago.edu/OI/MUS/ED/TRC/trc_home.html
Iraq Museum
http://www.baghdadmuseum.org/treasures
British Museum Mesopotamia Site:
http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/
CANE = Jack Sasson, Civilizations of the Ancient Near East. New York: Scribner 1995 (four volumes)
(Info Center DS57 .C55 1995; GTU DS57 .C55 1995)
1
OEANE = Eric M. Meyers (ed.), The Oxford Encyclopedia Archaeology in the Near East. Oxford: Oxford
University Press 1997 (five volumes) (Info Center DS56 .O9 1997; GTU DS56 .O9 1997)
Bienkowski, Piotr and Millard, Alan, Dictionary of the Ancient Near East. Philadelphia, University of
Pennsylvania Press 2000. Reference Center DREF DS56.D5 2000 and GTU DS 56 D5 2000 (library use
only). [you may consider buying it!]
This is a very handy volume for finding names of gods and kings and a thousand other important subjects.
Jeremy Black and Anthony Green, Gods, Demons, and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated
Dictionary. Austin: University of Texas Press 1992. (Anthropology BL1615 .B57 1992;Reference\ or
Info Center BL1615 .B57 1992; or at the GTU: BL1620 .B62 1992).
The Context of Scripture / editor, William W. Hallo ; associate editor, K. Lawson Younger, Jr; (three
volumes).
K. van der Toorn (ed.), Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible. Leiden 1995, 2nd edition 1999 (Doe
library, GTU).
End Terms
The students are aware of the different types of cuneiform texts (literary texts; royal inscriptions; ritual
texts; scholarly texts; etc.) and their history in the period 2,500 BC – 100 A.D. Students know the contents
of a representative sample of these texts and the contexts in which these texts functioned. The students are
able to utilize such texts and their contexts to discuss aspects of the ancient Mesopotamian civilizations and
are aware of the methodological problems related to each of the textual types.
Grading:
Presence and participation in class
Midterm exam
Class Room Presentation and papers
Final exam
10%
15%
35%
40%
Classroom Presentation or Research Paper
Each student will present a topic in Mesopotamian literature that relates to the topic of the day. You are
encouraged to select a subject that relates to your own expertise or interests. To prepare your presentation,
use the literature listed in ETCSL, or mentioned as “additional literature” in the syllabus. You may always
ask me for advice on finding good secondary sources. If you use websites as source of information, make
sure that you evaluate the validity of the information - there is much junk out there. Has it been compiled
by a scholar or rather by an amateur? Does it contain references to recent literature and translations, or
mainly to very old resources?
The presentation takes 20 minutes, and should be understandable for your classmates. Particular criteria to
evaluate presentations will be discussed in class before we start with them. Instead of a presentation you
may also write a research paper of between 10 and 15 pages. This paper is due two weeks before the last
class meeting..
Museum Visit
A visit to the Hearst Museum of Anthropology is part of the course. Different types of texts and cuneiform
tablets will be available there for a hands-on experience of ancient Mesopotamia.
Calendar:
Aug. 27
Sept. 9 and 11
Sept.
Oct 21
Oct 23
Oct 28
Nov 11
Instruction begins
No class meetings
Selection of Topics for Classroom Presentation/Research Paper
Museum Visit
Review for Midterm
Midterm
Veteran's Day - no class meeting
2
Nov 27
Dec. 9
Dec. 20
Thanksgiving - no class meeting
Last class meeting (Review for Final)
Final Examination (12:30-3:30PM)
Course Summary
The summary below indicates the required reading for each class meeting. Under ‘further reading’ you find
suggestions for literature to be used for classroom presentation or research paper.
Introduction
1
Overview of the Course
Thursday Aug. 28
General introduction to the course and the books we will use. Some introductory terms: Mesopotamia,
Assyria, Babylonia, Cuneiform, Akkadian and Sumerian.
2
An Introduction to Cuneiform Texts
Tuesday Sept. 2
Reading: Gilgameš and Aga; ETCSL no. 1.8.1.1 (for the ETCSL web site see above under resources).
*Find Gilgameš, Uruk, and Kiš in Bienkowski (see above under Resources).
Additional literature: A. George, The Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic, Cambridge 2003.
Dina Katz, Gilgamesh and Akka, Groningen 1993.
Setting the Scene: Gods and Kings
3
Thursday Sept 4
Reading: Story of the Flood (Foster)
Further reading: flood story in the Bible (Genesis 6-9); Brian B. Schmidt, “Flood narratives of Ancient
Western Asia”, CANE IV 2337-2351.
Or: J. Bottéro, “The First Account of the Flood.” in: Jean Bottéro, Everyday Life in Ancient Mesopotamia.
Baltimore 2001.
Or: W.G. Lambert and A.R. Millard, Atra-hasis. The Babylonian Story of the Flood. Oxford 1969.
Tue Sept 9 and Thursday Sept. 11 no class meetings
4
Tuesday Sept. 16
Reading: Etana the King Without an Heir (Foster)
Further reading: J.V. Kinnier-Wilson The Legend of Etana. Warminster 1985.
Much more recent and more interesting is the German edition by Michael Haul (Das Etana-epos. Göttingen
2000).
Context: At School
5
Thursday Sept. 18
School Dialogues. Translation by H.L.J. Vanstiphout (in bSpace/Resources)
Further reading: Niek Veldhuis, Elementary Education at Nippur, Groningen 1997 (in particular Chapter
2.3).
3
6
Tuesday Sept 23
Sumerian Proverbs (ETCSL section 6).
Read collection 5 (animal proverbs). Browse through the other collections. Which proverbs may be
qualified as “wisdom” and which proverbs cannot be labeled that way? Find the proverb you like best.
Further reading: Bendt Alster, Proverbs of Ancient Sumer, Bethesda 1997.
Sumerian Narratives
7
Myth
Thursday Sept. 25
Reading: Enki and the World Order (ETCSL no. 1.1.3).
*Find the place names and the names of the gods.
Further reading: H.L.J. Vanstiphout, "Why did Enki Organize the World?" In Irving L Finkel and
Markham J. Geller, eds. Sumerian Gods and their Representations. Pp. 117-34. Groningen: STYX
Publications.
8
Heroic narrative
Tuesday Sept 30
Reading: Enmerkar and Ensuhgirana (ETCSL 1.8.2.4)
*find information on Enmerkar, Uruk, and Aratta.
Further reading: H.L.J. Vanstiphout, Epics of Sumerian Kings: The Matter of Aratta, Leiden 2004.
Sumerian Songs
9
To a god
Thursday Oct 2
Reading: Hymn to Enlil (ETCSL 4.05.1)
*find information on Enlil, Ninlil, Uraš, Nippur (= Nibru), Nintud, etc.
10
To a king
Tuesday Oct. 7
Reading: Šulgi B (ETCSL 2.4.2.02)
*find information on Šulgi, Nisaba, Utu, Ur (= Urim), Elam, Ningal, Ninsumun (= Ninsun), Nanna, Ehursağ, etc.
Further reading: Three Šulgi Hymns. Sumerian Royal Hymns Glorifying King Šulgi of Ur. Ramat Gan, BarIlan University Press 1981.
Other Sumerian Literature
11
Debate between Sheep and Grain
Thursday Oct. 4
Reading: Debate Between Sheep and Grain (ETCSL 5.3.2)
*find An, Uttu (≠ Utu!), Šakkan, Ezina-Kusu, Niğir-si, etc.
Further reading: Vanstiphout, Herman L.J., ‘Lore, Learning and Levity in the Sumerian Disputations.’ in:
Reinink, G.J. and Vanstiphout, H.L.J. eds. Dispute Poems and Dialogues in the Ancient and Mediaeval
Near East. Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta 42. Louvain 1991, pp.23-46.
4
12
The Sumerian Kinglist
Tuesday Oct 14
Reading: The Sumerian Kinglist (ETCSL 2.1.1)
*in what way is this text “historical”? Which kings are known from history?
Further reading: Claus Wilcke, “Genealogical and Geographical Thought in the Sumerian Kinglist." In
Hermann Behrens, Darlene M Loding and Martha T. Roth, eds. Dumu-E2-dub-ba-a. Studies in
Honor of Åke W. Sjöberg. Occasional Publications of the Samuel Noah Kramer Fund 11. Pp. 55771. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Museum 1987.
Lamentation
13
City Lament
Thursday Oct 16
Reading: The Lament for Nibru (ETCSL 2.2.4)
*find the names of kings, places, and gods.
further reading: Tinney, Steve, The Nippur Lament. Occasional Publications of the Samuel Noah Kramer
Fund 16. Philadelphia: The University of Pennsylvania Museum. 1996.
Museum Visit
14
Museum Visit
Tuesday Oct. 21
No preparation
Midterm
15
Review for Midterm
Thursday Oct 23
16
Midterm
Tuesday Oct. 28
Akkadian Literature: Gods
17
Anzu
Thursday Oct 30
Reading: Anzu, the Bird who Stole Destiny (Foster)
*Who are Anzû, Ninurta and the other gods?
Further reading: M. Vogelzang Bin Šar Dadme. Edition and Analysis of the Akkadian Anzu Poem,
Groningen 1988.
18
Epic of Creation
Tuesday Nov 4
Reading: Epic of Creation (Foster).
*identify the main gods. Is Epic of Creation an appropriate title?
Further reading: H.L.J. Vanstiphout, Enuma Elish as a Systematic Creed. An Essay." Orientalia
Lovaniensia Periodica 23 (1992): 37-61
Kings and Their Deeds
5
19
Sargon and Naram-Sin
Thursday Nov 6
Reading: Legends of Sargon of Akkad and Legends of Naram Sin (Foster)
*when did these kings reign; from what time period are the legends?
Further reading: J. Goodnick-Westenholz, Legends of the Kings of Akkade. Winona-Lake 1997.
Tuesday Nov 11 Veteran's Day - no class meeting
20
The Tukulti-Ninurta Epic
Reading: Tukulti-Ninurta Epic (Foster)
*Who are the Kassites? Who is Tukulti-Ninurta?
Further reading: P. Machinist, “The Tukulti-Ninurta Epic and the Bible” in: Catholic Biblical Quarterly 38
(1976), 455-482 (available at GTU).
The Netherworld
21
Ištar's Descent to the Netherworld
Thursday Nov. 13
Reading: When Ištar Went to the netherworld (Foster)
and: Inana's Descent to the Netherworld (ETCSL 1.4.1)
Further reading: Dina Katz, The Image of the Netherworld in Sumerian Sources. Bethesda 2003.
22
Nergal and Ereškigal
Tuesday Nov. 18
Reading: How Nergal became King of the Netherworld (Foster)
*who are Nergal and Ereškigal?
Further reading: Erica Reiner, “Nergal and Ereškigal: Epic into Romance.” In: Erica Reiner, Your Thwarts
in Pieces, Your Mooring Rope Cut. Poetry from Babylonia and Assyria. Michigan 1985.
Sorrow and Suffering
23
The Rigtheous Sufferer
Thursday Nov. 20
Reading: Poem of the Righteous Sufferer (Foster)
Further reading: Erica Reiner, “’This Year and into the Next ….’ The Second Tablet of Ludlul bēl nēmeqi:
Intricate Texture of a Learned Poem.” Erica Reiner, Your Thwarts in Pieces, Your Mooring Rope Cut.
Poetry from Babylonia and Assyria. Michigan 1985.
24
The Babylonian Theodicee
Tuesday Nov. 25
Reading: The Babylonian Theodicy (Foster)
Further reading: K. van der Toorn, Sin and Sanction in Israel and Mesopotamia. A comparative Study.
Assen 1985 (in particular Chapter 4: ‘The Wrath of the Gods. Religious Interpretations of Adversity and
Misfortune.’).
Thursday Nov 27 Thanksgiving - no class meeting
Hymns
6
25
To the Sun
Reading: Hymn to Šamaš (Foster)
Further reading: W.G. Lambert, Babylonian Wisdom Literature, Oxford 1960: Chapter 5.2: The Šamaš
Hymn.
26
To Ištar
Tuesday Dec 2
Reading: Prayers to Ištar (Foster)
Further reading: H.L.J. Vanstiphout, “Inanna/Ištar as a Figure of Controversy” in: H.G. Kippenberg (ed)
Struggles of gods : papers of the Groningen Work Group for the Study of the History of the Religions.
Berlin 1984.
Laws
27
Laws of Hammurabi
Thursday Dec. 4
Reading: The Laws of Hammurabi (in bSpace/Resources)
read the introduction and the epilogue, as well as a selection of the actual laws.
Further reading: M. Roth, Law Collections from Ancient Mesopotamia and Asia Minor. Atlanta 1995.
28
Review for finals
Tuesday Dec. 9
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