History of Culture and Mentalities in Antiquity

Objectives

a) Learn to relate the different spatial and temporal dimensions inherent to Antiquity and understand them both in a synchronic and diachronic perspective;
b) Know the main and most current historiographical interpretations relating the studied themes;
c) Know the major historical documents and be able to analyze and interpret them, understanding them in their historical context;
d) Know the political, social, economic, cultural and religious context relating to Antiquity;
e) Develop oral and written skills, integrating vocabulary and a conceptual discourse appropriate to the discipline;
f) Know the most important problematic and cultural expressions that characterizes man in Antiquity;
g) Acquire knowledge and skills that enable a deeper study of cultural issues relating to Antiquity

General characterization

Code

711051116

Credits

6.0

Responsible teacher

Isabel Cristina Gomes de Almeida

Hours

Weekly - Available soon

Total - 168

Teaching language

Portuguese

Prerequisites

N/A

Bibliography

Annus, Amar (ed.). 2010. Divination and Interpretation of Signs in the Ancient World. Chicago: Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago.


Bottéro, Jean. (1987). Mésopotamie - L'écriture, la raison et les dieux. Paris : Éditions Gallimard.


Finkel, I.L. & Geller, M.J. (eds.). 1997. Sumerian Gods and their representations. Groningen: Styx Publications.


MAIER, John (ed.). 1997. Gilgamesh a reader. EUA: Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers.


Pollock, S. 1999, Ancient Mesopotamia - The Eden that never was. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.

Teaching method

Sessions are of a theoretical-practical nature, where the students must actively participate in the discussion of specific bibliography and sources (written, iconographic, and material).

Evaluation method

Two elements of written assessment, where the emphasis is on the analysis of specific topics through the interconnection of sources and specialized bibliography.

Subject matter

I. An ancient context


1.1 The Mesopotamian historical-geographical context


1.2 The main cultural matrices


1.3 Local, regional and supra-regional traditions


II. What sources for a Cultural History of Antiquity?


2.1 Western (re)discovery in modern times


2.2 The traditional protagonism of literature


2.3 The importance of iconography and materiality


III. The dialectic between Chaos/Order


3.1 The cosmic organization


3.2 The (i)legitimate war


3.3 Dichotomic narrative elements


IV. Emotional and family ties


4.1 Love, eroticism and sexuality


4.2 Kinship


4.3 Divine figures as archetypical models


V. Mesopotamian scientificity


5.1 Observation, contact and exploration of Nature


5.2 Causal relationships in the "protasis/apodasis" formulation 


5.3 The different areas of knowledge and their specialists

Programs

Programs where the course is taught: