INQ-270 | Ancient Royalty

Full Title: Constructing Ancient Royalty, from Egypt to Persia

Topic Description:

How do people write the history of ancient cultures, especially in Egypt or Mesopotamia where the population was largely illiterate? Who goes down in history as important, and why? Are the criteria fair or accurate? This course will examine the lives of several ancient individuals, placing them in context of the art, archaeology, and sometimes even text which define them. We shall see that the Egyptians, Assyrians, and Persians used objects, architecture, and writing to consciously (and subconsciously!) create their niche in society, make ideological statements, and assert cultural values. We shall also explore how and why modern histories are written from these data and which artifacts and ideologies are prized while others fall to the wayside.

Counts as Global? No

Topic Approved: October 2012