Archaeology of the Ancient Middle East
UndergraduateLTU-ARC20022027
Course information for 2027 intake
Middle Eastern archaeology traces major shifts in farming, cities and religion. Focus on the Levant while considering how politics, rivalry and archaeology shape what we know of the past.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Enrol by
- 21 Feb 2027
- Entry requirements
- Prior study needed
- Duration
- 12 weeks
- Start dates
- 1 Mar 2027
- Price from
- $2,253
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
Archaeology of the Ancient Middle East
About this subject
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Appraise material culture interpretations based on chronological evidence.
- Develop appropriate research questions for archaeological data and case studies.
- Draw on theoretical and methodological literature from the Middle East to answer research questions about archaeological case studies.
- Collaborate effectively with others in team environments to achieve shared goals.
- Discuss the cultural diversity of the ancient and Modern Middle East and Western colonialist attitudes to its study.
- Digging for God and Country: the archaeological discovery of the Middle East
- The Natufian culture: ‘a brilliant and dramatic appearance on the scene’
- First farmers in the Fertile Crescent: the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) period
- ‘Paradise Lost:’ The Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) Period and its aftermath
- The Early Mesopotamian State and the invention of the city
- Before the Pharaohs: the early Egyptian state and its neighbours
- The International world of the Late Bronze Age
- Archaeology and the Bible: is the Old Testament true?
- Alexander’s successors: the Hellenistic Kingdoms and the rise of the Nabataeans
- Rome in the Middle East
- The Archaeology of early Christianity
- Early Islam and its architectural traditions
In this subject we trace fundamental developments in the human past that occurred in the Middle East. This region was the arena for many crucial events, from the dispersal of modern humans and the earliest farming societies to the earliest urban societies and the emergence of global religions. Focusing mainly on the Levant, this subject begins with the first village farming communities, then proceeds to the rise of urban states in the Bronze and Iron Ages, continues by investigating the period of western ascendancy in the Hellenistic to Byzantine periods, and concludes with the arrival of Islam in the region. Political conditions, international rivalry and the massive size of many archaeological sites all played their parts in producing a distinctive brand of Middle Eastern archaeology.
- 2000 word essay (50%)
- 2x 500 word equivalent assignments (1000 word equivalent in total). Group work is undertaken in tutorials, while assessment submissions are individual. The first 500 word assignment is the early assessment (12.5%) (25%)
- Scheduled-only examination (25%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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Entry requirements
Others
Prerequisites: Students must have completed 60 credit points.
Additional requirements
No additional requirements
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
What to study next?
Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following courses
Bachelor of Psychological Science
UndergraduateLAT-PYS-DEG
UndergraduateLAT-ART-DEG
UndergraduateLAT-BUS-DEG
UndergraduateLAT-GST-DEG
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Health Sciences
UndergraduateLAT-AHS-DEG
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