Course Syllabus

Running a band of mercenaries, building a dozen temples, or playing every musical instrument - which is the best qualification for being a king? When the Storm God and the Sea God go to war, who will become the ruler of the gods? Engage with a wide variety of ancient texts from royal inscriptions to royal myths as we explore how the peoples of the ancient Middle East thought about kingship.

Official description: Investigates kingship in the Bible and the ancient Middle East, drawing on sources from Sumer, Egypt, Babylon, Syria, Hatti, and Israel to address questions such as, “What did the peoples of this region think made a king good or bad, and how did their ideas shape how real kings presented themselves and how the ancient peoples thought about their gods?” Highlights ways in which ideas of kingship changed over time and differed between cultures. No prerequisites. 3 credits, A&H.

Syllabus draft as of 1/1/24: SYLLABUS MELC 351-551 CLIT 496.docx