Syllabus Literature of the Ancient Near East
This spring (2025), I have the joy of teaching a class on the ancient literature of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Levant. This will be a fun class for me as the puzzle of the ancient world has always been an enjoyment of mine.
Unfortunately for me, the class will have very few lectures. The few that it will have will be introductory materials such as the following:
What is Literature?
Three Age System and La Longue Durée
Lands, Rivers, and Lifeways in Ancient Time
Major ANE Societies and How They Relate
Types of Ancient Literature and Where They Are Found
Analyzing Ancient Literature
After these lectures, the students and I will basically chat back and forth about what they are reading. They will ask questions, and I will answer and guide them. We will try to understand why the ancient peoples wrote what they wrote, and we will try to find how these works relate to the broader picture of Western Civilization and the biblical text.
Below is the syllabus for the course, and following this blog post will be the first six lectures mentioned above, one a week for six weeks.
If you would like to take this course, please see the information at the bottom of this page.
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Course ARCH 209: Literature of the Ancient Near East
Justin L. Singleton
PhD, Institute of Archaeology, Andrews University
MAR, Cincinnati Christian University
BA, God’s Bible School and College
Associate, Associates for Biblical Research
Course Description
An introduction to the literature of the ancient Near East from the advent of writing through the Iron Age, specifically concerning the regions of Mesopotamia and the Levant, but also Egypt as it pertains to the ancient Near East. Literature includes myths and epics, legal texts, treaties, historical texts, key inscriptions, hymns, wisdom literature, oracles and prophecies, poetry, and letters.
Classroom
Online only
Course Objectives
Most broadly, this course seeks to help you develop your ability to think and interpret facts through a biblical/historical perspective at the college level. Specifically, in this course students will:
1. Locate, identify, and describe major civilizations of the ancient Near East;
2. Locate, identify, and describe key types and specific pieces of literature of the ancient Near East;
3. Define the juncture between key Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) outcomes and events and later ANE outcomes and events;
4. Connect the significance of historical literature with Biblical literature; and,
5. Demonstrate an integration of cultural and ancient literary facts with a reading of the Biblical text that is consistent and personally satisfying.
As part of GBSC’s process of helping you grow into educated Christians, this course seeks to address the following Institutional Objectives, helping you become able to demonstrate:
1. A foundational knowledge of the Bible.
2. A commitment to Biblical truth and to lifelong study and application of its meaning;
7. An awareness of diverse cultural elements and the ability to evaluate them from a Christian worldview;
Additionally, this course addresses the following General Education Core requirements:
1. Demonstrate critical-thinking skills;
4. Demonstrate a knowledge of human cultures;
5. Demonstrate an appreciation for cultures other than their own;
11. Demonstrate proficiency in the collection, interpretation, and presentation of scientific data; and
12. Demonstrate how key concepts from the social and behavioral sciences help to identify and address real-world problems.
Required Texts and Materials
Arnold, B. T. and Beyer, B. E.
2002 Readings from the Ancient Near East: Primary Sources for Old Testament Study. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.
Oswalt, J. N.
2009 The Bible Among the Myths: Unique Revelation or Just Ancient Literature? Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Walton, J. H.
1990 Ancient Israelite Literature in Its Cultural Context: A Survey of Parallels Between Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Texts. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Please note that some text content may not be compatible with our beliefs, perspectives, worldview, etc. Importantly, the instructor does not endorse these texts in their entirety; but I feel strongly that they contain valuable information and instruction. Please feel free at any time in the course of the semester to discuss with me any textual elements you find problematic; such issues may also be discussed in class sessions from time to time, for they provide opportunities to contrast Christian and secular worldviews.
Course Requirements
Attendance
Attendance is measured by the student meeting deadlines for all assignments, including online discussion forums.
Decorum and Discussion
All relevant input is welcome during discussions. Therefore I expect all of us to respect one another and one another’s views; I do not expect everyone to agree with everything said. As well, private conversations should not take place in online discussion forums; please save those for other times and places. I expect that all of us will work hard to make this course successful for everyone: among other things, this means that we must all thoughtfully read the material ahead of deadlines.
Grading Information
Grade Conventions and Assignment Weights
As this is a literature course, grading will be heavily reading focused. Final grades will be reported as letters only (A, A-, B+, etc.); for information on this, please see the Catalog. Any items graded strictly with a letter will be converted to the highest point in that letter-grade range: thus a B- would be converted to an 85%. Assignment weights follow.
Reading 20%
Discussions 15%
Lecture Notebook 10%
Quizzes 0%
Assignments 25%
Final Project 20%
Participation 10%
Late Work
Generally, an assignment turned in late will be penalized three points or one third of a letter grade (e.g., B- to C+) per calendar day it is late. Exceptions must be approved in advance. To receive an exception (an extension), you must do the following:
1. Email me a request for an extension before the assignment is due;
2. Keep my response email giving you an extension;
3. Attach my response email to the front of your assignment when you submit it.
Work should be uploaded to the Learning Management System to demonstrate completion; please attach the work in Word, Pages, or RTF format only.
Notices
Accommodations
Any student in this class who has a disability (physical, learning, or otherwise) that prevents the fullest expression of his/her ability should see me as soon as possible so that we can discuss class requirements and recommendations necessary to ensure full participation.
Academic Misconduct
Cheating takes many and varied forms: all of them are intolerable, particularly in a Christian academic environment. One common form of cheating is plagiarism, the representation of another’s thoughts, ideas, opinions, work, words, etc., as one’s own, or use of such material without proper documentation. A student found cheating will receive a zero for the assignment in question, and the instructor will notify the Vice Presidents for Student Affairs and for Academic Affairs (this notification will remain on file in the Academic Affairs office). Furthermore, students found cheating may be called before the appropriate committee for discipline; repeated offenses may result in a student’s being dismissed from school.
Remember, it is always better to cite too much than to risk plagiarizing. When in doubt, cite, and always feel free to ask the instructor for advice or suggestions on how to handle any particular instance of using a source. The instructor reserves the right to require evidence of research and/or to require an electronic copy of work.
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[This is a lecture written for the course 'ARCH 209: Literature of the Ancient Near East,' taught Spring 2025 at God's Bible School and College, a regionally accredited College in Cincinnati, Ohio. Bibliographical material will be posted under Research on this site.]
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