University of St Andrews

Key information

SCOTCAT credits : 20

ECTS credits : 10

Level : SCQF level 7

Semester: 1

Planned timetable: To be confirmed

This module combines a bold and sweeping overview of the history of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East over two millennia, with an exploration of the nature of empires and imperialism in antiquity. We will explore how imperial states built and maintained their power (including their efforts to assert and justify their power to themselves and their subjects); the experiences of other populations and cultures that were conquered or incorporated into ancient empires; and the contested legacies of imperial states, both in antiquity and today. As well as tracing the histories of large imperial or hegemonic powers, such as the Achaemenid Persians, the Hellenistic Greek ‘kingdoms’ and Rome, the course will also introduce you to the wide range of other cultures that lived under and alongside them, including those of Babylonia, Judea and Egypt.

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact: 33 lectures and 7 tutorials/workshops across the semester

Scheduled learning hours: 40

Guided independent study hours: 160

Assessment pattern

As used by St Andrews: 100% Coursework


Re-assessment: 100% Coursework (revising and resubmitting failed items only)

Personnel

Module coordinator: Professor M P Lavan
Module teaching staff: Team Taught
Module coordinator email mpl2@st-andrews.ac.uk

Intended learning outcomes

• Summarize the macro-scale history of the societies and cultures of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East
• Identify and describe different cultures of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East and identify key transitions in their respective histories
• Identify and describe the key evidence available for different cultures and periods
• Interpret archaeological, visual, documentary and literary evidence in relation to its social cultural and political contexts
• Identify and describe key commonalities and differences in how ancient empires built and maintained their power and how their rule was experienced by subject populations
• Analyse how the legacy of ancient empires has been contested both in antiquity and in the present