ATS2283 · The archaeology of empires

Overview

Towards the beginning of the first millennium BCE the Assyrian state in northern Mesopotamia started to expand its borders. The military and economic ideology of conquest that motivated this expansion created a new kind of political entity - the empire. When the Assyrian Empire finally collapsed, its territory was quickly taken by the Babylonians and Medes, who in turn were conquered by the Persian Empire, which, after 200 years of dominion over a territory stretching from the Mediterranean to the mountains of Afghanistan, itself fell to the army of Alexander of Macedon and his generals. In this unit you will examine how the material culture recovered by archaeology - from the palaces, royal texts, and art of the elite to the houses and weapons of those they conquered - can tell us how these early empires extended their power to neighbouring communities, and how these communities adapted to, and sometimes resisted, the encroaching empires that surrounded them. You will explore how archaeology and ancient texts have been interpreted in the past and what new insights we might be able to gain by applying new models to this evidence. You will relate what we can find out about past empires to what we know about present political systems, and discover how the study of cultural heritage can bridge the gap between then and now.

Areas of study: Archaeology and ancient history

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Within semester assessment: 100%

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.

Learning outcomes

1. identify and describe the cultures and historical periods of the Ancient Near East in the first millennium BCE;
2. collaboratively analyse and interpret archaeological evidence in the study of ancient empires;
3. explain imperial tactics of control and the conquered regions' tactics of resistance and relate them to modern imperial tactics of control and resistance;
4. assess the impact of imperial expansion on past societies;
5. critically appraise arguments about ancient empires through the use of archaeological and historical evidence and relate them to contemporary Cultural Heritage issues.

Workload

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.