Akkadian: documentary texts

Language

French

Prerequisites

Having  completed  the  BA courses LGLOR1613  et LGLOR1614 and/or intermediate knowledge of the grammar and script (cuneiform signs)
 

Main themes

The course will focus on reading Akkadian texts of the 1st millennium BC, i.e. Neo-Assyrian and Neo­ Babylonian dialects. Students will mainly dive into a corpus of administrative texts and letters from the Assyrian State Archives and private (merchant) archives, supplemented with passages from the Royal Annals and the Babylonian Chronicles.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	analyse Akkadian grammar on an advanced level
2	distinguish between Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian dialect
3	read cuneiform signs on an intermediate level
4	conduct a critical analysis on the historical content of a text

Content

The course is intended to analyse political, diplomatie and commercial events in history from multiple literary angles. Students will receive a group of texts on the same theme; for instance a documentary text, a letter, a description of a military campaign and an oracle text ail describing same historical event. After the translation of this group of texts, one can analyse how the text genre influences the historical objectivity.

 

Teaching methods

Students receive cuneiform texts in Akkadian language, of which the reading and analysis should be prepared before class. During class, individual readings and analyses will be compared, discussed and corrected, allowing the group to corne to an appropriate translation. Critical reflexion on the historical content of the text in relation to the author of the text and text genre will be conducted in class after the translation.

Other information

Students are expected to bring to class their own(physical or digital) copy of:

• R    Labat    and    F.    Malbran,    7988,    Manuel d'épigraphie akkadienne, Paris.
• J. Black, G. Andrew, N. Postgate (eds.), 2000, A Concise Dictionary of Akkadian {SANTAG 5), Wiesbaden,.

Online resources

• http://oi.uchicago.edu/research/pubs/catalog/cad/ {Akkadian Dictionary)
• https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/
• http:/Lcdli.ucla.edu/drupal/ (Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative)
• http://psd.museum.upenn.edu/nepsd­ frame.html (Sumerian dictionary)

Bibliography

• W. von Soden, 799S3, Grundriss der akkadischen Grammatik {Anür 33), Rome.
• M.T. Roth, The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental lnstitute of the University of Chicago {CAD), 27 vol., Chicago.
• J. Huehnergard, 207l3, A grammar of Akkadian {Harvard Semitic Studies 45), Britt: Leiden.
• F. Malbran-Labat, 2007, Manuel de langue akkadienne {PIOL 50), Louvain.
• F. Malbran-Labat, 2007, Manuel de langue akkadienne: Lexiques akkadien - français et français- akkadien {PIOL, 57), Louvain.
• R    Labat and F. Malbran, 7988, Manuel d'épigraphie akkadienne, Paris.
• J. Black, G. Andrew, N. Postgate (eds.), 2000, A Concise Dictionary of Akkadian {SANTAG 5), Wiesbaden.

Teaching materials

• Les textes et cunéiformes sont distribués par l'enseignant et/ou via Moodle

Faculty or entity

> EHAC