Neo-Assyrian Texts
AKKAD 220
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
This course offers an in-depth introduction to the texts of the Neo-Assyrian period (ca. 900–600 BCE), with a focus on the language, script, and historical significance of the available documentation. Students will become familiar with the major corpora of Neo-Assyrian sources, including royal inscriptions, administrative and legal documents, letters, scholarly and literary texts, and archival materials. Particular attention will be given to the Neo-Assyrian dialect of Akkadian, with systematic study of its grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. Through close reading of selected texts, students will develop skills in transliteration and translation, while also exploring how these texts illuminate broader historical, political, and cultural contexts. The course also includes an introduction to Neo-Assyrian cuneiform signs and paleography. By the end of the course, participants will be able to work independently with Neo-Assyrian textual sources and to use them critically for both grammatical analysis and historical inquiry.
Recommended Prep
Advanced Akkadian
Available for Harvard Cross Registration
