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$22

weekly
or $440 for 20 classes
Class

Late Iron Age Mesopotamia: The Fall of Assur and the Neo-Babylonian Empire

Completed by 6 learners
Ages 12-15
Live Group Course
In this 20-week class students will be introduced to the latest period of Mesopotamian history, when the Neo-Babylonians will reach their apogee in arts, sciences, literature and architecture
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:
(787 reviews)

Live video meetings
1x per week, 20 weeks
2-6 learners per class
60 min

What's included

20 live meetings
20 in-class hours
Homework
1 hour per week. At certain points students will have to read carefully primary sources from ancient Near Eastern literature in English translation (chosen and distributed by me in advance), related to certain weeks' topic, in order to enrich class discussion, with the purpose of introducing the student in the skill of critical thinking
Mastery Evaluation
An optional Mid-Term quiz for classes 1 to 10 will be distributed during the 11th week, and a second optional Final quiz for classes 11-20 at the end of the course.
Assessment
I do not believe that a letter grade is meaningful in Mesopotamian History. However, as I often do with my small classes (up to 6 students), I communicate with the parents and the children directly, providing my personal comments, private feedback and an informal assessment. If students choose to do the quiz, this is a great opportunity to communicate directly in an individual level for personal feedback.

Class Experience

US Grade 8 - 10
(A) Required Experience: 

This is a class for beginners or preferably for those who have a basic knowledge on ancient Mesopotamian history and religions, and wish to refresh or enrich their knowledge on the material culture, the literary and artistic production, as well as the history of people and beliefs in Mesopotamia. 
N.B.: I have broken into four meaningful parts the long history of Mesopotamia from ca. 6000 to ca. 539 BCE. Anyone interested specifically in the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian empires or the transitional period from the Bronze to the Iron Age can enroll straight to this third part without missing anything.

(B) Teaching style and students interaction:

The learning process of this class is based on a combination of a power-point presentation, a lecture that asks students to participate, class dialogue, questions based on the ongoing lecture, and new ideas based on the participants. There is not one universal solution to teach. Rather I combine techniques to achieve the maximum of my strengths and of my students. Having taught so far young kids, teenagers, University students and mature learners, I know that teachers need to approach students with understanding. After all, such a small class has the advantage of making the combined technique of ppt presentation-lecture-dialogue feasible and efficient. Thanks to Zoom, engaging students and interacting with them is always possible.

Learning Goals

Students will be able to appreciate the beauty and importance of the study of history.
They will learn how to use archaeological excavations, primary sources (translated from Sumerian and Akkadian), and various aspects of ancient material culture (art, architecture, coins etc).

Syllabus

Curriculum
Follows Teacher-Created Curriculum
20 Lessons
over 20 Weeks
Lesson 1:
Esarhaddon Part 1
 The first two lessons explore the life and times of the third great Sargonid king of Assyria, Esarhaddon. 
Lesson 1 functions as a bridge between the previous Sargonid kings (covered in my class "Early Iron Age Mesopotamia") and king
 Esarhaddon. 
It will work as an overview of major points from the history of the Assyrian Empire before Esarhaddon in order to be a refresher for returning students and/or to facilitate the integration of new students. 
60 mins online live lesson
Lesson 2:
Esarhaddon Part 2
 In Lesson 2 about king Esarhaddon, we will explore a pivotal moment in Mesopotamian history, when the king extended his empire to Egypt. For the very first time in the history of this area, one of two most advanced civilizations conquers the other. 
60 mins online live lesson
Lesson 3:
Assur-bani-pal and Assur-etel-ilani Part 1
 The last two Sargonid kings, Assur-bani-pal and Assur-etel-ilani, marked Mesopotamian history with the way they used the Assyrian wealth to propagate the image of an emperor - conqueror of the world. In Lessons 3 and 4 students explore the life and times of the last two Sargonid kings, whose rule became the synonymous of both the apogee and the end of the Assyrian domination. 
60 mins online live lesson
Lesson 4:
Assur-bani-pal and Assur-etel-ilani Part 2
 Lesson 4 continues the topics of Lesson 3 
60 mins online live lesson

Other Details

Pre-Requisites
This class is the sequence of “Iron Age Mesopotamia: The Neo-Assyrians”. Students are strongly advised (but not obliged) to take this class in advance, unless they are already strong students of history
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
Throughout the class and in the form of homework, students will discuss in class under my guidance and read at home before class illuminating sources that servive in ancient Mesopotamian languages (Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian). They are all provided by me in English translations. This is important so that students may understand Mesopotamian history from authentic Mesopotamian sources and the civilization of the Mesopotamian people by its own creators, and not from external sources which are biased and have minimal historical value, like the portrait of some of the Neo-Assyrian and Babylonian kings in the Hebrew Bible. In addition, archaeology, art, architecture, epigraphy and the study of ancient cylinders and seals will be used, whenever relevant, to enlighten aspects of ancient Near Eastern history that are not so apparent in the Mesopotamian historical accounts listed above. My background in all these fields will guide students through these peculiar sub-fields of history, in order to be abe to "read" them and complete their knowledge. The goal is to apprehend the bigger picture of ancient history in the Near East, and open the mind of modern learners by including aspects of so many different cultures and civilizations that shared the same geographical area in ancient Mesopotamia. Finally, the class is not only based on my 10-years of experience in the scientific study of this era, but also on a long list of modern sources, of which a good sample is the following one: A History of the Ancient Near East, ca. 3000-323 BC by Marc Van De Mieroop (Wiley-Blackwell, 2015) A History of Babylon, 2200 BC - AD 75 by Paul-Alain Beaulieu (Wiley-Blackwell, 2018) Mesopotamian Civilization: The Material Foundations by Daniel T. Potts (Cornell University Press, 1996) The Oxford Handbook of Cuneiform Culture by Karen Radner and Eleanor Robson, eds. (Oxford University Press, 2020) Ancient Near East: Historical Sources in Translation by Mark W. Chavalas (Wiley-Blackwell, 2006) A Dictionary of Ancient Near Eastern Mythology by Gwendolyn Leick (Routledge, 1998) The Heavenly Writing: Divination, Horoscopy, and Astronomy in Mesopotamian Culture by Francesca Rochberg (Cambridge University Press, 2007) Ancient Babylonian Medicine: Theory and Practice by Markham J. Geller (Wiley-Blackwell, 2010) Religion and Ideology in Assyria by Beate Pongratz-Leisten (de Gruyter, 2017) Assyria. The Imperial Mission by Mario Liverani (Eisenbrauns, 2017) Bronze Age Bureaucracy. Writing and the Practice of Government in Assyria by Nicholas Postgate (Cambridge University Press 2013) as well as on a careful and comprehensive use of archaeological data through the official reports of excavators published online or in physical copy by major University Press Publications or their official educational websites managed by the archaeological teams working in the related places (e.g. the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures by University of Chicago; the Anthropology and Archaeology Museum of the University of Pennsylvania; the French or the German Archaeological School in Near East; the British School of Archaeology in Iraq; the American Oriental Society)

Meet the teacher

Joined March, 2020
4.9
787reviews
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
I have a B.A. and M.A. in Ancient History and Archaeology, as well as an M.A. in History and Philosophy of Religions. I have excavated in ancient sites, I speak ancient languages and I am a PhD Candidate. 

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