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Ancient Civilizations
| Code: | HISTO001 | Acronym: | CANT |
Instance: 2019/2020 - 1S
| Active? | Yes |
| Responsible unit: | Department of History, Political and International Studies |
| Course/CS Responsible: | Bachelor in History |
Cycles of Study/Courses
| Acronym | No. of Students | Study Plan | Curricular Years | Credits UCN | Credits ECTS | Contact hours | Total Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HISTO | 110 | HISTO - Study Plan | 1 | - | 6 | 52 | 162 |
Teaching language
Suitable for English-speaking studentsObjectives
The goals of this Course Unit are focused on the study of Ancient Civilizations. Students must identify and define the main characteristics (in the economic, social, technological, political, military, religious and artistic spheres) of the Near East and Eastern Mediterranean societies, focusing on Bronze Age and Iron Age. Students should also be able to frame the emergence of different civilizations analyzed in time and space, and to reflect on the complexity of their construction, evolution and decay processes.Learning outcomes and competences
At the end of this Course Unit the students should:- understand the nature of the sources available and the problems they raise to researchers;
- know the geography of the territories under analysis and correlate different spaces with the powers therein established;
- understand the intertwining of the political, military and religious dimensions and the resulting consequences of such circumstance;
- characterize the ways of life of the different pre-classical communities of the Near East and Eastern Mediterranean;
- identify the advances and achievements implemented by these communities and articulate them with the correct chronological framework;
- identify the most representative artefacts and artistic expressions of the different spaces and times studied.
Working method
PresencialPre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)
Not applicable.Program
1. The Near East: geographical delimitation, constraints and potentialities.
1.1. The concept of civilization: implications, limitations and evolution.
1.2. The emergence of the "Despotic Empires". The interweaving of several vectors: geography, metallurgy, politics, urbanism, social organization and bureaucracy.
2. The Mesopotamia. The sources for its study.
2.1. The urban centers of southern Mesopotamia.
1.1. The concept of civilization: implications, limitations and evolution.
1.2. The emergence of the "Despotic Empires". The interweaving of several vectors: geography, metallurgy, politics, urbanism, social organization and bureaucracy.
2. The Mesopotamia. The sources for its study.
2.1. The urban centers of southern Mesopotamia.
2.2. The discussion around the origin of the Sumerians.
2.3. The division of labor and the architecture.
2.4. Uruk and the first evidence of writing.
2.5. The structure of power and the importance of the of iconography.
3. The Sargonian or Acadian Empire.
3.1. The territorial conquest: Sargon and dynastic succession.
2.3. The division of labor and the architecture.
2.4. Uruk and the first evidence of writing.
2.5. The structure of power and the importance of the of iconography.
3. The Sargonian or Acadian Empire.
3.1. The territorial conquest: Sargon and dynastic succession.
3.2. The mythical construction of the sovereign's past.
3.3. The collapse of the Acadian Empire.
3.4. Ur-Nammu and the "Sumerian renaissance".
3.5. The Paleo-Babylonian period.
4. The Assyria.
4.1. The Assyrian Empire: space, chronology and main defining characteristics.
4.2. The emergence of expansionist tendencies.
4.3. The centers of power and the succession of sovereigns.
4.4. The architecture, the iconography and the written sources.
5. The Egypt.
5.1. Geographical framework, periodization and sources for its study.
5.2. The pre-dynastic Egypt: the prehistoric "cultures" and pre-tinita period.
5.3. The unification.
5.4. The dynastic Egypt and the historiography: the archaic time, the Empires (Old, Middle and New) and the Intermediate Periods.
5.5. Society, art and religion.
6. The Minoan civilization.
6.1. Geographical and chronological framework.
6.2. The history of archaeological interventions in Crete.
6.3. The Cretan writings: problems, indications and contexts of production.
6.4. Other sources: archaeological, architectural and artistic.
6.5. The "palaces".
6.6. The collapse of the Minoan world.
6.7. The Mycenaean occupation of Crete.
7. Ancient Greece
7.1. The formation of the Greek world.
7.2. The emergence of the polis.
7.3. The Archaic State.
7.4. The "century of Pericles": defining elements.
7.5. Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Empire.
3.3. The collapse of the Acadian Empire.
3.4. Ur-Nammu and the "Sumerian renaissance".
3.5. The Paleo-Babylonian period.
4. The Assyria.
4.1. The Assyrian Empire: space, chronology and main defining characteristics.
4.2. The emergence of expansionist tendencies.
4.3. The centers of power and the succession of sovereigns.
4.4. The architecture, the iconography and the written sources.
5. The Egypt.
5.1. Geographical framework, periodization and sources for its study.
5.2. The pre-dynastic Egypt: the prehistoric "cultures" and pre-tinita period.
5.3. The unification.
5.4. The dynastic Egypt and the historiography: the archaic time, the Empires (Old, Middle and New) and the Intermediate Periods.
5.5. Society, art and religion.
6. The Minoan civilization.
6.1. Geographical and chronological framework.
6.2. The history of archaeological interventions in Crete.
6.3. The Cretan writings: problems, indications and contexts of production.
6.4. Other sources: archaeological, architectural and artistic.
6.5. The "palaces".
6.6. The collapse of the Minoan world.
6.7. The Mycenaean occupation of Crete.
7. Ancient Greece
7.1. The formation of the Greek world.
7.2. The emergence of the polis.
7.3. The Archaic State.
7.4. The "century of Pericles": defining elements.
7.5. Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Empire.
Mandatory literature
Algaze, Guillermo; La antigua Mesopotamia en los albores de la civilizacion, Edicions Bellaterra, 2008. ISBN: 978-84-7290-417-0BARD, Kathryn A.; An introduction to the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt, Wiley Blackwell, 2015. ISBN: 978-0-470-67336-2
Da Riva, Rocío; Vidal, Jordi; Descubriendo el Antiguo Oriente. Pioneros y arqueólogos de Mesopotamia y Egipto a finales del s. XIX y principios del s. XX, Edicions Bellaterra, 2015. ISBN: 978 84 7290 693 8
Dickinson, Oliver; El Egeo. De la Edad del Bronce a la Edad del Hierro, BELLATERRA, 2010. ISBN: 9788472904880
Ferreira, José Ribeiro; A Grécia Antiga, Edições 70, 2004. ISBN: 9789724412191
Lévêque, Pierre; As primeiras civilizações : da idade da pedra aos povos semitas , Edições 70, 2009. ISBN: 978-972-44-1574-1
Liverani, Mario; The Ancient Near East: History, Society and Economy, Routledge, 2014
Rocha Pereira, Maria Helena da; Estudos da História da Cultura Clássica, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 2006. ISBN: 972-31-1164-0
Complementary Bibliography
Moreno García, Juan Carlos; Egipto en el Imperio Antiguo (2650-2150 antes de Cristo), Edicions Bellaterra, 2004. ISBN: 978-84-7290-258-9Tavares, A. Augusto; Civilizações Pré-Clássicas, Universidade Aberta, 2007. ISBN: 9789726741411
Rocha Pereira, Maria Helena da; Hélade, Guimarães Editores, 2009. ISBN: 9789726656258
Teaching methods and learning activities
The contents of this Course Unit will be developed through various means, in order to make students acquire knowledge, assimilate concepts and develop skills:
- Exhibition of central themes of the Curricular Unit supported by audiovisual material.
- Reading of reference works;
- Reading and analysis of excerpts of works or articles;
- Individual and collective research on predefined topics through guided reading.
- Motivation for oral participation and critical discussion of the contents of the Course Unit.
keywords
Humanities > History > ArchaeologyEvaluation Type
Evaluation with final examAssessment Components
| Designation | Weight (%) |
|---|---|
| Exame | 100,00 |
| Total: | 100,00 |
Amount of time allocated to each course unit
| Designation | Time (hours) |
|---|---|
| Estudo autónomo | 108,00 |
| Frequência das aulas | 54,00 |
| Total: | 162,00 |
Eligibility for exams
Positive classification in the final exam.Calculation formula of final grade
Final exam classification (on a scale of 0 to 20).Examinations or Special Assignments
According to the general evaluation rules of the Faculty.Internship work/project
Non appplicable.Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)
According to the evaluation modality defined for the Course Unit.Classification improvement
According to the general rules and to the evaluation modality defined for the Course Unit.Copyright 1996-2025 © Faculdade de Letras da Universidade do Porto
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Page created on: 2025-06-30 at 10:21:06 | Acceptable Use Policy | Data Protection Policy | Complaint Portal
Page created on: 2025-06-30 at 10:21:06 | Acceptable Use Policy | Data Protection Policy | Complaint Portal