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Histart 192B.2

UNDERGRADUATE SEMINAR: FROM EGYPT TO BABYLON: ART IN THE INTERNATIONAL AGE FROM 1550 TO 500 BCE (4 units)

The arts of Egypt, Greece and the Near East are typically taught separately from one another. However, the diverse cultures of these areas were in close contact with one another for much of their histories. From 1550 to 500 BCE (the Late Bronze and Iron Ages) was a particularly dynamic time for intercultural exchanges. This seminar will explore both the specific aspects of artistic exchange between the three areas, as well as consider the larger implications of cross-cultural interaction and the role that the arts play in socio-political arenas such as trade, diplomacy, war, imperialism, and colonization.

Students are not expected to have extensive knowledge of all the areas, although some experience in at least one of them will be helpful. The course will interweave establishing a knowledge base necessary to tackle this topic with broader theoretical concerns and interdisciplinary approaches (art historical, archaeological, anthropological, and historical).

Two primary texts will serve as a point of departure: Paul Collins, From Egypt to Babylon: The International Age, 1550-500 BC (2008) and Joan Aruz, ed. Beyond Babylon: Art, Trade, and Diplomacy in the Second Millennium B.C., exhibition catalogue (2008).

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