AR1EMP: Early Empires: Mesopotamia, Egypt & Rome

Module code: AR1EMP

Module provider: Archaeology; School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science

Credits: 20

Level: Level 1 (Certificate)

When you'll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Professor Roger Matthews, email: r.j.matthews@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 20 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module introduces the archaeology and historical context of the world’s early empires, dating from 2500 BC to AD 395. We focus on the great empires of ancient Mesopotamia (Akkad, Babylonia and Assyria), Egypt, the Persian Achaemenid Empire and the Roman Empire. We will review other imperial entities of the world, including examples from China and the Far East, and the Americas. We will examine special themes relevant to the topic of empires, including ideology, imperial cult, trade, urbanisation, warfare, agriculture and the everyday lives of imperial subjects. You will study the rise and fall of some of the greatest, and the most fearsome, socio-political entities to have existed on our planet. The aim of this module is to:

• Provide an introduction to the archaeology and history of early empires of the world, with a focus on key regions and periods.
• Consider the nature and interpretation of archaeological and historical sources in approaching empires of the ancient world.
• Consider major issues in the development of early empires, including the origins and evolution of imperial cities, agriculture, trade, literacy and religion.
• Introduce a sample of contemporary field projects in the archaeology of empires of the ancient world.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. A critical awareness of a range of primary and secondary sources related to empires in the ancient world
2. An ability to communicate in writing, the significance of the archaeology of the ancient empires within the context of the development of human society
3. The ability to apply, methods and theories of archaeological and historical analysis
4. A critical understanding of artefacts and museum displays as elements of past societies of the ancient world

Module content

The module will provide a review and analysis of empires of the ancient world. We will begin with a consideration of ‘what is an empire?’, examining theories of the concept of empire as a valid historical and archaeological term. We will present and discuss the nature of the evidence for ancient empires – how do we learn about empires of the past? The core of the module will focus on case-studies of ancient empires, commencing with the earliest empires of the Middle East and Mesopotamia (Iraq), including the Akkadian, Ur III, Babylonian and Assyrian empires. We will also investigate ancient Egypt, the Persian Achaemenid Empire and finally the Roman Empire in its Mediterranean context. As comparative case-studies we will also consider empires from other regions of the world, including the Americas and the Far East. 

Building on a basic understanding of the historical framework, the module will include detailed review of specific themes, including: imperial urbanisation; bureaucracy and literacy; death, burial and cult; trade and economic interaction; identity and mobility in imperial populations; imperial rise and collapse. 

You will gain an intellectual appreciation of important past societies as well as an understanding of how contemporary archaeology in the Middle East, Egypt and the Roman world is situated within complex social and political settings. The module will also provide the opportunity to engage with current issues of global concern, including migration, identity, ethnicity, diversity and the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching will be through well-illustrated lectures with student participation. There will also be structured seminars in which students will debate selected major issues, and a Roman pottery workshop. There will be a field trip to the Ancient Near East, Egypt and Roman sections of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, for which students will be assigned specific tasks related to the museum’s collections. Engagement with online resources, such as Google Earth, will form a key component of the module. 

Study hours

At least 30 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Reassessment

Additional costs