DSMB16 Akkadian I

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2022
Extent and Intensity
0/4/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
PhDr. Lukáš Pecha, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
PhDr. Lukáš Pecha, Ph.D.
Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Jitka Erlebachová
Supplier department: Department of Classical Studies – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Thu 16:00–17:40 A24, except Thu 1. 12. ; and Thu 1. 12. 16:00–17:40 K31
Prerequisites
Advanced knowledge of (written) English and/or German.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 9 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The purpose of this course is to provide students with basic knowledge of the Akkadian language in its classical, Old Babylonian stage. After an introduction to the linguistic situation in ancient Western Asia in general, and the characteristics and development of Akkadian in particular, the course will focus on the cuneiform script, especially on the monumental and cursive forms of the signs which the students may come across most often in their later work. In subsequent lectures and seminars, the students will learn basic grammar and vocabulary and read simpler Akkadian legal and epistolary texts.
Learning outcomes
After the completion of the course the students will:
- have basic knowledge of cuneiform script, Akkadian grammar, selected texts and their historical as well as cultural context;
- be able to work with complex sign systems, discuss and interpret them.
Syllabus
  • 1. Linguistic situation in Mesopotamia, characteristics and history of Akkadian.
  • 2. The cuneiform script.
  • 3. Akkadian phonology.
  • 4. Akkadian morphology: pronouns, nouns and adjectives, construct state, prepositions, strong verb (G-stem), the present, the preterite, the imperative, nominalized forms, the perfect, the stative, the ventive, the subordination marker, negation.
  • 5. Akkadian syntax: word order, simple verbal clause, consecutio temporum, nominal clause, relative clause, conditional clause.
  • 6. Reading simple texts in cuneiform.
Literature
    required literature
  • Bergmann, E., Codex Ḫammurabi: Textus primigenius, Roma 1953 (3rd ed.).
  • A concise dictionary of Akkadian. Edited by Jeremy Black - A. R. George - J. N. Postgate - Tina Breckwoldt. 2nd (corr.) print. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2000, xxiv, 450. ISBN 9783447042642. info
    recommended literature
  • Boer, R. de, Amorites in the Early Old Babylonian Period, PhD diss. Universiteit Leiden 2014.
  • Bord, L.-J. – Mugnaioni, R., L’écriture cunéiforme: syllabaire sumérien, babylonien, assyrien, Paris 2002
  • Borger, R., Mesopotamisches Zeichenlexikon, Münster 2004.
  • Caplice, R., Introduction to Akkadian, Roma 2002 (4th ed.).
  • Dossin, G., Lettres de la première dynastie babylonienne, Paris 1933.
  • Figulla, H.H., Old-Babylonian Letters, London 1963.
  • George, A.R., Babylonian and Assyrian: A History of Akkadian. In: Postgate, J.N. (ed.), Languages of Iraq, Ancient and Modern, London 2007, str. 31–71.
  • HUEHNERGARD, John. A grammar of Akkadian. 3rd ed. Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 2011, xlii, 660. ISBN 9781575069418. info
  • Huehnergard, J., Key to a Grammar of Akkadian, Atlanta 1997.
  • Kraus, F.R., Altbabylonische Briefe in Umschrift und Übersetzung, Bd. 1: Briefe aus dem British Museum, Leiden 1964.
  • Labat, R. – Malbran-Labat, F., Manuel d’épigraphie akkadienne: signes, syllabaire, idéogrammes, Paris 1988 (6th ed.).
  • NOVÁKOVÁ, Nea, Lukáš PECHA and Furat RAHMAN. Základy starobabylonštiny. 1. vyd. Praha: Karolinum, 2000, 416 s. ISBN 8071849979. info
  • Soden, W. von – Röllig, W., Das akkadische Syllabar, Roma 1991 (4th ed.).
  • Soden, W. von, Der Alte Orient: Eine Einführung, Darmstadt 2006 (3rd ed.). (ang. překl. The Ancient Orient: An Introduction to the Study of the Ancient Near East, Grand Rapids 1994).
  • Sprachen des Alten Orients. Edited by Michael P. Streck. 2., überarbeitete Aufl. Darmstadt: WBV, 2006, 184 s. ISBN 353417996X. info
  • Ungnad, A. – Matouš, L., Grammatik des Akkadischen, München 1969 (5th ed.).
  • UNGNAD, Arthur. Akkadian grammar. Edited by Lubor Matouš, Translated by Harry A. Hoffner. 5th corr. ed. Atlanta, Ga.: Scholars Press, 1993, xix, 185. ISBN 1555408001. info
  • Veenhof, K.R., Altbabylonische Briefe in Umschrift und Übersetzung, Bd. 14: Letters in the Louvre, Leiden 2005.
  • WORTHINGTON, Martin. Complete Babylonian. London: Teach Yourself, 2010, xxi, 377. ISBN 9780340983881. info
Teaching methods
Explanation of the subject matter with slideshow presentation, demonstration of the presented subject matter on extracts from original texts.
Assessment methods
written examination testing the knowledge of grammar and the ability to read and translate simple Akkadian texts from cuneiform
Language of instruction
Czech
Follow-Up Courses
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2019, Autumn 2021, Autumn 2023.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2022, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2022/DSMB16