Canaanite Lyrist (Megiddo Plaque), Late Bronze Age
Israel Museum (IDAM) 38.780
Drawing by Anne Glynnis Fawkes
Ancient Lyric Poetry
List of readings (date given is when due):
1/17
1/19 Introduction to Mesopotamia
1/22 Meospotamia in third millennium (Knapp 1988)
1/24 Inanna-Dumuzi poems (Harps 1-84)
1/26 Gudea Cylinders (Harps 386-444); temple organization (Johnston 2004, 292-6 only)
1/29 Hymns to Enlil and Inanna (Harps 205-232); royal hymns of Ur III dynasty (ETCSL 2.4.1.6; 2.4.2.01; 2.4.2.02); Sumerian poetics I (Black 1998 I)
1/31 Lament for Ur (Harps 447-74); Sumerian poetics continued (Black 1998 II)
2/2 Overview of Mesopotamian History, second and first millenia (Charpin 1995); spread of scribal culture (Dalley et al. 1998)
2/5 Enuma Elish ('When on High'), Babylonian creation myth. Frankfort 1948 (Akitu festival = Babylonian New Year, occasion for annual royal performance of Enuma Elish). One page of B. R. Foster's introduction to the poem got left out of the original scan, but if you're interested (it could help understand things better) you can see it here.
2/7 Akkadian flood myths: Atrahasis and Gilgamesh Epic Tablet XI; Genesis 5:29-9:29.
2/9 Akkadian love lyrics and charms: Selections Part I; Selections Part II; Bottero 1992 ('Love and Sex in Babylon').
2/12 Akkadian Satirical Poems: I: Sargon, Lord of Lies; II: Miscellanies
2/14 "Allies and Enemies" (Part One and Part Two) (M. Roaf, Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East"). Unfortunatley I had to scan these in B&W (file size problem), so all the nice images and maps look terrible. You'll enjoy this difficult reading much more if you use the actual book. It is in the BH Reference section (DS69.5 .R63 1990). I'll also put a greyscale photocopy on reserve.
2/16 Hurrian / Hattic / Hittite myths here. There are some Mesopotamian gods in these poems, but there will be many new ones: here is a list of Hittite and Hurrian gods.
[2/19]
2/21 Ugarit and Canaanites. Tale of Aqhat (illustrated G. Fawkes). And "Background to the Bible: Ugarit" (D. Pardee). Here is a list of Canaanite gods. If you want more background on Ugarit, one good site (U. of Edinburgh) is here. Another decent page on Canaanite mythology is here.
2/23 "Song of Songs" (aka "Song of Solomon") and Egyptian Love Lyrics, read in class.
2/26 Lyric Poetry in the Bible.
2/28 Hymn to Aten (Aton) and Psalm 104.
3/2
3/5 Midterm
3/7 G. Forrest, "Greece: The History of Archaic Period". Decent map of Archaic Greece here.
3/9 Prelude to Hesiod's Theogony. Homeric Hymn to Hermes (Fowler Archaic, 17-32)
[3/12–16] Spring Break
3/19 Homeric Hymns to Demeter and Aphrodite (Fowler, Archaic 3-16; 33-40)
3/21 Fragments of Archilochus (Fowler, Archaic 47-64); E. M. Bowie, "Greek Lyric and Elegac Poetry".
3/23 Sappho (Fowler, Archaic)
3/26 Alcaeus: revolution on Lesbos: (Fowler, Archaic)
3/28 War and Dancing in Sparta: Alcman / Tyrtaeus: (Fowler, Archaic)
3/30 Solon: revolution in Athens: (Fowler, Archaic) + other fragments (PDF) + Herodotus book 1.29-33 and 1.86-87, Perseus Database.
4/2 Love and Wine 1: Anacreon: (Fowler, Archaic)
4/4 Love and Wine 2: Ibycus / Theognis: (Fowler, Archaic)
4/6 Minor poets: (Fowler, Archaic)
4/9 Song and Sports 1: Bacchylides: (Fowler, Archaic)
4/11 Song and Sports 2: Pindar: (Fowler, Archaic)
4/13 LATIN DAY NO CLASS
4/16 Simonides: (Fowler, Archaic)
4/18 Callimachus: Librarian poet of Alexandria: (Fowler Hellenistic 41-69 or PDF here.
4/20 Theocritus: Pastoral Poetry: (Idylls I, VII, XI, XIII in Fowler Hellenistic 3-37 or PDF here), and Virgil Eclogues I and 7 (online here).
4/23 Empedocles / Lucretius: Scientific Cosmogony. Get reading here.
4/25 Catullus: Rayor Latin Lyric or BH hard-copy reserve
4/27 Roman Love 1: Propertius: Rayor Latin Lyric or BH hard-copy reserve
4/30 Roman Love 2: Horace / Sulpicia (Laura M.): Rayor Latin Lyric or BH hard-copy reserve
5/2 Roman Love 3: Ovid: Selections from book I (only) of Amores, in Rayor Latin Lyric or BH hard-copy reserve