Languages of the Ancient Near East - ASYRN30028

• Title: Jazyky starověkého Předního východu
• Guaranteed by: Institute of Ancient Near Eastern Studies (21-USPV)
• Faculty: Faculty of Arts
• Actual: from 2025
• Semester: summer
• Points: 0
• E-Credits: 3
• Examination process: summer s.:
• Hours per week, examination: summer s.:1/1, C [HT]
• Capacity: unlimited / unlimited (unknown)
• Min. number of students: unlimited
• 4EU+: yes
• Virtual mobility / capacity: yes / 20
• Key competences: multilingualism
• State of the course: taught
• Language: English
• Teaching methods: combined
• Note: course can be enrolled in outside the study plan; enabled for web enrollment
• Guarantor: Mgr. Dita Frantíková, Ph.D.
• Teacher(s): Mgr. Dita Frantíková, Ph.D.
• Class: A – Mezioborová nabídka VP: Historické vědy; A - Mezioborová nabídka VP: Lingvistika; Exchange - 09.3 Linguistics

Annotation

The lectures on the languages of the Ancient Near East introduce the language situation of Asia Minor and its neighboring areas in antiquity. We will be dealing with the oldest texts up to the first century AD. You will be introduced to the scripts, genres, language classification, and basics of morphology and syntax of the languages. Language contact and sociolinguistic analysis are natural parts of the lectures.<br>
The outline of the course:<br>
1. General overview - area, dating, history, nations.<br>
2. Scripts - types of scripts and carriers, differences, advantages, and disadvantages from linguistic point of view.<br>
3. Languages of Asia Minor: Anatolian<br>
4. Hurrian, Urartian<br>
5. Classical Armenian<br>
6. Early Georgian; Phrygian<br>
7. Sumerian<br>
8. Elamite<br>
9. Akkadian and Eblaite<br>
9. Ugaritic<br>
10. Hebrew, Phoenician, Punic<br>
11. Canaanite dialects, Aramaic<br>
12. Old Persian<br>
13. Excurs: Reconstructed ancient languages

Last update: Frantíková Dita, Mgr., Ph.D. (05.01.2026)

Course completion requirements

The course can be acomplished either by pasing two written tests (one in the 8th week of the semester and one final test) or by oral exam following the final lecture.

Last update: Frantíková Dita, Mgr., Ph.D. (15.01.2024)

Literature

Literature:

Woodard, R. G., The Ancient Languages of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Aksum, Cambridge 2008.

Woodard, R. G., The Ancient Languages of Syria-Palestine and Arabia, Cambridge 2008.

Zemánek, P. et al., Jazyky starého Orientu, Praha 2010.

Charvát, P., On People, Signs and States. Spotlights on Sumerian Society, c. 3500-2500 B.C., Praha 1998.

Oppenheim, A. L., Starověká Mezopotámie, Praha 2001.

Petráček, K., Úvod do hamitosemitské (afroasijské) jazykovědy, I-II, Praha 1989.

Last update: Frantíková Dita, Mgr., Ph.D. (08.12.2023)

Syllabus

The outline of the course:
1. General overview - area, dating, history, nations.
2. Scripts - types of scripts and carriers, differences, advantages and disanvantages from lignusitic point of view.
3. Langugaes of Asia Minor: Anatolian
4. Hurrian, Urartian
5. Classical Armenian
6. Early Georgian; Phrygian
7. Sumerian
8. Elamite
9. Akkadian and Eblaite
9. Ugaritic
10. Hebrew, Phoenician, Punic
11. Canaanite dialects, Aramaic
12. Old Persian
13. Excurs: Reconstructed ancient langugaes

Last update: Frantíková Dita, Mgr., Ph.D. (15.01.2024)