Divination in the Ancient World

Freie Universität Berlin

Information

Course Type
SE
Semester
WiSe 2021/22
Location
Fabeck 23-25, -1.2057 (UG)
SWS
2
Start
Frequency
wöchentlich
Day
Mi
Time
12-14
Registration
For this course it is not possible to enrol via Campus Management. Please enrol via the form "Modul-, Lehrveranstaltungs- und Prüfungsanmeldung" when you decided to take the course. You can find the form on the website of the Studienbüro Geschkult. Please submit this document to the Studienbüro within the same time frame you would have to enrol in your courses in Campus Management, namely within the first two or three weeks of the course. Please register also via email: wissensgeschichte@geschkult.fu-berlin.de.

Details

Divination played an especially important role in the history of Mesopotamia and the bulk of the course focuses on the different forms of divination in ancient Mesopotamia and neighboring societies in the Eastern Mediterranean. We will look specifically at the ways in which divinatory practice was valued, as a form of knowledge, whether or not it represents a scientific practice, its role in statecraft and religion, and, in particular, how different forms of divination moved from Mesopotamia into neighboring regions and vice versa.

There is a companion reading seminar for those interested in reading some texts in the original cuneiform. This course will be taught in English, 2 hours per week.