Sumerian is perhaps the oldest language that has come down to us from antiquity, with clay tablets dating back as early as 3200BC. As a spoken language, it died out around the end of the 3rd millennium BC, but continued to be used as a literary language until the classical era. It is written in cuneiform, a script composed of wedge shaped signs produced with a reed stylus on moist clay. There are royal inscriptions, administrative and legal texts, but also an extensive literature of epic poetry, myths, hymns and laments and more.
Course Outline:
An introduction to the Sumerian language and its history
Presentation of the cuneiform script: phonograms, logograms and determinatives
Introduction to the grammar of the noun, verb and other parts of speech
Reading of simple building inscriptions, progressing to more complex royal inscriptions
Reading of at least one literary text, probably Shulgi A, a royal praise poem
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of the course learners will
Have acquired basic competence in the reading of cuneiform texts in Sumerian
Have a better understanding of the written legacy of ancient Mesopotamia
Have gained some knowledge of the philological and methodological issues with which Sumerologists engage
Eight two hour classes. Please enquire regarding price.