Ancient Semitic Languages (Akkadian, Ugaritic)

Teacher(s)

Tavernier Jan;

Language

French
> English-friendly

Prerequisites

to have followed courses at Bachelor level in a Semitic language such as Akkadian, Hebrew or Aramaic

Main themes

Study of the Akkadian and Ugaritic language.
The course deals with the following themes:

• reading Akkadian literary texts;
• an introduction to the Ugaritic script;
• an introduction to the Ugaritic grammar;
• analysis and translation of Ugaritic texts accompanied by a philological commentary.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	read, translate and analyse Akkadian and Ugaritic texts of average difficulty.

Content

As to the ‘Akkadian’ part, the course focuses on Akkadian literary texts.
Amongst the western Semitic languages, Ugaritic is placed at the end of the late Bronze age: 14th to 12th centuries BCE. The city of Ugarit (now in Syria on the Mediterranean coast) was destroyed at the beginning of the 12th century and the majority of the texts date from the end of the history of Ugarit. The course deals with the study of several tablets taken from the manual of Bordreuil-Pardee.

Teaching methods

Akkadian: reading of Akkadian texts, prepared by the students.
Ugaritic: The course has two parts : an classical introduction to the Ugaritic grammar and the reading of Ugaritic texts. The students prepare texts which are discussed during the course with the grammatical points highlighted.
The course structure is established with the students during the first session.

Evaluation methods

Written exam on a seen and unseen Akkadian and/or Ugaritic text (transliteration, analysis, translation).

Online resources

- http://oi.uchicago.edu/research/pubs/catalog/cad/ (Akkadian dictionary)
- http://www.etana.org/ (general site on the Mesopotamian world)
- http://cdli.ucla.edu/drupal/ (Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative)
http://oi-archive.uchicago.edu/OI/DEPT/RA/bibs/BH-Ugaritic.html (Bibliography of Ugaritic Grammar)

Bibliography

- F. Malbran-Labat, Manuel de langue akkadienne (PIOL 50), Louvain, 2001.
- W. von Soden, Grundriss der akkadischen Grammatik, 3e éd. (AnOr 33). Rome, 1995.
- R. Labat & F. Malbran-Labat, Manuel d'épigraphie akkadienne (signes, syllabaire, idéogrammes), 6e éd., Paris, 1988.
- The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, Chicago, 1956-2017.
- F. Malbran-Labat, Manuel de langue akkadienne : Lexiques akkadien - français et français - akkadien (PIOL, 51), Louvain, 2001.
- J. Black, G. Andrew, N. Postgate (eds.), A Concise Dictionary of Akkadian (SANTAG 5), Wiesbaden, 2000.
- P. Bordreuil et D. Pardee, Manuel d'ougaritique, Paris, 2004.
- G. del Olmo Lete & J. Sanmartín, A Dictionary of the Ugaritic Language in the Alphabetic Tradition (Handbuch der Orientalistik. Der Nahe und der Mittlere Osten 67), Leiden, 2002.
- M. Dietrich & O. Loretz, Analytic Ugaritic Bibliography 1972-1988 (Alter Orient und Altes testament 20/6), Kevelaer, 1996.
- J. Huehnergard, Ugaritic Vocabulary in Syllabic Transcription (Harvard Semitic Studies 32), Atlanta, 1987.
- B. Margalit, The Ugaritic Poem of AQHT. Text, Translation, Commentary (Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 182), Berlin, 1989.
- S. Segert, A Basic Grammar of the Ugaritic Language with Selected Texts and Glossary, Berkeley, 1984.
- D. Sivan, A Grammar of the Ugaritic Language (Handbuch der Orientalistik. Der Nahe und der Mittlere Osten 28), Leiden, 1997.
- M.S. Smith & W.T. Pitard, The Ugaritic Baal Cycle (Supplements to Vetus Testamentum 55 and 114), Leiden, 1994-2009.
- J. Tropper, Ugaritische Grammatik, Münster, 2000.

Teaching materials

• Support du cours : les textes en cunéiformes sont distribués par l'enseignant.

Faculty or entity

EHAC