Last modified: 14 Oct 2026 14:48
In this course you will explore the eastern Mediterranean in antiquity, focusing on its part to which ancient sources refer as the "Land of Israel" or "Palestine", among other names. You will learn not just about its history, but also geography, religion(s), culture, and languages – always in relation to its neighbours, close and distant alike. Your exploration will start with some of the oldest cities in the world, and finish with the advent of Islam to the region.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | First Term | Credit Points | 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
|
||
The course explores the eastern Mediterranean in antiquity. It focuses on its southern part, which constitutes the key habitable land bridge between Africa and Asia, with the Mediterranean Sea to the west and the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula to the east. Depending on the period and language, ancient sources refer to this land with several names with a varying degree of geographical specificity, among which are the "Land of Israel" and "Palestine". In widely used terminology, the area corresponds to the territories of the modern State of Israel, State of Palestine, and western parts of the Kingdom of Jordan.
The chronological scope of the course is delimited, on the one hand, by the Neolithic Revolution in the Fertile Crescent, starting in the tenth millennium BCE, and, on the other hand, by the advent of Islam to the region in the 7th century CE. The core of the course concerns the periods which historians call the Iron Age, the Persian Period, the Hellenistic Period, and the early Roman period.
Within this geographical and chronological scope, the course zooms in on specific topics related to history, religion, culture, and languages, exploring them through an interdisciplinary lens.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 20,21 | Feedback Weeks | ||
| Feedback |
A mock interview with an expert (10 minutes). The student conducts a live mock interview, in which he/she acts as an expert being interviewed by the lecturer acting as a journalist about an unseen article from Wikipedia related to the course content. The complexity of the article varies between Level 1 Level 2. Feedback: Lecturer's oral or written comments. |
|||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Procedural | Evaluate | Read biblical and extra biblical Hebrew texts in an informed and critical manner |
| Reflection | Create | Gain an awareness and appreciation of social and cultural diversity |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 50 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 20 | Feedback Weeks | ||
| Feedback |
From the middle of the term, the student works on a research project, which includes such tasks as creating an annotated bibliography, creating a slides presentation, conducting archival / library searches, writing a report. Feedback: Lecturer's oral or written comments and peer-review during tutorials. |
|||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Procedural | Evaluate | Read biblical and extra biblical Hebrew texts in an informed and critical manner |
| Procedural | Evaluate | Interpret the religious texts of ancient Israel and Judah and its social and cultic phenomena in their historical cultic and cultural contexts |
| Reflection | Create | Gain an awareness and appreciation of social and cultural diversity |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 20,21 | Feedback Weeks | ||
| Feedback |
A mock interview with an expert (10 minutes). The student conducts a live mock interview, in which he/she acts as an expert being interviewed by the lecturer acting as a journalist about an unseen piece of sensational news related to biblical archaeology. The student has 3 minutes to read the news article and the interview takes 7 minutes. Feedback: Lecturer's oral or written comments. |
|||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Procedural | Evaluate | Read biblical and extra biblical Hebrew texts in an informed and critical manner |
| Reflection | Create | Gain an awareness and appreciation of social and cultural diversity |
| Assessment Type | Formative | Weighting | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Tutorials act as workshops related to lectures. Students work in pairs or in groups and present their work to fellow students. Feedback: Lecturer’s oral comments and in-class discussion. |
|||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Procedural | Evaluate | Interpret the religious texts of ancient Israel and Judah and its social and cultic phenomena in their historical cultic and cultural contexts |
| Procedural | Evaluate | Read biblical and extra biblical Hebrew texts in an informed and critical manner |
| Reflection | Create | Gain an awareness and appreciation of social and cultural diversity |
| Reflection | Create | Gain an openness to, and an interest in, life-long learning through directed and self-directed study |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback | ||||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
|
||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Procedural | Evaluate | Read biblical and extra biblical Hebrew texts in an informed and critical manner |
| Procedural | Evaluate | Reflect independently and critically on the problems related to historical reconstructions of the history of ancient Israel and Judah |
| Procedural | Evaluate | Interpret the religious texts of ancient Israel and Judah and its social and cultic phenomena in their historical cultic and cultural contexts |
| Reflection | Create | Gain an awareness and appreciation of social and cultural diversity |
| Reflection | Create | Gain an openness to, and an interest in, life-long learning through directed and self-directed study |
We have detected that you are have compatibility mode enabled or are using an old version of Internet Explorer. You either need to switch off compatibility mode for this site or upgrade your browser.
