课程宗旨

历史研究应具备比较之眼光，为近年来史学界之共识。经由比较，历史文化之特殊意义得以彰显，不同历史文化之分殊，亦得以辩明。然而比较历史研究，尤其是古代历史，应如何进行？则尚少实证之例。本课程之设计，即在使学生有机会利用不同古代历史传统中之材料进行实证之比较研究，由实证研究中培养比较之眼光与能力。

课程设计

(1) 专题演讲：由教师介绍古代近东史大勢，提供比较研究之范例，供学生参考。

(2) 专题讨论：由学生分别负责一个阅读专题，阅读相关文献，并在课上提出综合报告。报告之内容应包括：一、相关之基本材料，二、前人研究之主要成果，三、方法上之检讨，四、尚待解决之问题，五、相关书目。参与讨论之学员则负责阅读指定及相关材料，提出至少一个问题或心得摘要，以供讨论。问题或摘要应於上课前二天分寄全体学生及老师。

(3) 专题研究：在学期结束之前学生必须提出个人专题研究报告。此研究报之题目应在本课程范围之内，题目不宜过大或过广泛，应以一特定而明确之问题为讨论主旨，以中国及另一古代文明（两河或埃及）为比较对象。研究之原始材料以中文为主，中文之外之材料以英文翻译史料及二手研究相济而行，题目力求具体且有材料可讨论者。报告内容应包括：一、此题目之意义，二、原始文献及材料，三、前人相关研究及研究方法，四、主要内容，五、书目。报告草稿应於报告前一週缴交，印发课上成员。定稿（A4，单行间隔，十五至二十页）於学期考期末缴交。论文格式依一般标准。

(1) Introduction (9 Jan)

(2) Early Mesopotamia: An overview (I) (16 Jan)

Oates, chapter 1. Sasson, 807-830 蒲慕州，《西洋上古文化—探索与反思》,第二章.

(3) Early Mesopotamia: An overview (II) (23 Jan)

Oates, chapter 2, 3, 4. Sasson, 807-830 蒲慕州，《西洋上古文化—探索与反思》,第三,七章

(4) Ancient Egypt: An overview (I) (30 Jan)

Shaw, The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, chapters 1-6. 蒲慕州，《西洋上古文化—探索与反思》,第四,五章

(5) Ancient Egypt: An overview (II) (13 Feb)

Shaw, The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, chapter 7-10. 蒲慕州，《西洋上古文化—探索与反思》,第六,七章

(6) Political control of early societies: Mesopotamia (20 Feb)

Postgate, chapters 4, 5, 7; Mieroop, chapters 5, 6; Sasson, 395-412.

Discussion topics:

Theories about the rise of state

Types of early political unit

The making of political leadership

The bureaucracy

(7) Political control of early societies: Egypt (27 Feb)

Sasson, 273-288, 679-690; Kemp, chapter 3

Discussion topics: Theories about the rise of state

Types of early political unit

The making of political leadership

The bureaucracy

(8) Religion: Mesopotamia (6 Mar)

Bottero, chapter 12; Postgate, chapters 6, 14

Discussion topics:

Cosmogony The relationship between man and god

The nature of deities

The netherworld

Divine action and human morality

(9) Religion: Egypt (13 Mar)

Shafer, chapters 1, 2, 3

Discussion topics:

Cosmogony

The relationship between man and god

The nature of deities

The netherworld

Divine action and human morality

(10) Gender: Mesopotamia: Marriage and social life (20 Mar)

Scott, Joan W. “Gender: A Useful Category of Historical Analysis.” The American Historical Review, Vol. 91, No. 5. (Dec., 1986): 1053-1075.

Cameron, A. & Kuhrt A. Images of Women in Antiquity ch 12, 16

Sasson, Jack ed., Civilizations of the Ancient Near East vol I, 485-501

Nemet-Nejat, K. R. Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia, ch. 7

Stol, M. “Women in Mesopotamia”. Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, Vol. 38, No. 2, Women’s History (1995): 123-144.

Lesko, Barbara S. edited. Women’s earliest records: From Ancient Egypt and Western Asia. (Atlanta, Georgia: Scholars Press, 1989), 47-69.

Discussion topics:

Gender as a useful concept in the study of history

Examples of the importance of the concept of gender in understanding history

How to study the legal status of women in terms of economic and family life

(11) Egypt: Marriage and social life (27 Mar)

Robins, Gay, Women in Ancient Egypt, chapters. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. 10

Lesko, Barbara S. edited. Women’s earliest records: From Ancient Egypt and Western Asia. Atlanta, Georgia: Scholars Press, 1989. 1-46.

Discussion topics:

How to study gender relationship using textual and pictographic sources

The idealized and the reality, why the difference?

(12, 13) Paper presentation (10 & 17 Apr)

1. the formation of cultural identity

2. The concept of kingship

3. The relationship between religion and ethics

4. Economy and trade

1. Bottero, J. Mesopotamia: Writing, Reasoning, and the Gods (Chicago: The Univ. of Chicago Press)

2. Cameron, A. & Kuhrt A. Images of Women in Antiquity (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1993).

3. Frankfort, H. Ancient Egyptian Religion (New York: Harper, 1948).

4. Kemp, B. J. Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilization (London: Routledge, 1991)

5. Lesko, Barbara S. edited. Women’s earliest records: From Ancient Egypt and Western Asia. (Atlanta, Georgia: Scholars Press, 1989).

6. Mieroop, Marc van De, The Ancient Mesopotamian City (Clarendon Press Oxford, 1997)

7. Nemet-Nejat, K. R. Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia (London: Greenwood, 1998)

8. Oates, Joan, Babylon (New York: Thames and Hudson, 1986).

9. Poo, Mu-chou, Enemies of Civilization: Attitudes toward Foreigners in Ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt and China (Albany: New York State University Press, 2005).

10. Postgate, J. N. Early Mesopotamia: Society and Economy at the Dawn of History (London and New York: Routledge, 1992)

11. Robins, Gay, Women in Ancient Egypt. (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2001)

12. Sasson, J. Civilizations of the Ancient Near East, 4 vols. (New York: Scribner, 1995)

13. Scott, Joan W. “Gender: A Useful Category of Historical Analysis.” The American Historical Review, Vol. 91, No. 5. (Dec., 1986): 1053-1075.

14. Shafer, B. E. ed. Religion in Ancient Egypt: Gods, Myths, and Personal Practice (Cornell Univ. Press, 1991)

15. Shaw, I. ed., The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000

16. Stol, M. “Women in Mesopotamia”. Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, Vol. 38, No. 2, Women’s History (1995): 123-144.

17. 蒲慕州，《西洋上古文化—探索与反思》（台北：三民书局，2009）

Suggested paper topics:

1. the formation of cultural identity

2. the world after death

3. the concept of kingship

4. the relationship between religion and ethics

5. the status of women

6. art and ideology

7. the nature of literacy

8. divination

9. witchcraft

10. the nature of the deities

11. cosmology and cosmogony

12. rituals and cults.

13. the use of history

14. the concept of time

15. law and social justice

16. class systems

17. family and gender issues

18. music and dance

19. education and social values

20. topics on science and technology

21. economy and trade

22. the development and use of writing

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