Assyriology and Egyptology
In the Near East (Babylonia and Assyria) and Egypt, ancient cultures developed that are often seen as foundations of the modern world. Understanding these unique societies is an exciting and rewarding intellectual challenge.
The undergraduate degrees at Oxford integrate the translation and analysis of original sources in the ancient languages and scripts (eg cuneiform and hieroglyphs) with the study of material culture and artefacts.
The core of the teaching is in Akkadian and Egyptian language and texts. The aim is to understand Ancient Near Eastern and Egyptian cultures more broadly and to use written sources as a point of departure for studying a wide range of aspects, such as history, religion, poetry, law, economy, and archaeology. Both degrees include artefact classes in the Ashmolean Museum.
It is also possible to combine the study of Assyriology or Egyptology with Classics as a degree in Classics and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.
In addition, Akkadian or Egyptian can be studied as a subsidiary language as part of other degrees within the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.
BA Assyriology (Q401) and BA Egyptology (Q400)
The three-year BA courses in Assyriology and Egyptology are two closely related Asian and Middle Eastern Studies courses.
These degree options encompass two related but distinct courses of study, focusing on Assyriology (Ancient Near Eastern Studies) and Egyptology respectively. The Assyriology course, concentrating on the Ancient Near East and the Akkadian language of Babylonia and Assyria, is available through the BA in Assyriology. The Egyptology course, concentrating on ancient Egypt and the Egyptian language, is available through the BA in Egyptology.
Please note that the Ancient Near Eastern Studies course (BA Assyriology) was previously available under the degree title ‘BA Egyptology and Ancient Near Eastern Studies’. The course content has not changed at all, but the updated degree name better reflects the focus of the course.
Both courses offer a wide range of options for the study of the languages, literature, history, and material culture of the Ancient Near East and/or ancient Egypt. No prior knowledge of Akkadian, Egyptian, or any other ancient language is expected and both courses include core language study.
Assyriology
In the first year the Akkadian language is studied intensively in the Old Babylonian and Standard Babylonian dialects and students take courses in the history and cultures of Mesopotamia and Egypt. Later in the first year, students choose a subsidiary language or subject in consultation with their tutors.
The course for the final examination is started in the second year. Students learn a subsidiary language chosen from the following:
- Arabic
- Aramaic and Syriac
- Early Iranian (including Avestan, Old Persian and/or Middle Persian)
- Egyptian
- Hebrew (Biblical and Rabbinic)
- Hittite
- Sumerian
As an alternative to a subsidiary language, it is also possible to take Archaeology and Anthropology as a subsidiary subject, with Assyriology as the main subject.
The subsidiary language is treated in a broadly similar fashion to Akkadian, with work both on language and texts and on history and culture. Taking Archaeology and Anthropology involves broad training in these disciplines through lectures and weekly tutorials.
Your subsidiary subject will be named in your final degree title. For example, if you choose Sumerian as a subsidiary language, your final degree will be BA Assyriology with Sumerian.
During the second and third years, Akkadian is continued with more advanced work in Standard Babylonian, as well as material in at least one other dialect and phase of cuneiform script. Students also take classes in the Ashmolean Museum during these years to develop their understanding of Ancient Near Eastern material culture and to allow them to work with original textual sources (cuneiform tablets).
As part of the third-year of the course, students choose their own areas for more detailed study and research, including a special option and a dissertation. One course option involves reading texts of particular interest and these can come from an additional category or time period not covered by the rest of the syllabus.
Dissertations and special options may be centred on cultural, historical, archaeological, or artistic topics, and often include additional areas of language or texts.
Egyptology
In the first year, the Egyptian language is studied intensively in the Middle Egyptian phase (c. 2000-1400 BCE) and students take courses in the history and cultures of Egypt and Mesopotamia. Later in the first year, students choose a subsidiary language or subject in consultation with their tutors.
The course for the final examination is started in the second year. Students learn a subsidiary language chosen from the following:
- Akkadian
- Arabic
- Aramaic and Syriac
- Coptic
- Demotic
- Early Iranian (including Avestan, Old Persian and/or Middle Persian)
- Hebrew (Biblical and Rabbinic)
As an alternative to a subsidiary language, it is also possible to take Archaeology and Anthropology as a subsidiary subject, with Egyptology as the main subject.
The subsidiary language is treated in a broadly similar fashion to Egyptian, with work both on language and texts and on history and culture. Taking Archaeology and Anthropology involves broad training in these disciplines through lectures and weekly tutorials.
Your subsidiary subject will be named in your final degree title. For example, if you choose Coptic as a subsidiary language, your final degree will be BA Egyptology with Coptic.
During the second and third years, Egyptian is continued with more advanced work in Middle Egyptian, as well as the cursive hieratic script, Old and Late Egyptian. Students also take classes in the Ashmolean Museum during these years to develop their understanding of Egyptian material culture, and artefacts.
As part of the third year of the course, students choose their own areas for more detailed study and research, including a special option and a dissertation. Dissertations and special options are often centred on historical, archaeological, or artistic topics, and may include additional areas of language or texts.
Akkadian or Egyptian as a subsidiary language
Akkadian or Egyptian may be studied as a subsidiary language alongside Hebrew as a main subject in a degree in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. Akkadian may also be studied alongside Arabic as a main subject.
This will lead to a degree combining the main subject area with Akkadian or Egyptian, eg BA Hebrew with Akkadian.
BA in Classics and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
The joint degree of Classics and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies offers opportunities to combine courses across two Faculties.
Assyriology or Egyptology can be studied as a main subject alongside Latin or Greek as a subsidiary language. Alternatively, Classics can be studied as a main subject, alongside Akkadian or Egyptian as a subsidiary language.
Akkadian as a subsidiary language is principally studied in the Old and Standard Babylonian dialects. Egyptian as a subsidiary language is studied in the Middle Egyptian phase. Each subsidiary integrates language with the study of the history and cultures of the relevant area.
The societies of the Ancient Near East and Ancient Egypt had close relationships with the Greek and Roman worlds, so this degree allows the development of detailed intercultural perspectives.
