85515 - An introduction to The Archaeology of Pre-Islamic Iran and To Its Development

Learning outcomes

The course will illustrate the main topics of the archaeology of Pre-Islamic Iran, from the age of the Achaemenians to that of the Sassanians (6th cent. BC to 7th cent. AD), focussing also on the methodological developments and on the ideological implications of archaeology in the shaping of the cultural identity of contemporary Iran.

Course contents

Course Outline

Lesson 1

Tuesday, 15-18

The environment: the peculiarity of the Iranian plateau

Compulsory reading: Iranica on-line, s.v. Geography, i-Evolution of geographical knowledge; ii-Human geography

Lesson 2

Wednesday, 15-18

A short introduction to the history of pre-Islamic Iran

Compulsory reading: J. Wiesehöfer, Ancient Persia from 550 BC to 650 AD, London-New York 1996 (divided among students)

Lesson 3

Thursday, 8-11

History of archaeological research in Iran: the beginnings, before 1930

Compulsory reading: Iranica on-line, s.v. Archeology, i-Pre-Median: history and methods of research; Iranica on-line, s.v. Herzfeld; Review of “N. Nasiri-Moghaddam, L’archéologie française en Perse et les antiquités nationales (1884-1914), Paris 2004”, in Iranian Studies, 41, 5, December 2008

Lesson 4

Tuesday, 15-18

History of archaeological research in Iran: from 1930 to 1979

Compulsory reading: Iranica on-line, s.v. Ghirshman; Iranica on-line, s.v. Asia Institute; R. Daroogheh-Nokhodcheri, Nationalism, Politics, and the Practice of Archaeology: The Case Study of Iran, Durham theses, Durham University 2014. Available at Durham E-Theses Online:

http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/10658/1/thesis_alll_(hand-in_copy).pdf?DDD6 + (divided among students)

Lesson 5

Wednesday, 15-18

A short introduction to the archaeology of pre-Islamic Iran: the Median and Achaemenid periods I

Compulsory reading: Iranica on-line, s.v. Archeology, ii-Median and Achaemenid

Lesson 6

Thursday, 8-11

A short introduction to the archaeology of pre-Islamic Iran: the Achaemenid period II

Compulsory reading: Iranica on-line, s.v. Archeology, ii-Median and Achaemenid

Lesson 7

Tuesday, 15-18

A short introduction to the archaeology of pre-Islamic Iran: the Hellenistic and Arsacid periods

Compulsory reading: Iranica on-line, s.v. Archeology, iii-Parthian

Lesson 8

Wednesday, 15-18

A short introduction to the archaeology of pre-Islamic Iran: the Sasanian period

Compulsory reading: Iranica on-line, s.v. Archeology, iv-Sasanian I

Lesson 9

Thursday, 8-11

A short introduction to the archaeology of pre-Islamic Iran: the Sasanian period

Compulsory reading: Iranica on-line, s.v. Archeology, iv-Sasanian II

Lesson 10

Tuesday, 15-18

Archaeology in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Compulsory reading: R. Daroogheh-Nokhodcheri, Nationalism, Politics, and the Practice of Archaeology: The Case Study of Iran, Durham theses, Durham University 2014. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/10658/1/thesis_alll_(hand-in_copy).pdf?DDD6 + (divided among students)

Readings/Bibliography

Iranica on-line, s.v. Geography, i-Evolution of geographical knowledge; ii-Human geography

Iranica on-line, s.v. Archeology, i-Pre-Median: history and methods of research

Iranica on-line, s.v. Herzfeld

Review of “N. Nasiri-Moghaddam, L’archéologie française en Perse et les antiquités nationales (1884-1914), Paris 2004”, in Iranian Studies, 41, 5, December 2008

Iranica on-line, s.v. Ghirshman

Iranica on-line, s.v. Asia Institute

R. Daroogheh-Nokhodcheri, Nationalism, Politics, and the Practice of Archaeology: The Case Study of Iran, Durham theses, Durham University 2014. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/10658/1/thesis_alll_(hand-in_copy).pdf?DDD6+

Iranica on-line, s.v. Archeology, ii-Median and Achaemenid

Iranica on-line, s.v. Archeology, iii-Parthian

Iranica on-line, s.v. Archeology, iv-Sasanian I

J. Wiesehöfer, Ancient Persia from 550 BC to 650 AD, London-New York 1996

Teaching methods

Lessons 2-4 and 10 will be introduced by the teacher, with the active collaboration of students who will prepare a brief presentation of the essays distributed by the teacher.

Lessons 1 and 5-9 will be given by the teacher with projection of slides of main archaeological monuments.

Assessment methods

The exam consists of an oral examination on the entire syllabus. The aim of the interview is to assess the methodological and critical skills acquired by the student. Given the importance of class attendance for an appropriate training process two distinct grading scales are employed: for attending and non-attending students.

Attending students

Attendance and participation count for 30% of the final grade.

In particular, the ability of the student to participate actively in class, also using multimedia and collaborative tools provided within the course, will be assessed; such capacity, if combined with the achievement of a coherent framework of the topics developed during the lessons , the application of critical sense and suitable means of expression will be considered and evaluated with the maximum grading = A (27-30 con lode).

Attendance, if joint to a predominantly mnemonic acquisition of course's contents and discontinuous language and logical skills will be assessed in a grading range from good (B = 24-26) to satisfactory (C = 21-23).

Attendance, with a minimum level of knowledge of the course contents, combined with training gaps or inadequate language and logical skills, will get as grade ‘barely passing' (D = 18-20).

The absence of a minimum level of knowledge of the course contents, combined with inadequate language and logical skills and training gaps, will produce a fail (E) grading, even in spite of an assiduous attendance.

Non-attending students

Non-attending students will be assessed primarily on the ability to use literature made available in order to properly expose the contents of the course. This ability, when combined with the achievement of a coherent framework of the course's themes, the application of critical sense, and suitable means of expression will be considered and evaluated with the maximum grading = A (27-30 con lode).

A predominantly mnemonic acquisition of course's contents along with discontinuous language and logical skills will be assessed in a grading range from good (B = 24-26) to satisfactory (C = 21- 23).

A minimum level of knowledge of the course contents, combined with training gaps or inadequate language and logical skills, will get as grade ‘barely passing' (D = 18-20).

The absence of a minimum level of knowledge of the course contents, combined with inadequate language and logical skills and training gaps, will produce a fail (E) grading.

Teaching tools

Projection of slides and distribution of plans and graphs.

Office hours

See the website of Pierfrancesco Callieri