UNISA Ancient near eastern culture Course Module 2025-2026
Major combinations:
NQF Level: 5: ATC1502
NQF Level: 6: ATC1601, ATC2601, ATC2602, ATC2603
NQF Level: 7: ATC3701, ATC3702, ATC3703, ATC3704, ATC3705
| Cultural Change in the Ancient Near East – ATC2603 |
| Under Graduate Degree |
Semester module |
NQF level: 6 |
Credits: 12 |
| Module presented in English |
|
| Pre-requisite: ATC1502 & ATC1601 or ATC1013 & ATC1024 |
|
| Purpose: Innovation, discoveries, acculturation and diffusion in the Ancient Near East. |
| Archeology of the Ancient Near East – ATC3701 |
| Under Graduate Degree |
Semester module |
NQF level: 7 |
Credits: 12 |
| Module presented in English |
|
| Pre-requisite: ATC1502 & ATC1601 or ATC1013 & ATC1024 |
|
| Purpose: Major discoveries, layout of sites, and the importance of various archaeological sites: the Asiatic connection: Ur, Nippur, Babylon, Ashur, Nineveh, Susa and Persepolis; the Canaanite connection: Ebla, Ugarit and Mari; the Indo-European connection: Çatal Höyük, Boghazköy (Hattushas) and Kültepe (Kanesh); the African connection: Giza |
| Comparative Literature of the Ancient Near East – ATC3702 |
| Under Graduate Degree |
Semester module |
NQF level: 7 |
Credits: 12 |
| Module presented in English |
|
| Pre-requisite: ATC1502 & ATC1601 or ATC1013 & ATC1024 |
|
| Purpose: Introduction and a comparative study of historical, judicial and wisdom literature of the Ancient Near East. |
| Ancient Near East and Its “Outside” World – ATC3703 |
| Under Graduate Degree |
Semester module |
NQF level: 7 |
Credits: 12 |
| Module presented in English |
|
| Pre-requisite: ATC1502 & ATC1601 or ATC1013 & ATC1024 |
|
| Purpose: The Ancient Near East and interdisciplinary studies in Anthropology, Sociology and other Human Sciences; trade and other relations with societies outside the Ancient Near East; environmental studies of the Ancient Near East, and the influence of the Ancient Near East on current society. |
| Detailed Study of on e of the Major Cultures in Ancient Near East – ATC3704 |
| Under Graduate Degree |
Semester module |
NQF level: 7 |
Credits: 12 |
| Module presented in English |
|
| Pre-requisite: ATC1502 & ATC1601 or ATC1013 & ATC1024 |
|
| Purpose: Geographical and historical awareness of one culture in the Ancient Near East; cultural categories of one group in the Ancient Near East, and the world view of one culture in the Ancient Near East. |
| Essay and Seminar – ATC3705 |
| Under Graduate Degree |
Semester module |
NQF level: 7 |
Credits: 12 |
| Module presented in English |
|
| Purpose: One extended (written) essay and an oral presentation on a cultural topic from the Ancient Near East: either one cultural aspect of one society in the Ancient Near East, or a comparative study of the cultural aspects of various societies in the Ancient Near East (it should be clear that the student is acquainted with handling both source types (written and unwritten [iconographic and archaeological] material). |
| Mythology of the Ancient Near East – ATC1502 |
| Under Graduate Degree |
Semester module |
NQF level: 5 |
Credits: 12 |
| Module presented in English |
|
| Purpose: (a) Introduction to the mythology of the Ancient Near East: mythological thought, development of the Gilgamesh epic; (b) Comparison of selected literary works of the Ancient Near East: comparison of creation, deluge and fertility myths. |
| Introduction to the Ancient Near Eastern Culture – ATC1601 |
| Under Graduate Degree |
Semester module |
NQF level: 6 |
Credits: 12 |
| Module presented in English |
|
| Purpose: Peoples and cultures of the Ancient Near East: (a) African connection: Egyptians, Nubians, Ethiopians, Libyans; (b) Canaanite connection: Canaanites, Philistines, Phoenicians, Israelites, Edomites, Moabites, Ammonites; (c) Asiatic connection: Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Aramaeans, Persians, Elamites, Ammonites; (d) Indo-European connection: Hittites, Hurrians, Urartians. The cultural model, cultural chronology and cultural categories of the Ancient Near East. |
| Verbal Communication in the Ancient Near East – ATC2601 |
| Under Graduate Degree |
Semester module |
NQF level: 6 |
Credits: 12 |
| Module presented in English |
|
| Pre-requisite: ATC1502 & ATC1601 or ATC1013 & ATC1024 |
|
| Purpose: Languages and scripts of the Ancient Near East; elementary introduction to hieroglyphic, cuneiform and alphabetic writings, and an introduction to the ancient Semitic, Hamitic and Indo-European languages. |
| Nonverbal Communication in Ancient Near East – ATC2602 |
| Under Graduate Degree |
Semester module |
NQF level: 6 |
Credits: 12 |
| Module presented in English |
|
| Pre-requisite: ATC1502 & ATC1601 or ATC1013 & ATC1024 |
|
| Purpose: Art, symbolism and iconography of the Ancient Near East, and various other forms of nonverbal communication: body communication, gestures, posture, expression, paralanguage. |
