Outline

Overview

West Asia in the Iron Age witnessed a succession of splendid imperial expansive states, from the mighty Assyrian and Babylonian empires to the Achaemenid state as the first World Empire. This unit introduces these developments in a broad comparative perspective throughout ancient West Asia.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Archaeology
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	12 credit points at 1000 level in the Archaeology major
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Joseph W. Lehner, joseph.lehner@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Joseph W. Lehner, joseph.lehner@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Presentation	Tutorial discussion Tutorial presentation and discussion lead.	30%	Ongoing	1000wd
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Quiz #1 Timed short essay on a single question.	6%	Week 03 Due date: 13 Sep 2020 at 23:59	2hrs / minimum 250wd
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Quiz #2 Timed short essay on a single question.	6%	Week 06 Due date: 04 Oct 2020 at 23:59	2hrs / minimum 250wd
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	Quiz #3 Timed short essay on a single question.	6%	Week 08 Due date: 25 Oct 2020 at 23:59	2hrs / minimum 250wd
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Quiz #4 Timed short essay on a single question.	6%	Week 10 Due date: 08 Nov 2020 at 15:10	2hrs / minimum 250wd
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	Quiz #5 Timed short essay on a single question.	6%	Week 12 Due date: 22 Nov 2020 at 23:59	2hrs / 250wd minimum
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Essay Research paper	40%	Week 13 Due date: 29 Nov 2020 at 23:59	2000wd
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Final Essay (40%): an open-ended research paper on a subject agreed on by the student and instructor by Week 4.
Group Presentation (30%): Student group led discussion on an important article on an archaeological site, suite of material culture, or theme. A written summary to be provided to the instructor by the day before the scheduled tutorial.
Quizzes (5 quizzes at 6% a piece – total of 30%): a timed minimum 250wd short essay on a question encouraging broad synthesis of assigned readings and lecture materials.

Assessment criteria

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Distinction	75 - 84	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Credit	65 - 74	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Pass	50 - 64	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date: Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date. After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction to the archaeology of empire and imperialism	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 01	Zoom tutorial on assessment tasks	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 02	Roots of empire in West Asia I	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	Identifying early empire	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 03	Roots of empire in West Asia II	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 03	Explaining early empires	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 04	The emergence of large empires and the beginning of the Iron Age	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 04	The iron age transition	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 05	Assyria I	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 05	Mortuary cult in Assyria	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 06	Assyria II	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 06	Climate change and empire	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 07	Cultural responses and resistance to imperialism: Urartu and Anatolia	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 07	Agrarian power and control	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 08	Cultural responses at the limits of imperialism: the Levant	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 08	Commensality and foodways	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 09	The Neo-Babylonian Empire	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 09	Imperialism at the northern periphery	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 10	The limits of empire in the Persian Gulf	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 10	Dromedary domestication	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 11	Persia & the creation of a universal empire	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 11	Early globalism	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 12	Explaining the growth and decline of empire	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 12	The problem of growth	Tutorial (1 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.

If a unit of study has a participation mark, your attendance may influence this mark.

For more information on attendance, see http://sydney.edu.au/policies/showdoc.aspx?recnum=PDOC2014/345&RendNum=0.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed on Canvas.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Demonstrate an understanding of how archaeology, as the study of material culture, is employed across a wide variety of spatial and temporal contexts
LO2. Synthesise knowledge, experience and practice by constructing and testing new arguments and proposing evidence-based solutions.
LO3. Demonstrate an understanding of archaeological interpretations of early human society
LO4. Demonstrate a basic capacity for scholarly evaluation, critical analysis, and problem solving within archaeology through the writing of an essay on a selected topic
LO5. Demonstrate an understanding of the foundations of global archaeological processes, along with a basic awareness of archaeological sequences and cultural change.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This is the first time this unit has been offered.

Additional information

Additional costs

here are no additional costs for this unit.

Site visit guidelines

There are no site visit guidelines for this unit.

Work, health and safety

There are no specific WHS requirements for this unit.

Disclaimer

Important: the University of Sydney regularly reviews units of study and reserves the right to change the units of study available annually. To stay up to date on available study options, including unit of study details and availability, refer to the relevant handbook.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Additional costs

Site visit guidelines

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

ARCO2011: Growing Empires in Iron Age Western Asia

Semester 2, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Additional costs

Site visit guidelines

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links