Oriental Studies – Culture of Ancient Near East

Full-time, first and second cycle studies in Polish.

The field of Oriental Studies – the culture of the Ancient Near East is highly interdisciplinary, although the leading discipline is the study of culture and religion. The unique teaching programme is offered exclusively by the Faculty of Oriental Studies at the University of Warsaw, which has almost 90 years of experience in teaching Oriental/African cultures and languages, including Akkadian, Hittite and Sumerian, as evidenced by the creation of the unique course in Oriental Studies – Culture of Ancient Near East. The didactic programme is based on many years of experience and practice in teaching and researching issues related to the Ancient Near East and the culture of this region. The lecturers are specialists – in most cases the only ones in Poland – in issues related to this geographical and cultural area, conducting advanced scientific research supported by numerous publications in both Polish and foreign language publications. Language classes are conducted by experienced lecturers and researchers of Ancient Near Eastern culture. Within the framework of various cooperation and scholarship programmes, students have the opportunity to apply for research trips to selected research centres in Europe in order to improve their qualifications and language skills.

The intended learning outcomes are twofold: they guarantee the acquisition of extensive knowledge of various aspects of ancient Eastern culture and the ability to use the Assyrian, Hittite and Sumerian languages. The programme provides a broad knowledge of the literature, history, philosophy, religion and archaeology of the Ancient East and ensures the acquisition of advanced language skills and competences through intensive study of Assyrian, Hittite and Sumerian.

The comprehensive education provided by the oriental studies programme – Cultures of Ancient Near East, also covering the humanities in the broadest sense – allows for interdisciplinary research at a later stage, as well as an understanding of the roots of the problems of the modern world and attempts to find solutions to them. It provides students with a broad horizon, necessary to understand today’s problems and conflicts resulting from civilisational differences. The programme also enables the training of new staff in the field of cultural and religious studies and other scientific disciplines. The implementation of the Oriental Studies – Culture of Ancient Near East programme allows for the achievement of cognitive synergy and the shaping of a new trend in thinking and social awareness, which consists of – so necessary today – understanding, openness and tolerance towards others, and recognising the value of one’s own culture and ethical attitudes derived from the European circle and the culture of the Ancient Near East.

The knowledge gained will enable the Graduate of Oriental Studies – Culture of Ancient Near East to properly navigate the sphere of general issues concerning the theory and practice of the Culture of Ancient Near East. The graduate will understand the diversity of cultures and civilisations, which will enable them to participate in the process of intercultural understanding and cooperation. They will acquire a foundation for theoretical reflection on ancient Eastern culture. They will be able to analyse basic phenomena related to Ancient Eastern culture, and the tool for analysing these phenomena will be the graduate’s good linguistic and methodological preparation in the fields of cultural and religious studies, linguistics, philosophy, history, literary studies and archaeology.

Graduates will be ready to work in cultural institutions, the media, editorial offices and public administration. The job market currently needs experts who are familiar with the language, cultural and social realities and the roots of the countries in this region. In addition, graduates will be prepared to undertake second-cycle studies.

Studies of the ancient Near East at the University of Warsaw began after World War I with classes in Sumerian, Akkadian, and history and archaeology of the ancient Near East taught by Józef Bromski, Moses Schorr, and Stefan Przeworski. In 1937, the Assyriological Seminar was established at the Institute of Oriental Studies. Revived soon after World War II as the Seminar of Ancient Near Eastern Philology, it reorganized several times to finally adopt its present name in 2009. The Department, the only of its kind in Poland, was headed in succession by Rudolf Ranoszek, Krystyna Iyczkowska, Maciej Popko, Jan Braun, and Olga Drewnowska-Rymarz.

At present, three major languages of the ancient Near East – Akkadian, Sumerian, and Hittite – are taught at the Department. We offer a three-year first-cycle course and a two-year second-cycle course during which students acquire competence in the reading of the cuneiform script and become familiar with texts from different periods of ancient Near Eastern history. Next to the language classes, the curriculum includes lectures in archaeology, history, literatures, and religions of the Middle East in the period between the fourth and the first millennia BCE. Graduates can continue their education by joining a PhD programme in one of doctoral schools of the University of Warsaw.

The research pursued at the Department focuses primarily on Mesopotamian and Hittite religions (Olga Drewnowska-Rymarz, Piotr Taracha, Magdalena Kapetus), history and law (Małgorzata Sandowicz), and geography (Adam Kryszen). The Department is actively involved in international academic life. It has organized two major Hittitological and Assyriological conferences (the International Congress of Hittitology in 2011 and the Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale in 2014) and run several NCN-sponsored research projects. The Department houses the richest ancient Near Eastern library in East-Central Europe.

The Department of Ancient Near Eastern Studies conducts research in the following fields:

• Languages and cultures of the ancient Near East
• Mesopotamian religion
• Hittite religion
• History of the ancient Near East
• Ancient Near Eastern literatures
• Law and administration in the ancient Near East
• Geography of Hittite Anatolia

For more detailed information on the programme and the course of study, please visit the website: www.zws.orient.uw.edu.pl