Welcome - Ancient and Medieval History of the Persianate World
HIST 3511 Ancient and Medieval History of the Persianate World
CREDIT HOURS: 3
This course is dedicated to studying those periods from antiquity to the medieval age where parts of Asia were influenced and defined by the Persian language and culture (i.e. Iran, the Caucasus, the Steppe, Mesopotamia, Central Asia, Anatolia, South Asia). This course will begin with examining the Aryan invasions of the 2nd Millenium B.C.E., and the eventual establishment of the Median and Achaemenid empires in the 7th – 6th centuries B.C.E. The Persian Wars between the Persians and the Greeks, culminating with Alexander the Great’s invasion and the establishment of a Perso-Hellenistic state in the 4th century B.C.E. will be studied along with various issues associated with ancient Iran and Central Asia (Zoroastrianism, Manicheanism, Nestorian Christianity, Buddhism) during the Achaemenid, Seleucid, Parthian, and Sasanian periods. This course will also examine the impact of the Arab Muslim invasions on Iran and Central Asia in the 7th, 8th, and 9th centuries, and the contribution of Persian civilization to the growth and success of Islam during the Abbasid period (750-1258). Strong emphasis will be placed on examining various aspects of Persianate culture, namely poetry, literature, art, architecture, philosophy, and mysticism in the medieval period.
FORMAT:
CROSS-LISTING:
CLAS 3602.03