HASB0106FU OLD, Religion in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia (F27)

Volume 2026/2027
Education

Bacheloruddannelsen i mellemøstens sprog og samfund (assyriologi), 2026-ordningen
Bacheloruddannelsen i mellemøstens sprog og samfund (ægyptologi), 2026-ordningen
 

Content

The course focuses on the world’s two oldest historical religions and is taught in an interdisciplinary manner through a collaboration between Egyptology and Assyriology. The course is theme-oriented and organized into two academic tracks with a series of thematic modules focusing on texts, material culture, and buildings from the approximately 3,000-year-long historical periods in Egypt and Mesopotamia. The individual themes include gods and conceptions of the divine, mythologies, temples and sacred spaces, ritual actors, rituals and magic, the art of divination, and conceptions of the afterlife. Students will also be introduced to the most important religious texts, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Myth of Isis and Osiris, the Babylonian Epic of Creation, and the Egyptian Book of the Dead, excerpts of which will be read and discussed in English translation.

Learning Outcome

Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to demonstrate:  

 

Knowledge and understanding of

  • key aspects of the religious beliefs and practices of Egypt and Mesopotamia
  • the nature and scope of the source material
  • methodological approaches to the study of ancient religion.

 

Skills to

  • identify research problems in the history of religion
  • present a specific topic in a written essay
  • evaluate and explain the use of source material
  • approach academic literature critically.

 

Competencies to

  • formulate and define a relevant research question
  • independently select academic literature and sources
  • communicate in writing at a general level.

The student compiles a syllabus of 400 standard pages, which must be used in conjunction with the prescribed readings totaling 1,000 standard pages compiled by the instructor. The syllabus must be approved by the authorized instructor.

Class-based teaching partly in a dialogue-based format.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 28
  • Preparation
  • 110
  • Practical exercises
  • 14
  • Guidance
  • 2
  • Exam
  • 52,25
  • Total
  • 206,25
Oral
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester
Feedback by final exam (In addition to the grade)
Peer feedback (Students give each other feedback)
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Home assignment, 6-10 standard pages
Type of assessment details
Free home assignment.
Group exam regulations: The exam can only be taken individually.
Exam language: English.
Aid
All aids allowed

For rules on generative artificial intelligence, see Study Information.

Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Re-exam

Same as ordinary exam

Criteria for exam assesment

See Learning Outcome