Faculty of Philosophy Near Eastern Archaeology – Master
Near Eastern archaeology focusses on the settlement and cultural history of the Ancient Near East, from human settlement to the stages of urbanisation and the development of territorial states, and finally to the formation and demise of the ancient Near Eastern empires.
Facts & Formalities
| Degree | Master of Arts |
| Type of programme | Consecutive |
| Start of programme | Winter and summer semester |
| Standard period of study | 4 semesters |
| Language(s) of instruction | German and English |
| Fees and contributions | 151.05 € / Semester |
| Application procedure | Consecutive master’s programmes with access restriction |
| Application deadlines | Information about deadlines can be obtained after you have put together a degree program. |
| Part-time option | Yes |
| May be studied as a minor subject | Yes |
Course Content
In the Master’s programme, students consolidate the knowledge acquired in the BA programme, specifically their knowledge of settlement archaeology, economic and technological developments, architecture and art in the ancient Near East, and improve their skills in classifying and dating archaeological material. Students further consolidate their knowledge of material legacies of the ancient Near East such as rural and urban settlements and their infrastructure, profane and sacral architecture, tombs and crypts, craft and art objects, and learn to interpret them in their social, ecological and political contexts. They deal with methodological approaches that are discussed on the basis of case studies in various thematic areas. As a result, students can build reconstructions of social and economic relations in the various cultural areas. In addition to cultural history, the antique landscapes and environments are a further focus of the academic programme. These are studied with the help of natural-scientific methods. The main focus, however, is on gaining more experience in archaeological field research. The degree programme prepares graduates for independent scientific work and enables them to present their acquired knowledge and integrate it into interdisciplinary dialogue as best possible.
It is mandatory to choose a minor in combination with this Master programme. For further information please refer to the Examination Rules and Regulations.
Course Structure
The Master’s degree programme in Near Eastern archaeology is a modular course that includes a specialist component consisting of three specialist modules, two interdisciplinary modules as well as two final modules.
Two of the specialist modules each include a main seminar, a lecture and a research colloquium that provide students with in-depth insights into questions and problems associated with current research. The third specialist module provides professional training in the form of excavation and museum internships that increase students’ knowledge and skills in field research and working with antique monuments.
In the context of the interdisciplinary module, or in joint courses with neighbouring subjects - in particular with Pre- and protohistory and Assyriology - and natural-scientific subjects, students increase their spectrum of themes and methods and improve their fundamental skills and competencies.
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