Culture and Mythologies in Ancient History
Cod: 31014
Department: DCSG
ECTS: 6
Scientific area: History - Ancient History
Total working hours: 156
Total contact time: 15

Once you have a full command and are able to define ancient religion(s), mythology is an essential vector to fully understand the cultural and religious dimension of ancient civilizations and from there on to understand the models and life styles these societies and cultures had.
This course unit provides the main features for understanding culture in Ancinet times, taking into account the Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Greek and Roman societies and having, as a main focus, other than their functions and definitions, their myths and mythical thinking categories.

Myth
Culture
Mythical and religious thinking
Pre-classical antiquity

• Understanding the past (Ancient times) through the study of its cultural and religious manifestations.
• Organising written expression clearly.

I. Introduction - Culture and Myth
II. Culture and Mythology in Mesopotamia
III. Culture and Mythology in Egypt
IV. Culture and Myhtology in Palestine

Eliade, Mircea, Tratado de História das Religiões, Lisboa, Edições Cosmos, 1970.
Eliade, Mircea, História das Ideias e Crenças Religiosas - I Volume. Da Idade da Pedra aos Mistérios de Elêusis, Lisboa, Rés Editora, s.d.
Guirand, Félix (dir.), História das Religiões I, Lisboa, Edições 70, 2006.
Tavares, António Augusto, Civilizações Pré-Clássicas, Lisboa, Universidade Aberta, 1995.
Biblia Sagrada (any translation).

E-learning.

Continuous assessment is privileged: 2 digital written documents (e-folios) during the semester (40%) and a final digital test, Global e-folio (e-folio G) at the end of the semester (60%). In due time, students can alternatively choose to perform one final exam (100%).

Students are required to have access to a computer with Internet connection and an e-mail address as well as to have computer literacy from the users' perspective.