Essay 1 Guidelines

Please write a 3-page paper (800-1000 words ) on one of the topics listed below. The essay is due by 5 p.m. on September 17. You may slip it under my office door or put it in my mailbox in 280 Schaeffer Hall.

Format : 12 pt. type, double-spaced, with 1" margins all around. No hand-written papers will be accepted. List the total words in your paper at the end, ex. "Word count: 899" (use the word count function of your word processor - if Microsoft Word, it's in the Tools menu).

Sources : Use the primary and secondary sources assigned, as these will be necessary to write a good paper. If you do use outside sources (something I do not encourage at this point), you must reference them completely and correctly in the body of the paper and you must also attach a bibliography. Cite passages in the following manner: for primary sources, list URL first, then page title and then line number you refer to, subsequent citations may be referred to by page title and line number. Van De Mieroop A History of the Ancient Near East, ca. 3000-323BC should be referred to by author, title, and page number in your first reference, afterwards, Van De Mieroop, p. X is sufficient (I refer to this author in the syllabus as Mieroop only for clarity and to reduce clutter).

Note: avoid online materials unless they are accessible through the UI Libraries Infohawk site, course site, or History Writing Center site.

Grading : Your paper will be graded on topicality, strength of argument, appropriate and convincing use of evidence, and clarity. It is essential that you answer the question with a structured argument that uses primary and secondary evidence to support your points. If your writing style/spelling/grammar impede any of these, your grade will be lowered. If you need advice about writing a paper for a history course, go to the University of Iowa History Writing Center site (http://www.uiowa.edu/~histwrit/). Appointments are also available at the History Writing Center; see the site for details.

Topics:

• Analyze the ideology of kingship as presented in Shulgi B (http://www-etcsl.orient.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcslmac.cgi?text=t.2.4.2.02). Why is Shulgi a great king? How does his self-praise reflect 1) religious beliefs and the king’s place within them; 2) political functions, internal and external; 3) elite social values? In short, why does he deserve to be king?
• Lament for Urim (http://www-etcsl.orient.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcslmac.cgi?text=t.2.2.2): Is this a lament for a city or a regional power? What causes Ur’s fall - the gods, external forces, or both? Can the two be separated, as it is portrayed in the lament?
• Read letters t3.1.17-20 on http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk (all concern Ibbi-Sin, Ishbi-Erra, and Puzur-Shulgi). Trace Ishbi-Erra’s progression from loyal general to king. How does he legitimize himself as king? Characterize the religious reasoning Ibbi-Sin uses in attempting to control him. To what extent is the ideology of kingship dependent on religious ideology?
• Using letters t3.1.17-20 on http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk (all concern Ibbi-Sin, Ishbi-Erra, and Puzur-Shulgi) as evidence, identify factors that led to the fall of the Ur III dynasty. How objectively and comprehensively can these letters represent such factors? What additional evidence might you want to support your argument? Base your response to this last question on van de Mieroop’s discussion of the range of historical evidence from this period.