A cross-cultural survey of the material remains of the major civilizations of the ancient Near East, including Anatolia, Mesopotamia, the Levant, and Egypt from Neolithic period to the rise of the Roman empire (ca. 6000 B.C.E. - 30 B.C.E.). Includes lectures with slides and discussion. For advanced undergraduates with backgrounds in the humanities and for graduate students (especially in Classics and History of Art). No knowledge of Greek or Latin is required. (Same as HA 529.)