We shall read in class ancient Assyrian, Egyptian, Phoenician and Hittite tales, poems and historical documents that are in some ways akin to Old Testament stories and histories. The texts of these documents are found in James Pritchard's "The Ancient Near East: an anthology (Volume 1)", which you will need to have a copy of. The aims of the course are, firstly, to appreciate the marvels of these Near Eastern myths in their own right; and secondly, to understand familiar Old Testament stories in their larger historical context, by considering contemporary (or far older) texts of a similar character. These texts were dug up by 19th and (more often) 20th century archaeologists, sometimes in cuneiform or hieroglyphic libraries, in temples and palaces. You will also need to bring to class a Bible, for comparison of the stories. I shall provide a running analysis and facilitate group discussion.