Students of Ancient Near Eastern Studies are enthusiastic about early societies and excited about working with ancient languages, writings, and material legacies. They love visits to museums and exhibitions and are prepared to make the journey to the Near East to visit monuments and excavation sites. Curiosity and openness to ideas and achievements beyond Europe’s borders are just as important as a spirit of adventure and stamina.

Very good German and English skills (ideally also basic reading skills in French) are important for writing, reading, and presenting during your studies, as the academic community in these subjects is relatively small but active worldwide.

This subject is a subject of specialization in the ALPHA (B.A.) degree program. You can also study this subject as a minor within the two-subject bachelor’s degree program.

Program structure

Introductory phase

You will learn a first cuneiform language, Babylonian (the generic term being Akkadian), as well as the fundamentals of the material culture of the Near East. This will provide you with broad knowledge and allows you to set your own priorities as you progress through your studies.

Specialization phase & individual paths

Based on the fundamentals of the subject, your studies will then take you on an individual path. You will learn about the latest processing methods and achieve a new degree of digital literacy. Depending on your interests, you can focus on the following topics:

• Reading courses focused on various genres (e.g. literary texts such as the Epic of Gilgamesh or Enuma Elish)
• Thematic seminars on Ancient Near Eastern Studies (e.g. on ancient Near Eastern rulership)
• Seminars on the epigraphy of cuneiform writing

Program syllabi regularly offer one-day and multi-day field trips to exhibitions, relevant museums, and/or excavation sites in Germany or abroad(sometimes via the Department of Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology), where you can work with findings on site and thus gain valuable insight into professional practice.

In the course of your studies, you may also choose to focus on a particular time period (e.g., a specific millennium), a particular methodology (e.g. collection practice), or a particular topic (e.g., everyday texts).

In addition to the required course content, you can also benefit from the entire range of topics of Ancient Near Eastern Studies through additional voluntary courses.

Stays abroad

Would you like to live abroad for a semester or a year? Do you want to learn another language and get to know a new culture? Or gain a different perspective on your particular subject? A stay abroad provides you with the perfect opportunity to achieve this and is possible with every degree program – either self-organized or by taking advantage of one of the popular exchange programs. This is made possible by various cooperation agreements and partnerships with foreign universities.

For more information on this topic, please visit our websites on studying abroad. Visit our student exchange platform for an overview of cooperating universities in your field.

This program of study does not require you to spend time abroad, but you nevertheless have the opportunity to do so.

The recommended study abroad period for this program of study is after the 3rd or 4th semester. Beyond this,you may be able to take part in a field trip abroad lasting several days.

Internships

This program of study does not include a mandatory internship. However, voluntary internships are a great way to gain insight into a professional field.

An internship allows you to discover whether everyday life in a particular occupation suits your career expectations and interests. You can gain qualifications for a professional field and acquire important professional and personal skills to start a career. An internship helps you both shape your career path, and mold the remainder of your course sequence – in particular by selecting specializations that suit your practical experience.

You can find further information and relevant internships on the Career Service website.

Students of Ancient Near Eastern Studies acquire profound expertise and exceptional language competencies during the program of study. You will become proficient in a variety of scientific methods, which will make you especially qualified to work in the following subject-related areas:

• Further qualification through master’s and doctoral degrees (supported by student assistant positions, scholarships, research training groups, etc.)
• Academic positions for teaching and/or research at domestic and international universities or research institutions (usually after a master’s and/or doctoral degree)
• Collaboration in excavation projects and other research projects
• Work in museums, collections and exhibitions (e.g., as a curator)
• Cultural heritage programs
• Expert advising or guided tours of exhibitions related to Egypt/the ancient Near East
• Adult education (ZWW, VHS)
• Publishing (e.g., Antike Welt)
• Scientific journalism
• Media (e.g., cultural programs, advising in film productions)

When you graduate, you will also be an expert at thinking analytically, preparing, communicating and presenting complex information and issues in accordance with the target group. You will exhibit particular strength in oral and written communication. During your studies, you will also acquire excellent intercultural competence, attention to detail, and project management skills (including time management and resource coordination). These core humanities and cultural studies skills are also in demand in many other professional fields:

• Project and science management and administration of research and teaching at universities or research institutions
• Research funding
• Project work in companies, foundations, NGOs
• Public service and administration (e.g., city administration)
• Media, journalism, public relations, and advertising
• Politics and social affairs
• Education and culture

Not sure what to do after graduation? Don’t worry!

A university degree generally does not prepare you for a single profession but qualifies you for a wide range of career paths – for example, in research, in a typical profession related to your field of study, or in one of many other academic fields.

This is why career orientation is also part of your studies. Gaining practical experience is key, and you can do so through internships, working student positions, part-time jobs or voluntary work, for example.

JGU’s Career Service will support you throughout the entire process with information, advice, workshops and numerous events – from career orientation and working on your profile and skills to finding your dream job and successfully applying for it.