Who was the first monotheistic leader, Moses or Akhnaton?

Who was the first monotheistic leader, Moses or Akhnaton?

Order Summary

Type of assignment:Essay

Academic level:College Level

Referencing style:MLA

Number of sources:5

Subject:Archaeology

Client country:Other

FINAL PAPER GUIDELINES

  • The Final Paper must be an original research paper in which you study a debated topic, analyze all the evidence available related to it, and offer your own justified opinion on the matter.

 

  • The topic you select must be a debated issue regarding ancient Israel. At the end of this document you will find a list of possible topics. If you are interested in other topics speak with me to see if the topic is appropriate for the class.

 

  • The topic must deal with a period within the chronological boundaries of the course, i.e., from the second millennium BCE to the sixth century BCE.

 

  • The evidence available to study the topic may be textual, archaeological, and or iconographic. Use all the evidence you can find. When dealing with texts, you need to understand the texts from a historical perspective. That means, you need to take into account the possible different dates. For biblical texts this would include: time when the event a text refers to took place; time of oral transmission; time of the writing of the first texts about the event; time of the collecting, editing and inclusion of those texts in the book you are dealing with; time of the grouping of that book with other books (and perhaps time of new editing of the text); and time of closure of the canon. You do not need to repeat this analysis every time, but you need to be aware of the length of time between the time when the event took place and the time of the last editing of the text in order to estimate how solid your comparison is.

 

  • When dealing with archaeological and iconographic evidence, remember to distinguish between the evidence itself (e.g. a house found in an excavation or the painting of a single sheep on the wall of a temple) and the interpretation scholars make of it (e.g. to say that the house was “a workshop” or that the painting in the temple represents “a sheep to be sacrificed in the temple”). Scholars are experts in a field so their opinions and interpretations have to be taken into account, but they are not always right. Use your own criteria and question interpretations until they convince you (e.g. How do they know that that house was a workshop? What did they find there that made them think so? Do you agree with them? And why do they think the sheep in the temple represents an animal to be sacrificed? Was any altar found in the temple? Were sheep bones found there? Are there any other possible explanation for the painting of the sheep?)

 

  • Remember to evaluate interpretations, including your own, according to the certainty scale. That means, the interpretation someone proposes/you are proposing is certain, highly probable, probable, possible, unlikely, highly improbable, or impossible? For an interpretation to be solid you should be in the highly probable-probable area, but at the end of your research it may happen that you will be in the possible area. It is OK, as long as you state it and explain why you cannot go further in your argument. Also and even if you think your interpretation is highly probable, take into account possible criticisms of your interpretation. That means, what are the weakest points in your argument and what could make you change your mind about it in the future?

 

  • Let your own voice be heard. This is not an illustration paper in which you describe what scholars think about something but a research paper in which you must express your opinion on the matter. Phrases and words such as “I think”, “I believe”, “In my opinion”, “In my view” are a must. But always use them in a justified way, saying why you think or believe that.

 

  • As in all academic papers, start the paper with a small summary of what the debated issue is, what your opinion on the matter is (your thesis), and how you are going to proceed to prove your point.

 

  • Remember that “Bible” is a proper noun and as such, it must be written with a capital B. When citing the Bible, do not just say “the Bible says…” but offer specific citations -e.g. “the Bible says… (Ex 20, 1)”.

 

  • Regarding sources, remember you need to use scholarly sources. Wikipedia and encyclopedias are not acceptable sources. You should all check at least four references that may be helpful for your topic:
    • D. Coogan’s “The Old Testament” – for the historical analysis of the biblical texts (if you cannot find it in the Library, speak with me, you may borrow my copy for a few hours).
    • The Anchor Bible Dictionary – for all topics related to the Bible (in the reference room).
    • M. Sasson’s “Civilizations of the Ancient Near East” – for all topics related to the Ancient Near East (in the reference room)
    • The Biblical Archaeology society Online Archive (http://www.basarchive.org/bswbSearch.asp) – for all topics related to archaeology of the biblical lands

Your paper should include at least 12 scholarly sources (no limit for maximum number) using the Chicago Style. When citing online references, do not just copy the link, but give the full name of the authors, the year, the title, and the journal/book title and pages when available.

  • Use illustrations to make your point. Start with a map including the sites you talk about in your paper and include as many illustrations as you see fit. Just remember, they are not there to make your paper “look pretty” but to make your point, so refer to them in the text (e.g. “As we see in Illust. 1, …” or “(see Illust. 2)”. Illustrations should go at the end of the paper. They do not count for the paper due number of pages (10-12 double-spaced pages). Remember to mention where you got each of the illustrations from.

 

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