Bookmark this page as your main entry point to the course website. That way, you’ll be sure to see any changes and other information I’ve posted here.

These announcements are also sent out by email to all actively enrolled students on my roster. If you are actively enrolled and are not receiving these emails, it may be that your email system is filtering emails from me (in which case, please whitelist me so you do receive them). Or, I may have the wrong email address for you. If you do not find the emails from me in your filtered emails folder, please send me an email and confirm your address so I am able to reach you with information and updates about the course.

Current Announcements (2)RSS feed

Tuesday in-person meeting is still on

26 January 2026

I hope everyone is safe and well after the storm. Just a reminder that we are meeting in person as planned on Tuesday, January 27. This is an important meeting, as we’ll be establishing some of the key ideas we’ll be using throughout the semester.

Please allow extra transit time, and travel safely. See you in class!

Link to Schedule page

Welcome to Week 1!

25 January 2026

Nobleman and his wife, Egypt, Old Kingdom.

This is just a quick note to welcome you all to the first week of Civilizations of the Ancient World. I’m looking forward to exploring the ancient world with all of you, starting with our first meeting on Tuesday. The meeting is in-person, 3:00–4:15 p.m., in Carman 209. I know there’s a storm happening Monday, but as of now we will be meeting in person on Tuesday. If that changes I will let you know!

At our first meeting we’ll be laying some important foundations we’ll be building on throughout the semester, including the themes of the course and some of the things we’ll be looking for as we explore the ancient world. One of the things I want to talk about is the word “civilization” itself. What does it mean to have become “civilized”? What kinds of changes do you think it involved? What’s likely to be different from one early community to the next, and what might they maybe have had more in common?

Syllabus and video: As a reminder, the syllabus, assignments, and requirements are all on my website, markbwilson dot com. Make sure you’ve looked through the site and that you’ve watched the welcome video, which talks about how the course works and answers some common questions.

Books: Also make sure you have the books. We won’t need the Four Texts about Socrates until later, but you’ll need both the textbook and Gilgamesh right away, as there are assignments this week. The reading assignments on the Schedule page of the website are what you need to have read (and thought about) before coming to class.

Email me: Many of you replied back to the welcome-to-the-course email I sent you after you enrolled, confirming that I have a good email address for you. If you didn’t, could you do me a favor and email me and let me know that I can use this address, or that a different email is better for you? Thanks.

That’s it for now. Let me know if you have any questions. I’ll see you all on Tuesday!

Link to Schedule page

Welcome to Week 0!

19 January 2026

Just a quick note to say hello and to check around for any questions you have about the course. I’m looking forward to setting out on our journey of exploration next week.

If you haven’t already done so at some point, please reply to one of my emails to email me at mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu to confirm I have a good email address for you. I like to send out news and course updates by email, and I want to make sure I can contact everyone. If you receive an email from me but there is an email address you prefer I use instead of that one, please definitely reply and tell me that. Thanks!

I’ve made the Brightspace page for the course available, so you should be able to see it in your Brightspace course listing. Note that we are using Brightspace this semester only for uploading papers and posting weekly responses. Everything else is on the course website, which is located at markbwilson dot com. Make sure to check that out if you haven’t yet, and to order the required texts. There’s a link to the course website on the Brightspace navigation banner and home page.

That’s it for now. See you soon!

Welcome to Civilizations of the Ancient World! (Spring 2026)

8 December 2025

Lion from the Ishtar Gate, Babylon.

Welcome to Civilizations of the Ancient World! I’m looking forward to a great semester exploring the cultures and transformations of ancient societies, from “prehistory” to the rise of the Roman Empire.

Right now, I need you to do three things.

First, look over the course web page, which will be our base of operations. Watch the quick welcome and orientation video (linked here and on the overview page). Look through each of the pages on the website to see how the course will work, and make sure to click through to the schedule page to see how the readings, videos, and discussions are set up. Any questions about how it works, please send me an email.

Second, get the books now if you can. A lot of you will be ordering books online, and you need to make sure you have the books and are ready to go when the course starts on January 27. On the “Books” page I’ve tried to give you some different options for getting what you need, but you should order now if there’s going to be any kind of shipping involved. (If you come across a legitimate online/e-text version of one of the assigned readings that’s not already listed, please let me know.)

Finally, send me an email so that I know I have a working email address for you. You can just send a blank email, email and say “hi”, or email with a question or concern, but I want to make sure I can contact everyone. If you receive an email from me but there is an email address you prefer I use instead of this one, please definitely reply and tell me that.

Email me anytime with questions at mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu. I’m looking forward to starting our journey together.

Link to Overview page