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This undergraduate course will examine how kingship was imagined, performed, and ultimately undone across the ancient Middle East. Students will use a range of ancient sources including royal inscriptions, material culture, and biblical texts to explore how ancient rulers constructed authority and how those claims to power were challenged by resistance and rebellion. The course also traces the afterlives of ancient kings in the modern world, addressing the destruction and preservation of cultural heritage, the global antiquities market, and debates surrounding museum acquisition and repatriation. No prior knowledge of the ancient world is required—just a curiosity about power, ancient politics, and how authority was built (and broken).