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This course will explore ways that ancient peoples from across the Greek, Roman, and Near Eastern worlds thought about death and the afterlife, including religiously-sanctioned deaths in the form of animal and human sacrifice. Evaluation of archaeological evidence (from tombs and inscriptions) will be coupled with the study of ancient literature in translation. This work will offer context for biblical tropes, like the loss of immortality in the Garden of Eden, poetry surrounding souls in 'sheol' or Hades, and the ideological significance of Jesus' conquest of death. Successful completion of this course satisfies the Cultures and Peoples requirement for graduation.