Anthro 210

ANTHROPOLOGY 210 - General Archaeology

Course Description: This course will focus on the two major transitions in human history: the origins of domestication and the rise of early states. The lectures will focus on those areas of the world where these developments appear to have occurred rather early and independently. A survey of archaeological evidence from around the globe will be supplemented by examination and discussion of the various theoretical frameworks that have been proposed to account for these transitions.

Course Objectives: The structure of the course will be problem-oriented, and comparative. We will first examine a number of key events of prehistory throughout the world. We will go on to consider these events among a number of classic societies, identifying similarities and differences. The substantive record, special research topics, and problems will be interwoven in our lectures and class discussions. This is a reading intensive class, in which each student must critically evaluate the inferences made for prehistory from archaeological data. They include: (1) dating methods and devising archaeological chronologies; (2) prehistoric environmental change; (3) the rise of social and political complexity; (4) domestication, and (5) public outreach. The structure of the course will be problem-oriented, and comparative. We will first examine the methods and materials archaeologists use to reconstruct the past. We will go on to consider a number of key civilizations, and address specific issues to which the archaeological record is particularly relevant (such as environmental reconstruction and human subsistence practices). The substantive record, special research topics, and problems will be interwoven in our lectures and class discussions. Complementary to our text, the instructor's personal experience in and out of the field in Polynesia, Europe, and Africa will be used to provide relevant context. To illustrate particular points, films, slides, and written exercises will be used throughout the semester.