Course description
ARCHAEOLOGY 100-3 Ancient Peoples and Places
Archaeology is the study of past cultures using remains found in the ground. For many people these remains are mysterious and intriguing. Remains of past cultures lure some of these people to dig in the ground and wonder what the distant unrecorded past was like. Yet without special tools (both conceptual and physical), this past must remain mysterious and unknown. What are the tools needed to decipher our unrecorded past? This course begins with this topic, and explains the principles archaeologists use to reach their conclusions. Students will learn some of the more basic approaches to interpreting artifacts of bone, stone and ceramics, and to synthesizing archaeological facts in order to form a coherent picture of the human past.
The second part of the course uses some of the most significant events and developments of the past two million years of human development in order to illustrate basic concepts of social and economic organization of prehistoric communities. Examples include the emergence of the first cultures, the emergence of competition, the domestication of plants and animals, and the rise of megalithic chiefdoms such as those centered on Stonehenge. The final units show how an understanding of the past can illuminate our view of the present human condition and even provide some insight into our probable future.
PREREQUISITE:
None. Breadth–Social Sciences.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS:
* Hayden, B. (1993). Archaeology: The Science of Once and Future Things. W. H. Freeman.
* Hedges, J. (1987). Tomb of the Eagles. New Amsterdam Books.
MODE OF DELIVERY:
* Study Guide (Included in CODE Course Package).
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Six exercises (grouped into 4 submissions) 20%
Term paper 40%
Final exam 40%
