(This is a comprehensive list of courses that have been offered in recent years. Please refer to the course listing links at the top of the page for current offerings.)
A historical survey of the archaeology and art of the ancient Near East, Egypt and the prehistoric Aegean. Three hours of class, one hour of special topics a week. (Ataç, Division III)
A historical survey of the archaeology and art of Greece, Etruria and Rome. Three hours of class, one hour of special topics each week. (Webb, Division III)
(Magee, Division III; cross-listed with CITY 104)
(Donohue, Division III; cross-listed with CSTS 110)
(Donohue, Division III; cross-listed with CITY, CSTS, and HART 115)
The art and archaeology of Greece and its Mediterranean neighbors between the end of the Bronze Age and the Persian invasion (ca. 1100 to 480 B.C.E.), the period which saw the rise of the city-state, the introduction of democracy and the spread of Greek civilization by colonization and trade. The architecture, painting, sculpture and minor arts will be studied with attention to their historical and cultural contexts. (Donohue, Division III)
A study of the development of the Greek city-states and sanctuaries. Archaeological evidence is surveyed in its historic context. The political formation of the city-state and the role of religion is presented, and the political, economic and religious institutions of the city-states are explored in their urban settings. The city-state is considered as a particular political economy of the Mediterranean and in comparison to the utility of the concept of city-state in other cultures. (Wright, Division III; cross-listed as CITY B203)
One of the best-preserved categories of evidence for ancient Greek culture is sculpture. The Greeks devoted immense resources to producing sculpture that encompassed many materials and forms and served a variety of important social functions. This course examines sculptural production in Greece and neighboring lands from the Bronze Age through the fourth century B.C.E. with special attention to style, iconography and historical and social context. (Webb, Division III; cross-listed as HART B204)
This course surveys the sculpture produced from the fourth century B.C.E. to the fourth century C.E., the period beginning with the death of Alexander the Great that saw the transformation of the classical world through the rise of Rome and the establishment and expansion of the Roman Empire. Style, iconography and production will be studied in the contexts of the culture of the Hellenistic kingdoms, the Roman appropriation of Greek culture, the role of art in Roman society and the significance of Hellenistic and Roman sculpture in the post-antique classical tradition. (Donohue, Division III; cross-listed as HART B206)
The prehistoric cultures of the Aegean area concentrating on Minoan Crete, Troy, the Aegean Islands and Mycenaean Greece. (Wright, Division III)
A survey of the archaeology and history of the Arabian peninsula focusing on urban forms, transport and cultures in the Arabian peninsula and Gulf and their interactions with the world from the rise of states in Mesopotamia down to the time of Alexander the Great. (Magee).
Alexander the Great achieved heroic status in his own time. This provided a basis for the Alexander mythology that endures to today in the popular media. This course uses archaeological and historical evidence through the centuries to reconstruct the life and afterlife of the figure of Alexander. (Miller-Collett, Division III)
A survey of the social position of women in the ancient Near East, from sedentary villages to empires of the first millennium B.C.E. Topics include critiques of traditional concepts of gender in archaeology and theories of matriarchy. Case studies illustrate the historicity of gender concepts: women's work in early village societies; the meanings of Neolithic female figurines; the representation of gender in the Gilgamesh epic; the institution of the "Tawananna" (queen) in the Hittite empire; the indirect power of women such as Semiramis in the Neo-Assyrian palaces. Reliefs, statues, texts and more indirect archaeological evidence are the basis for discussion. (Magee, Division III)
Examines the Archaeology of Iran and its eastern neighbors from c. 8000 BCE to the coming of Alexander at the end of the 4th century BCE. Focus on the emergence of agriculture and urbanism and the appearance of the Achaemenid Empire, examined in the light of contacts with states in Mesopotamia and South Asia and the abilities of the ancient inhabitants of Iran to exploit their environment. (Magee)
The cultural, social and political development of Egypt from the beginning of settled communities in the Nile Valley to the end of the New Kingdom (ca. 5000 to 1100 B.C.E.), in both the African and the wider Near Eastern contexts. Emphasizes archaeological remains, but also makes use of documentary evidence. (Ataç, Division III)
A survey of the history, material culture, political and religious ideologies of, and interactions among, the five great empires of the ancient Near East of the second and first millennia B.C.E.: New Kingdom Egypt, the Hittite Empire in Anatolia, the Assyrian and Babylonian Empires in Mesopotamia, and the Persian Empire in Iran. Offered in second semester. (Ataç, Division III)
This course uses archaeological evidence to reconstruct social and economic life in South Asia from ca. 1200 to 0 B.C.E. We examine the roles of religion, economy and foreign trade in the establishment of powerful kingdoms and empires that characterized this region during this period. (Magee, Division III)
A survey of the material culture of ancient Mesopotamia, modern Iraq, from the earliest phases of state formation (ca. 3500 BCE) through the Achaemenid Persian occupation of the Near East (ca. 331 BCE). Emphasis will be on art, artifacts, monuments, religion, kingship, and the cuneiform tradition. The survival of the cultural legacy of Mesopotamia into later ancient and Islamic traditions will also be addressed. (Ataç)
A survey of the history, material culture, political and religious ideologies of, and interactions among the five great empires of the ancient Near East of the second and first millennia B.C.E.: New kingdom Egypt, the Hittite Empire in Anatolia, the Assyrian and Babylonian Empires in Mesopotamia, and the Persian Empire in Iran. Cross listed as HIST B244. (Ataç, Division I or III)
Cross listed as CITY B252. (Webb)
Cross listed as CITY B260, CSTS B255, and HIST B285. (Wright)
The art and architecture of Rome from the Republic through the Empire in Europe, North Africa and the Near East. (Webb)
The art and architecture of Rome from the Republic through the Empire in Europe, North Africa and the Near East. Cross-listed as CITY and HART B268. (Webb)
Societies in the past depended on our human ancestors' ability to interact with their environment. Geoarchaeology analyzes these interactions by combining archaeological and geological techniques to document human behavior while also reconstructing the past environment. Course meets twice weekly for lecture, discussion of readings and hands on exercises. Prerequisite: one course in anthropology, archaeology or geology. Cross-listed as ANTH B270 and GEOL B270 (Magee)
The Greek architectural tradition and its historical development. (Webb, Division III; cross-listed as CITY B302 and HART B301)
An examination of the conceptions of the human body evidenced in Greek and Roman art and literature, with emphasis on issues that have persisted in the Western tradition. Topics include the fashioning of concepts of male and female standards of beauty and their implications; conventions of visual representation; the nude; clothing and its symbolism; the athletic ideal; physiognomy; medical theory and practice; the visible expression of character and emotions; and the formulation of the "classical ideal" in antiquity and later times. (Donohue, Division III; cross-listed as HART B305; counts toward Gender and Sexuality studies concentration)
Detailed analysis of the monuments, archaeology and art of ancient Athens - the home of such persons as Pericles, Sophocles and Plato. The course considers the art and monuments of ancient Athens against the historical background of the city, and is a case study in understanding the role of archaeology in reconstructing the life and culture of the Athenians. (Miller-Collett; cross-listed as CITY B305)
Pottery is a fundamental means of establishing the relative chronology of archaeological sites and of understanding past human behavior. Included are theories, methods and techniques of pottery description, analysis and interpretation. Topics include typology, seriation, ceramic characterization, production, function, exchange and the use of computers in pottery analysis. Laboratory work on pottery in the department collections. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. (Magee, Division I or III)
Sicily and southern Italy, lying at the center of the Mediterranean, were visited, invaded and colonized by various cultures from the Bronze Age through the Roman Imperial period. The course will examine the native cultures, Mycenaean remains, Phoenician settlements, Greek colonizations and cities, and the Roman conquest. Prerequisite: Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology 102 or equivalent. (Webb)
(Webb, Division III)
(Scott, Division III; cross-listed as CSTS B324, CITY B324 and HART B324)
The spatial dimensions of social phenomena are critical issues in archaeological theory and method. Sophisticated approaches are employed to document the spatial contexts of past human activities, as the geographic view of space as an inflexible absolute has been replaced by the recognition that space is a social product and that structures, settlements, landscapes and regions are inhabited, organized and perceived by societies and individuals in a multitude of ways. The goal of this course is to introduce students to methods for the qualitative analysis of ancient spaces and the quantitative analysis of the spatial attributes of archaeological data. (Compton, Division I)
(Staff, Division II and Quantitative Skills; cross-listed as BIOL, CITY, and GEOL B328)
An historical introduction to archaeological theory and methods. Topics: archaeology's origins in the Renaissance; the formation of archaeology and geology and the theory of evolution; 19th - 20th century humanistic and social scientific approaches to the human past; competing philosophies of knowledge, phenomenology, and post-modern social constructions of knowledge. (Wright)
Learning to excavate, survey and understand resultant information is an important skill for field archaeologists. In this course we review advances in field techniques, conduct mock-surveys and excavations, and analyze data. We also examine how field techniques have affected (or been in response to) shifts in archaeological theory. (Magee, Division I or III)
Study of the origins of the Phoenicians in the Late Bronze-early Iron Age and their dispersal throughout the Mediterranean, with special attention to the interactions in the West through the period of the Punic Wars. Prerequisite: Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology 204 or permission of the instructor. (Compton, Division III; cross-listed as CITY B351)
(Donohue)
A weekly seminar on common topics with assigned readings and oral and written reports. (Webb (Fall 2007), Wright (Spring 2008))