Instructor: Prof. Britt Hartenberger
Department of Anthropology, WMU

The purpose of archaeology is to discover and interpret our human past. Though we may think of the most exciting discoveries in archaeology as taking place many years ago, when Tutankhamun's tomb or Machu Picchu were found, important discoveries that rewrite human history are being made each year. We'll discuss some of the major discoveries of 'lost' civilizations from a variety of areas around the world and use these to explore modern archaeological methods and the key research questions in archaeology today. Many of the most significant finds are those that help explain the major transitions in human history - the evolution of our species, the origins of agriculture, and how civilizations arose and collapsed. These are the three key research questions around which the class will be organized.

Required Text
Price, T. Douglas and Gary Feinman. 2006 (Fifth edition). Images of the Past. McGraw-Hill Publishers. ISBN-10: 0073405205.
 

Resources

Open syllabus in pdf format

Go to WebCT/Vista page for course: https://vista.wmich.edu/webct/logon/131095708031

E-reserves at library

Below: web version of syllabus

Syllabus

AN110 / Fall 2007
MWF 11:00–11:50 am
Knauss Hall 3508
Questions? Office Hours: Wednesday 2-3, Thursday 1-2:30

The purpose of the course will be to examine a series of archaeological sites and gain an understanding of the field of archaeology and the diversity of human culture. The sites examined are from a range of time periods from four million years ago to several hundred years ago, and will acquaint you with a variety of past cultures and civilizations, the modern methods used in archaeology, and the main research questions in the field. We will investigate the development of the field of archaeology and how it came to be a science, and how modern theories have impacted its research methods. 

Other required readings will be available online, either in the Ereserves via the WMU library, or web sites listed below and also linked from this page.
* Attendance at all class meetings is both expected and recommended. Lectures will often include material not found in the readings, and all lecture content is fair game for inclusion on examinations.
* There are three examinations, including a non-comprehensive final examination. Examinations are of equal value, each worth 30% of the final grade. Study guides listing key terms for each lecture will be posted online prior to the exams.
* There will be one written assignment, a short essay worth 5% of your grade, which can be written either on the question of agricultural origins or the development of complex societies. If you choose agriculture, it is due October 15; if you choose complex societies, it is due December 3. More information on the assignment will be handed out in class and posted online. * Periodic quizzes will be used to check knowledge gained during the semester, and these will make up the remaining 5% of the grade. They will be administered through the WebCT/Vista system online.

Schedule

Week 1: Sept. 5 and 7     Introduction
Introduction, overview of course
How did archaeology develop?
Reading: Chapter 1

Week 2: Sept. 10
Methods and goals of archaeology

PART 1: HUMAN EVOLUTION

Week 2: Sept. 12 and 14     Early Hominins
Overview of the early hominins
Evolution and adaptation
Reading: Chapter 2

Week 3: Sept. 7, 19 and 21     Out of Africa
Our family 'tree' and development of Homo species
Modern humans and hunter/gatherers
Reading: Chapters 3 and 4
Web review: Fossils in the online Hall of Human Ancestors, Smithsonian Institution
    http://www.mnh.si.edu/anthro/humanorigins/ha/ances_start.html

Week 4: Sept. 24, 26 and 28     Modern humans and the Ice Age
Film: Neanderthals on Trial
Ice Age adaptations and art
Reading: Chapter 5

Week 5: Oct. 1: EXAM #1

PART 2: AGRICULTURE

Week 5: Oct. 3 and 5     The origins of agriculture
Development of farming villages
Finding evidence of domestication
Reading: Textbook pp. 197-240

Week 6: Oct. 8, 9 and 10     Agriculture (cont.) and technology
Focus on the Near East and Mesoamerica
Early technologies - innovations of early farmers
Paper assignment #1 handed out Monday - download Assignment1Agri.pdf
Reading: Textbook pp. 241-261; Stone_Wood_Pottery.pdf (E-reserves)

PART 3: COMPLEX SOCIETIES

Week 7: Oct. 15, 17 and 19     North America
* Paper on agricultural origins due Oct. 15
Film: America's Stone Age Explorers: Where did the first Americans come from?
The Anasazi and Cahokia
Reading: Chapter 7; review pp. 147-158

Week 8: Oct. 22, 24 and 26     Mesoamerica: Maya and Aztec
What is a complex society?
Major civilizations of the Maya and Aztec
Reading: Chapter 8 and pp. 493-497
Web review: Current excavations at Palenque
    http://www.mesoweb.com/palenque/current_dig.html

Week 9: October 29, 31 and Nov. 2     South America: Inca
Prehistoric groups and Inca civilization
Issues of gender and power
Reading: Chapter 9; Gender_Inequality.pdf (E-reserves)

Week 10: Nov. 5 and 7     Mesopotamia
Rise of states and empires
Reading: Textbook pp. 431-447

Week 10: Nov. 9: EXAM #2

Week 11: Nov. 12, 14 and 16    South and East Asia
Chinese and Indus civilizations
Reading: Textbook pp. 448-455, 468-483
Web review: More on Mohenjodaro, city in the Indus valley
    http://www.mohenjodaro.net/mohenjodaroessay.html

Week 12: Nov. 19 and 21 (Thanksgiving week)    Sub-Saharan Africa
Great Zimbabwe and Jenné-Jeno
Reading: Textbook pp. 484-492

Week 13: Nov. 26 and 28    Africa: Egypt
Egyptian civilization and the pyramids
Reading: Textbook pp. 456-467
Web review: Who built the pyramids?
    http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pyramid/explore/builders.html

Week 13: Nov. 30     Underwater Archaeology
Challenges of excavating underwater
Reading: Uluburun.pdf (E-reserves)

Week 14: Dec. 3 and 5     Prehistoric Europe
* Paper on complex societies due Dec. 3
Bronze Age civilizations in Europe
Reading: Chapter 11

Week 14: Dec. 7     Conclusions
Ethics, museums, and collecting
Wrap-up of major topics
Reading: Chapter 12; Whose_Art.pdf (E-reserves)

Week 15: Dec. 11, 8-10 am: FINAL EXAM