Archaeological Studies (B.A.)

Anthropology

* ARCG 031b / CLCV 059b / EVST 030b / HIST 020b / NELC 026b, Rivers and Civilization  Harvey Weiss

The appearance of the earliest cities along the Nile and Euphrates in the fourth millennium B.C. Settlements along the rivers, the origins of agriculture, the production and extraction of agricultural surpluses, and the generation of class structures and political hierarchies. How and why these processes occurred along the banks of these rivers; consequent societal collapses and their relation to abrupt climate changes. Enrollment limited to freshmen. Preregistration required; see under Freshman Seminar Program.  HU, SO
TTh 9am-10:15am

ARCG 171a / ANTH 171a, Great Civilizations of the Ancient World  Staff

A survey of selected prehistoric and historical cultures through examination of archaeological sites and materials. Emphasis on the methodological and theoretical approaches by which archaeologists recover, analyze, and interpret the material remains of the past.  SO
MW 2:30pm-3:45pm

ARCG 172b / ANTH 172b, Great Hoaxes and Fantasies in Archaeology  William Honeychurch

Examination of selected archaeological hoaxes, cult theories, and fantasies; demonstration of how archaeology can be manipulated to authenticate nationalistic ideologies, religious causes, and modern stereotypes. Examples of hoaxes and fantasies include the lost continent of Atlantis, Piltdown man, ancient giants roaming the earth, and alien encounters. Evaluation of how, as a social science, archaeology is capable of rejecting such interpretations about the past.  SO
HTBA

ARCG 215b / ANTH 215b, Archaeology of China  Anne Underhill

Archaeology of China, one of the world's oldest and most enduring civilizations, from the era of early humans to early empires. Methods of interpreting remains from prehistoric and historic period sites.  SO
HTBA

* ARCG 253b / ANTH 253b, Introduction to Experimental Archaeology  Roderick McIntosh and Ellery Frahm

Experimental archaeology is one of the most important tools to develop and test models which link human behaviors and natural forces to the archaeological record. This class explores the elements of good experimental design and procedures. ANTH 316L, ARCG 316L recommended.  SO
W 3:30pm-5:20pm

ARCG 264b / ANTH 264b / SPAN 404b, Aztec Archaeology and Ethnohistory  Oswaldo Chinchilla Mazariegos

An anthropological and ethnohistorical examination of the Aztec civilization that dominated much of Mexico from the fourteenth century until the Spanish Conquest of 1521.  SO
TTh 2:30pm-3:45pm

ARCG 272b / AFST 272b / ANTH 272b, African Prehistory  Jessica Thompson and Roderick McIntosh

Survey of archaeological evidence for the original contributions of the African continent to the human condition. The unresolved issues of African prehistory, from the time of the first hominids, through development of food production and metallurgy, to the rise of states and cities.  SO
MW 2:30pm-3:45pm

ARCG 316La / ANTH 316La, Introduction to Archaeological Laboratory Sciences  Ellery Frahm and Roderick McIntosh

Introduction to techniques of archaeological laboratory analysis, with quantitative data styles and statistics appropriate to each. Topics include dating of artifacts, sourcing of ancient materials, remote sensing, and microscopic and biochemical analysis. Specific techniques covered vary from year to year.
W 2:30pm-5:30pm

* ARCG 385b / ANTH 385b, Archaeological Ceramics  Anne Underhill

Archaeological methods for analyzing and interpreting ceramics, arguably the most common type of object found in ancient sites. Focus on what different aspects of ceramic vessels reveal about the people who made them and used them.  SO
Th 1:30pm-3:20pm

* ARCG 417a / ANTH 417a, Maya Hieroglyphic Writing  Oswaldo Chinchilla Mazariegos

Introduction to the ancient Maya writing system. Contents of the extant corpus, including nametags, royal and ritual commemorations, dynastic and political subjects, and religious and augural subjects; principles and methods of decipherment; overview of the Maya calendar; comparison with related writing systems in Mesoamerica and elsewhere in the ancient world.  SO
M 3:30pm-5:20pm

* ARCG 450a / ANTH 450a, Analysis of Lithic Technology  Staff

Introduction to the analysis of chipped and ground stone tools, including instruction in manufacturing chipped stone tools from obsidian. Review of the development of stone tool technology from earliest tools to those of historical periods; relevance of this technology to subsistence, craft specialization, and trade. Discussion of the recording, analysis, and drawing of artifacts, and of related studies such as sourcing and use-wear analysis.  SO
Th 9:25am-11:15am

ARCG 464b / ANTH 464b / E&EB 464b, Human Osteology  Eric Sargis

A lecture and laboratory course focusing on the characteristics of the human skeleton and its use in studies of functional morphology, paleodemography, and paleopathology. Laboratories familiarize students with skeletal parts; lectures focus on the nature of bone tissue, its biomechanical modification, sexing, aging, and interpretation of lesions.  SC, SO
TTh 1pm-2:15pm

* ARCG 482b / ANTH 482b, Advanced Archaeological Theory  Roderick McIntosh

Review of the intellectual history of archaeology, with readings from the Enlightenment to the present. Emphasis on the tension between science, mysticism, and nationalism in the interpretation of prehistoric processes.  SO  RP
HTBA

ARCG 170a / CLCV 170a / HSAR 250a, Roman Art: Empire, Identity, and Society  Diana Kleiner

Masterpieces of Roman art from the Republic to Constantine studied in their historical and social contexts. The great Romans and the monuments they commissioned—portraits, triumphal arches, columns, and historical reliefs. The concept of empire and imperial identity, politics and portraiture, the making and unmaking of history through art, and the art of women, children, freedmen, and slaves.  HU
TTh 9am-10:15am

ARCG 243b / CLCV 160b / HSAR 243b, Greek Art and Architecture  Milette Gaifman

Monuments of Greek art and architecture from the late Geometric period (c. 760 B.C.) to Alexander the Great (c. 323 B.C.). Emphasis on social and historical contexts.  HU
TTh 1pm-2:15pm

ARCG 252b / CLCV 175b / HSAR 252b, Roman Architecture  Diana Kleiner

The great buildings and engineering marvels of Rome and its empire. Study of city planning and individual monuments and their decoration, including mural painting. Emphasis on developments in Rome, Pompeii, and central Italy; survey of architecture in the provinces.  HU
TTh 9am-10:15am

* ARCG 424b / CLCV 230b / HSAR 424b, eClavdia: Women in Ancient Rome  Diana Kleiner

The contributions of Roman women to one of the greatest cities—and one of the greatest empires—in world history. Lost stories of real-life Roman women recovered from public and residential buildings, portraits, paintings, and other works of Roman art and architecture.  HU  RP
T 1:30pm-3:20pm

ARCG 226b / EVST 226b / NELC 268b, Global Environmental History  Harvey Weiss

The dynamic relationship between environmental and social forces from the Pleistocene glaciations to the Anthropocene present. Pleistocene extinctions; transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture; origins of cities, states, and civilization; adaptations and collapses of Old and New World civilizations in the face of climate disasters; the destruction and reconstruction of the New World by the Old. Focus on issues of adaptation, resilience, and sustainability, including forces that caused long-term societal change.  SO
TTh 9am-10:15am

* ARCG 362b / EVST 362b / G&G 362b, Observing Earth from Space  Ronald Smith

A practical introduction to satellite image analysis of Earth's surface. Topics include the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation, satellite-borne radiometers, data transmission and storage, computer image analysis, the merging of satellite imagery with GIS and applications to weather and climate, oceanography, surficial geology, ecology and epidemiology, forestry, agriculture, archaeology, and watershed management. Prerequisites: college-level physics or chemistry, two courses in geology and natural science of the environment or equivalents, and computer literacy.  QR, SC
MW 9am-10:15am

ARCG 110b / HSAR 110b, Introduction to the History of Art: Global Decorative Arts  Edward Cooke

Global history of the decorative arts from antiquity to the present. The materials and techniques of ceramics, textiles, metals, furniture, and glass. Consideration of forms, imagery, decoration, and workmanship. Themes linking geography and time, such as trade and exchange, simulation, identity, and symbolic value.  HU
TTh 10:30am-11:20am

* NELC 001b / AFST 001b / ARCG 001b, Egypt and Northeast Africa: A Multidisciplinary Approach  John Darnell

An introduction to Egyptology, examining approximately 10,000 years of Nile Valley cultural records and 3,000 years of Egyptian history. The course presents an overview of the historical and archaeological study of Egypt and her southern neighbor Nubia. Various original written and visual sources are used, including the collections of the Peabody Museum and the Yale Art Gallery, with some material accessible in the classroom. Students gain a basic understanding of the hieroglyphic script and the Ancient Egyptian language, and are able to read some inscriptions in museum visits at the end of the course. Enrollment limited to first-year students. Preregistration required; see under First-Year Seminar Program.  WR, HU
TTh 11:35am-12:50pm

* ARCG 128a / AFST 128a / EGYP 128a / RLST 251a, Magic and Ritual in Ancient Egypt  John Darnell

Introduction to ancient Egyptian magic and rituals with an overview on the use of magic and discussion of the different rituals and festivals attested in Ancient Egypt.  HU
T 1:30pm-3:20pm

ARCG 244a / NELC 109a / RLST 245a, The Age of Akhenaton  John Darnell

Study of the period of the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaton (reigned 1353–1336 B.C.E.), often termed the Amarna Revolution, from historical, literary, religious, artistic, and archaeological perspectives. Consideration of the wider Egyptian, ancient Near Eastern, African, and Mediterranean contexts. Examination of the international diplomacy, solar theology, and artistic developments of the period. Reading of primary source material in translation.  HU
TTh 11:35am-12:50pm

* ARCG 471a or b and ARCG 472a or b, Directed Reading and Research in Archaeology  Staff

Qualified students may pursue special reading or research under the guidance of an instructor. A written statement of the proposed research must be submitted to the director of undergraduate studies for approval.
HTBA

* ARCG 491a or b, Senior Research Project in Archaeology  Staff

Required of all students majoring in Archaeological Studies. Supervised investigation of some archaeological topic in depth. The course requirement is a long essay to be submitted as the student's senior essay. The student should present a prospectus and bibliography to the director of undergraduate studies no later than the third week of the term. Written approval from the faculty member who will direct the reading and writing for the course must accompany the prospectus.
HTBA