The human past: introduction to archaeology

This page includes a course calendar summarizing the lecture and lab topics.

Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1 hour / session

Recitations: 1 session / week, 1 hour / session

Labs: 1 session / week, 2 hours / session

Prior to 13,000 years ago all humans lived in relatively mobile small scale societies characterized by egalitarian social structures. Their subsistence depended on foraging for wild foods (often called "hunting and gathering") and reciprocity of exchange. The total human population at 13,000 years bp (before present) has been estimated at about ten million. In the last 13,000 years the human population has increased several hundredfold, and numerous diverse complex societies characterized by food production (agriculture), permanent settlements, hierarchically ranked social structures, and redistributive economic systems developed in most parts of the Old and New Worlds. The attainment of this degree of complexity is often referred to as achieving "civilization." The central theme of this class is the study of the processes leading to the earliest appearance of such societies in the Middle East/eastern Mediterranean region and Mesoamerica. We are interested in examining the similarity and difference in the trajectory of developments in these two regions to better understand the environmental contexts and the cultural processes involved with these changes.

To fulfill the HASS-D requirements this subject includes two one hour lectures per week, one hour of recitation, and two hours of lab.

The required written work includes three papers (ca. 7-8 pages each), a midterm examination and a final examination as scheduled below. Weekly lab exercises and problem sets will be assigned in conjunction with the labs. Attendance and participation in all class activities (lecture, recitation/discussion and lab) will be considered in evaluating your performance in this class. (Students not fulfilling the HASS-D writing requirement will not receive a passing grade.)

Lamberg-Karlovsky, C. C., and J. A. Sabloff. Ancient Civilizations: The Near East and Mesoamerica. 2nd ed. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press, 1995. ISBN: 9780881338348.

Additional readings are assigned from journal articles, journal abstracts, and papers from books.

The calendar below provides information on the course's lecture (Lec) and lab (Lab) sessions.

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