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3.986

The Human Past: Introduction to Archaeology

3-0-9 units. HASS-S; CI-H · Undergraduate

From an archaeological perspective, examines ancient human activities and the forces that shaped them. Draws on case studies from the Old and/or New World. Exposes students to various classes of archaeological data, such as stone, bone, and ceramics, that help reconstruct the past.

Fall 2006

This class introduces the multidisciplinary nature of archaeology, both in theory and practice. Lectures provide a comparative examination of the origins of agriculture and the rise of early civilizations in the ancient Near East and Mesoamerica. The laboratory sessions provide practical experience in aspects of archaeological field methods and analytical techniques including the examination of stone, ceramic, and metal artifacts and bone materials. Lab sessions have occasional problem sets which are completed outside of class.

Readings

  • Readings for this class fall into two categories, 1) required readings that provide a basic framework for and amplification of the lecture materials, and 2) optional supplemental readings which provide direct exposure to the primary specialist research that archaeologists undertake or utilize in their research. The required readings include a textbook, a modest number of journal articles/papers and a larger number of abstracts from scientific papers.
    Listed reading
  • LK&S = 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.
    Listed reading
  • Renfrew, C., and P. Bahn. Archaeology: Theories, Methods and Practice . 2nd ed. London, UK: Thames and Hudson, Ltd., 1996, chapter 1. ISBN: 9780500050798.
    Listed reading
  • Feder, K. “Epistemology: How You Know What You Know.” Chapter 2 in Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries . San Francisco, CA: Mayfield Publishing, 1990. ISBN: 9780874849714.
    Listed reading
  • Ambrose, S. H. “Paleolithic Technology and Human Evolution.” Science 291 (2001): 1748-1753.
    Listed reading
  • Ambrose, S. H. “Paleolithic Technology and Human Evolution.” Science 291 (2001):1748-1753.
    Recommended
  • Bar-Yosef, O. “The Natufian Culture in the Levant, Threshold to the Origins of Agriculture.” Evolutionary Anthropology 6, no. 5 (1998): 159-177.
    Recommended
  • Henry, D. O. “Preagricultural Sedentism: The Natufian Example.” In Prehistoric Hunter-Gatherers . Edited by T. D. Price and J. A. Brown. Orlando, FL: Academic Press, 1985, pp. 365-384.
    Recommended
  • McCorriston, J., and F. Hole. “The Ecology of Seasonal Stress and the Origins of Agriculture in the Near East.” American Anthropologist 93, no. 1 (1991): 46-69.
    Recommended
  • Diamond, J. “Evolution, Consequences and Future of Plant and Animal Domestication.” Nature 418 (2002): 700-707.
    Recommended
  • Zeder, M. “Central Questions in the Domestication of Plants and Animals.” Evolutionary Anthropology 15 (2006): 105-117.
    Recommended
  • Legge, A. J., and P. Rowley-Conwy. “Gazelle Killing in Stone Age Syria.” Scientific American 257, no. 2 (1987): 88-95.
    Recommended
  • Flannery, K. “Archaeological Systems Theory and Early Mesoamerica.” In Anthropological Archaeology in the Americas . Edited by B. J. Meggers. Washington, DC: Anthropological Society of Washington, 1968.
    Recommended
  • Zeder, M. “Central Questions in the Domestication of Plants and Animals.” Evolutionary Anthropology 15 (2006): 105-117. (see Required Readings Unit 2, #6).
    Recommended
  • Coe, M. “Gift of the River: Ecology of the San Lorenzo Olmec.” In The Olmec and Their Neighbors . Edited by E. P. Benson. Washington DC: Dumbarton Oaks, 1981. ISBN: 9780884020981.
    Recommended
  • Lec19 · Olmec Accomplishments · Hosler, D., S. L. Burkett, and M. J. Tarkanian. “Prehistoric Polymers: Rubber Processing in Ancient Mesoamerica.” Science 284 (1999): 1988-1991.
    Recommended
  • Rathje, W. “Praise the Gods and Pass the Metates.” In Contemporary Archaeology: A Guide to Theory and Contributions . Edited by M. Leone. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1972. ISBN: 9780809305346.
    Recommended
  • Haug, et al. “Climate and the Collapse of Maya Civilization.” Science 299 (2003): 1731-1735.
    Recommended
  • Weiss, H., and R. S. Bradley. “Archaeology: What Drives Societal Collapse?” Science 291, no. 5504 (2001): 609-610.
    Recommended
  • Jacobsen, T., and R. McC. Adams. “Salt and Silt in Ancient Mesopotamian Agriculture.” Science 128 (1958): 1251-1258.
    Recommended
  • Gibson, M. “Violation of Fallow and Engineered Disaster in Mesopotamian Civilization.” In Irrigation’s Impact on Society (Anthropological Papers No. 25). Edited by T. Downing and M. Gibson. Tuscon, AZ: University of Arizona Press, 1974. ISBN: 9780816504190.
    Recommended
  • Waal, F. de, “Bonobo Sex and Society.” Scientific American 272, no. 3 (March 1995): 82-88.
    Recommended
  • Wynn, T., and F. Coolidge. “The Expert Neandertal Mind.” Journal of Human Evolution 46 (2004): 467-487.
    Recommended
  • Molleson, Theya. “The Eloquent Bones of Abu Hureyra.” Scientific American 271, no. 4 (1994): 70-75.
    Recommended
  • Tiesler, Vera. “Head Shaping and Dental Decoration Among the Ancient Maya.” Proceedings of the 64 th meeting of the Society of American Archaeology, Chicago 1999.
    Recommended
  • 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.
    Listed reading

Prerequisites & course information

Same subject as 21A.503[J] Prereq: None U (Fall) 3-0-9 units. HASS-S; CI-H

Sources