No It Wasn’t Ancient Aliens: Economic and Cultural Exchange in Early World History to 220 CE

Three credits · Undergraduate

It may come as a surprise to the history channel, but ancient monuments were not built by aliens. Rather, they stand as evidence of the complex societies that existed throughout the ancient world and the goods, ideas and people that connected them. From the Han Dynasty in China to the Roman Empire in Europe to the early trade networks of the Nok in West Africa, the ingenuity, mobility and interconnectedness of premodern cultures will be explored. Credit will be granted for only one of HIST 103, HIST 116 or ART 143. Cross-listed as ART 143. Three credits. Offered 2026-2027.