Ancient Africa: Social Mosaics and Environmental Challenges

3 units

This class introduces students to the basics of the archaeological record of humans in Africa from 3.6 M.Y. to 1000 years ago. The first third of the course focuses on early humans, the origins of meat eating, expansion of diet and cuisine, technical and cultural responses to changing environments. The second section of the course emphasizes African rock art, socio-economic variability among hunter-gatherers, the origins of African pastoralism, mobile responses to climate change and African contributions to world food supply including domestication of sorghum, also coffee. The last third of the course is devoted to the complex urban societies of ancient Africa, Egypt, Axum, Great Zimbabwe, and Jenne Jeno. Course format is lecture and discussion. There are two mid-terms and students are expected to participate in interactive stone tool use, rock art creation, and discussion of ethnographic and archaeological data on pastoral decision-making in times of drought and war and of issues surrounding the purchase of African antiquities and conservation of cultural heritage.