GreatDiscoveries in Archaeology

ANTH7a

Monday/Wednesday/Thursday10:00 AM - 10:50

ProfessorCharles Golden

OfficeHours:M-W, 11am – 12pm,andbyappointment,Brown206

Email:

Telephone:781-736-2217

TA: George Van Kollias, III

Office Hours: TBD, and by appointment
Email:

This course delves into the origins of world civilizations – some deeply ancient, some quite recent – providing a basis for understanding for how those cultures set the stage for the world as we know it today. We will explore the history and prehistory of politics, culture, economy, warfare, art, literature, and science through the lens of archaeological discoveries.

Throughaseriesofcasestudies,thiscourseexploresmajortransitionsinthehumanconditionovertime. Webegin with the earliest semi-sedentary hunter-gatherer communities at the end of the Pleistocene period. Anatomically modern humans spent nearly 200,000 years living a largely mobile, hunter-gatherer lifestyle. As we moved out of Africa in the past 100,000 years and spread across the continents, we intermingled with and replaced older human populations, and began to settle down into villages with dramatic implications for our social organization, health, and technological development. Our reliance on wild plants and animals gave way to a complex relationship with domesticates, the advent of agriculture, pastoralism, and eventually the growth of political hierarchies and urbanism from Mesopotamia to Egypt, China to Africa, and across the Americas.

Stonehenge,Troy,Great Zimbabwe,thefortatJamestown, Inka Cusco, and Aztec Tenochtitlan among other sites will give us insights into past cultures, archaeological practice and the usesand mis-usesthat people today make of the past.

CourseGoals and Outcomes

Throughoutthiscourse,Iwilllectureonthehistoryofarchaeologicaldiscoveriesandwewilldiscusstheirimpactonourknowledgeofthepast.Becauseofthis,I expect youwillcometoclasspreparedtoengagethematerialinathoughtfulmanner, and complete all assignments on time.

My goals for this course are to provide all students an overview of premodern human history through the lens of archaeology, and to offer an introductory course for students interested in pursuing further archaeological or anthropological coursework. Intended outcomes include:

  • A broad background knowledge of general trends in human prehistory and history since about 10,000 BC.
  • Understand how past cultures and archaeologicaldiscoveries have shaped our present world and our understandingofthehumanpast.
  • Developcriticalthinkingskillsbyexploringcomplexconceptsthrough classroomdiscussions, daily questions, midterm exams, and two analytical essays.
  • Achieve a general, fundamental familiarity with archaeological field and lab practices.
  • Compare social and technological developments in the human past cross-culturally in pursuit ofunderstandingcommonalities and idiosyncrasies.
  • Understanding the ethical implications of archaeological research and the use of that research in popular culture and political practice.

Course Texts

Allreadingsforthisclassotherthantherequiredtextbelowareavailablethroughthecoursewebsite.

Required:

Price,T.Douglas,andGaryFeinman,2012,ImagesofthePast.McGraw-Hill.7thedition.

ISBN-13:978-0078034978

CourseGrading

Coursegradeswillbedeterminedbyfourmaincomponents;(1)classparticipation;(2)amidtermexam;(3)tworesponseessays;and(4)afinalexam.

Classparticipation15%

MidtermExam 125%

"ArchaeologyintheNews" essay15%

"ArchaeologyinPopularCulture"essay20%

Midterm Exam 225%

CLASSPARTICIPATIONcountstowards15%ofthefinalclassgrade.Classparticipationincludes:

(1)Attendance:Barringemergencies or other conflicts discussed with the professor or TA beforehand, I expect you toattendeveryclassmeeting. After two class absences, each additional absence results in the loss of a letter grade from the attendance component.

(2)Completionofreadingassignments and online questions:Youshouldarrivepreparedtodiscusstheassignedreadingonthedayitisdue and must complete the online questions before each class period.

(3)Thoughtfulcontributiontoclassdiscussions:Thisincludesdiscussionsofclassreadings,activeengagementwithsmall-groupwork,andcompletionofany in-classexercises.

TWO MIDTERM EXAMS(10/23 and 11/30) account for 25% of the grade each. You will complete these exams in class.

TWORESPONSEESSAYS:

"ArchaeologyintheNews"essay (15%; DUE MONDAY 10/16):Forthisessay,youwillconductresearchtofindanarchaeologicaldiscoverymadewithinthelastthreeyears.Youwillthenwritea3–5pageessaydescribingthediscovery,whoiscredited withthediscovery,and incorporating peer-reviewed research discuss if and howtheworkchangesourunderstandingofthepast.

"ArchaeologyinPopularCulture"essay (20%; DUE MONDAY 12/11):Forthisessay,youwillneedtolocateanexampleofarchaeologicalpracticeand/orarchaeologicalsubjectmatterincontemporarypopularculture.Yourexampleshouldcomefromfilm,television,theater,toys/games,orsomeothermediumyouhavediscussedwithVan or mepriortothecompletionofyouressay.Youwillengagewithyourchosenpieceofpopularcultureandthen draw on peer-reviewed research to writea3–5pageessaycritiquingtherepresentationofarchaeologyinyourexample.Whatdoesit"getright"aboutarchaeology?Whatdoesit"getwrong"?Whatwouldsomeonewhoknowsnothingaboutthearchaeologicalsubjectmatterlearnaboutitfromyourexample?

GRADING

Success in this four- credit course is based on the expectation that students will spend a minimum of 9 hours of study time per week in preparation for class (readings, papers, discussion sections, preparation for exams, etc.).

A grade of “A” means “excellent” - the work is of superior quality on an exam and represents insightful, well-considered, and well-written/produced research & write-up. A grade of “A” typically represents a great deal of effort, but effort alone does not guarantee an “A.” A grade of “B” means “good” - the work fulfills all of the assignment instructions and adequately presents well-written, well-researched work. “C” means “average” - the work submitted fulfills the letter of the assignment, but lacks sufficient quality of research and/or presentation that would warrant a higher grade. A grade of “D” represents work that is unsatisfactory and has not fulfilled the stated goals of the assignment, while an “E” is a failing grade resulting from work that is incomplete, incoherent, or otherwise unacceptable given the guidelines for the assignment.

I will grade papers using the following rubric:

Content: The essay has a well-developed thesis (relating to issues posed by the assignment) and is properly supported throughout the narrative of the essay view longer description

Full Marks: 20.0 pts

Integration of Sources: Thoughtfully integrated material from appropriate peer-reviewed literature.

Full Marks: 10.0 pts

Style/Proper use of citation style: Prepared a well-organized, thoughtful essay and correctly used the Chicago parenthetical citation style.

Full Marks: 10.0 pts

Spelling/Grammar/Formatting: Correct spelling and grammar; adherence to guidelines for paper writing in the syllabus; font size, margins, page length, etc.

Full Marks: 10.0 pts

Extensions on papers will only be given if your professor is notified ahead of time of an existing conflict, or you provide proof of an emergency. No extensions or make-ups will be given because of conflicts with assignments or exams in other classes. Papers turned in late without permission of the instructor will be discounted one letter grade per day.

If you are a student with a documented disability on record at Brandeis University and wish to have a reasonable accommodation made for you in this class, please see me immediately. Letters of accommodations should be presented at the start of the semester to ensure provision of accommodations. Accommodations cannot be granted retroactively.

LaptopPolicy

Computers useinclass, even to take notes, can bedistractingtoyou, the students around you (and to me!). There is significant evidence that it can impede long-term learning in the classroom, which you can read about here:

Ifyoufeelthatyourpersonal learning needs require accesstoyourlaptopfornote-takingorotherlegitimatepurposes,pleasespeaktome.Otherwise,keepyourlaptopand phone off desks and unusedduringclass.

PlagiarismPolicy

Students are expected to follow community standards of behavior and of academic integrity detailed in the current “Rights and Responsibilities” handbook:

ScheduleofCourseMeetings (DRAFT 10/10/17; READINGS WILL CHANGE)

Readingsshouldbepreparedpriortothefirstclassmeetingofeachunit.Anyadditionalassignedreadingswithbepostedonourcoursewebsiteandannouncedwellinadvance.

W 8/30 / Introduction - WhatisArchaeology?
Course description, requirements, and expectations; Definition and goals of archaeology; History of Archaeology; Culture, context.
Reading:
  • Images of the Past 7th ed.: pp. 1–7

TH 8/31 / NO CLASS – PROF. GOLDEN IN NEW ORLEANS
M 9/4 / NO CLASS – LABOR DAY
W 9/6 / Principles and Practice
Stratigraphy and association; Doing archaeology: survey, excavation, analysis; Publication, dissemination, and the public interest.
Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: pp. 8–33, 137-138.

TH 9/7 / Principles and Practice
Stratigraphy and association; Doing archaeology: survey, excavation, analysis; Publication, dissemination, and the public interest.
Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: pp. 8–33, 137-138.

M 9/11 / Neolithic “Revolution” in the Fertile Crescent
The transition from the Final (Epi-)paleolithic to the early Neolithic: villages at Jericho and Abu Hureyra. The first domestication of plants and animals. The Neolithic town of ÇatalHüyük.
Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: pp. 179-224.
  • Curry, Andrew. (2008). GobekliTepe: The World's First Temple?Smithsonian Magazine, Nov. 2008:

  • Dietrich, Oliver, et al. (2012) The role of cult and feasting in the emergence of Neolithic communities. New evidence from GobekliTepe, south-eastern Turkey. Antiquity86(333): 674 – 695.

W 9/13 / Neolithic “Revolution” in the Fertile Crescent
The transition from the Final (Epi-)paleolithic to the early Neolithic: villages at Jericho and Abu Hureyra. The first domestication of plants and animals. The Neolithic town of ÇatalHüyük.
Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: pp. 179-224.

TH 9/14 / Agriculture in the Americas and Early MoundbuildersMoundbuilders of Poverty Point; Domestication of Maize; Tehúacan Valley; GuilaNaquitz.
Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: 225-247

M 9/18 / The Myth of the Moundbuilders and the Societies of the Southwest Early controversies over the origin of the earthen mounds of eastern North America; Cahokia; regional centers in the Southwest.
Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: 248-300
  • Thomas, Cyrus (1894) Report on the mound explorations of the Bureau of ethnology (pp. 595 – 613; read to end if desired). Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution.
  • Mann, Rob (2005)Intruding on the Past: The Reuse of Ancient Earthen Mounds by Native Americans. Southeastern Archaeology 24(1):1-10.
  • Graham Hancock blog:

W 9/20 / Who Owns the Past?: NAGPRA and Indigenous Rights
Video:
  • Who Owns the Past? (Mins. 22 – 56)

  • CBS Sunday Morning - Unraveling the Mysteries of Kennewick Man:

Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: 549-554
  • NAGPRA
  • DNA Proves Kennewick Man is Native American

  • Over 9,000 Years Later, Kennewick Man Will Be Given a Native American Burial

TH 9/21 / NO CLASS – ROSH HASHANNAH
M 9/25 / Who Owns the Past?: NAGPRA and Indigenous Rights
Video:
  • Who Owns the Past? (Mins. 22 – 56)

  • CBS Sunday Morning - Unraveling the Mysteries of Kennewick Man:

Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: 549-554
  • NAGPRA
  • DNA Proves Kennewick Man is Native American

  • Over 9,000 Years Later, Kennewick Man Will Be Given a Native American Burial

W 9/27 / The Societies of the Southwest; Hopewell Interactions Sphere; Cahokia and the Mississippian.
Reading:
Images of the Past, 7th ed.: 248-300
TH 9/28 / The Societies of the Southwest; Hopewell Interactions Sphere; Cahokia and the Mississippian.
Reading:
Images of the Past, 7th ed.: 248-300
M 10/2 / Banging Rocks Together?!: Experimental archaeology and what we can learn from stone tools
Note: we will be outdoors, location TBD
Video:
Reading:
  • Andrefsky, William, Jr. (2006) “Getting Started in Lithic Analysis” from Lithics: Macroscopic Approaches to Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

T 10/3 / NOTE – BRANDEIS THURSDAY
The First States of the Americas
The rise of the first major centers and monuments in Mesoamerica; the Olmec, Monte Alban, El Mirador; San Bartolo
Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: 303-329

W 10/4 / Teotihuacan: The First Metropolis of the Americas
Monumental pyramids along the “Street of the Dead” and apartment compounds; Mesoamerican ballgame
Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: 329-338
  • Smith, Michael E. 2017. The Teotihuacan Anomaly: The Historical
Trajectory of Urban Design in Ancient Central Mexico. Open Archaeology3: 175–193
  • A Secret Tunnel Found in Mexico May Finally Solve the Mysteries of Teotihuacán

TH 10/5 / NO CLASS - SUKKOT
M 10/9 / Teotihuacan: The First Metropolis of the Americas
Monumental pyramids along the “Street of the Dead” and apartment compounds; Mesoamerican ballgame
Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: 329-338
  • Smith, Michael E. 2017. The Teotihuacan Anomaly: The Historical
Trajectory of Urban Design in Ancient Central Mexico. Open Archaeology3: 175–193
  • A Secret Tunnel Found in Mexico May Finally Solve the Mysteries of Teotihuacán

W 10/11 / The Classic Maya: Reading ancient texts
Carving kingdoms out of the jungle; contacts across Mesoamerica
Video:
  • Cracking the Maya Code

Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: 338-359
  • Coe, M. D., and M. Van Stone. 2001. Chapters 1 and 2 from Reading the Maya Glyphs. New York: Thames and Hudson.
  • In Search of the Lost Empire of the Maya

TH 10/12 / NO CLASS - SHMINI ATZERET
M 10/16 / The Classic Maya: Reading ancient texts
Carving kingdoms out of the jungle; contacts across Mesoamerica
Video:
  • Cracking the Maya Code

Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: 338-359
  • Coe, M. D., and M. Van Stone. 2001. Chapters 1 and 2 from Reading the Maya Glyphs. New York: Thames and Hudson.
  • In Search of the Lost Empire of the Maya

W 10/18 / The Classic Maya: Questioning collapse.
Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: 338-359
  • Huag, Gerald H. et al. (2003). Climate and the collapse of Maya civilization. Science 299 (5613): 1731–1735.
  • Tainter, Joseph A. (2014). Collapse and sustainability: Rome, the Maya, and the modern world. Archaeological Papers of the American Anthropological Association 24(1): 201–214.

TH 10/19 / The Aztecs and the Spanish
The Aztec Empire of central Mexico and their capital of Tenochtitlán: the “Venice” of the Americas. Encounters the Spaniards under Hernan Cortes; Human sacrifice
Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: 360-370
  • Bernal Diaz del Castillo, “The Stay in Mexico” from “The Conquest of New Spain”
  • “The Story of the Conquest as Told by the Anonymous Authors of Tlateloco,” from “Broken Spears.”

M 10/23 / MIDTERM 1
W 10/25 / Chan Chan; The Inka and Machu Picchu
Coastal rivals of the Inka. One of the world’s greatest empires and its collapse due to internecine conflict and invasion. The sites of Cuzco and Machu Picchu.
Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: 401-417
  • Andrushko, Valerie A. and Elva C. Torres. (2011). Skeletal evidence for Inca warfare from the Cuzco region of Peru. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 146 (3): 361–372.
  • Radthorne, Daniel. (2011). Poverty, pots, and golden peanuts.Prospect n.p.

TH 10/26 / Chan Chan; The Inka and Machu Picchu
Coastal rivals of the Inka. One of the world’s greatest empires and its collapse due to internecine conflict and invasion. The sites of Cuzco and Machu Picchu.
Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: 401-417

M 10/30 / Mesopotamia: The First Cities
Emergence of civilization/complex societies. The "urban revolution." The Sumerians of Mesopotamia. Sir Leonard Woolley and the Royal Cemetery at Ur.
Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: 419-435.
  • Baadsgaard, Aubrey, Janet Monge, Samantha Cox, and Richard L. Zettler. (2011). Human sacrifice and intentional corpse preservation in the Royal Cemetery of Ur. Antiquity 85 (327): 27–42.

W 11/1 / Mesopotamia: The First Cities
Emergence of civilization/complex societies. The "urban revolution." The Sumerians of Mesopotamia. Sir Leonard Woolley and the Royal Cemetery at Ur.
Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: 419-435
  • Baadsgaard, Aubrey, Janet Monge, Samantha Cox, and Richard L. Zettler. (2011). Human sacrifice and intentional corpse preservation in the Royal Cemetery of Ur. Antiquity 85 (327): 27–42.

TH 11/2 / Early Civilization in South Asia
The rise of civilization in the Indus Valley and the great cities of Harappa and Mohenjodaro.
Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: 436-443
  • Schug, Gwen Robbins et al. (2013). Infection, disease, and biosocial processes at the end of the Indus Civilization. PLoSONE 8(12): 1–20.

M 11/6 / Early Civilization in South Asia
The rise of civilization in the Indus Valley and the great cities of Harappa and Mohenjodaro.
Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: 436-443
  • Schug, Gwen Robbins et al. (2013). Infection, disease, and biosocial processes at the end of the Indus Civilization. PLoSONE 8(12): 1–20.

W 11/8 / Pyramid Power: Egypt of the Pharoahs
Rise of civilization and the emergence of kingship in Egypt; Egyptian society and history
Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: 444-456
  • New generation of archaeologists takes ancient Egypt into 21st century." The Guardian: archaeology-restoration-pyramids
  • Wynn, L. L. (2008). Shape shifting lizard people, Israelite slaves, and other theories of pyramid building: Notes on labor, nationalism, and archaeology in Egypt. Journal of Social Archaeology 8(2): 272–295.

TH 11/9 / Pyramid Power: Egypt of the Pharoahs
Rise of civilization and the emergence of kingship in Egypt; Egyptian society and history
Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: 444-456
  • New generation of archaeologists takes ancient Egypt into 21st century." The Guardian: archaeology-restoration-pyramids
  • Wynn, L. L. (2008). Shape shifting lizard people, Israelite slaves, and other theories of pyramid building: Notes on labor, nationalism, and archaeology in Egypt. Journal of Social Archaeology 8(2): 272–295.

M 11/13 / Ancient Metropolis in Southeast Asia: Angkor and the Khmer Civilization.
“Lost” cities in the jungle of Southeast Asia; Who Owns the Past? Pt. 2 – Returning a stolen statue
Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: 470-473
  • Lidar reading

W 11/15 / Urban Centers in Africa
Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: 474-488
  • Murimbika, McEdward and Bhekinkosi Moyo (2008). Archaeology and Donor Aid in 'Developing Countries': The Case for Local Heritage in Zimbabwe. In Managing Archaeological Resources: Global Context, National Programs, and Local Actions, edited by Frank McManamon, Andy Stout and Jodi Barnes, pp. 87–106.

TH 11/16 / Megalithic Europe
Agriculture spreads to Europe; Stonehenge and the Megaliths
Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: pp. 489-513
  • website: (click on “HISTORY”)
  • Stonehenge road tunnel plan: some say victory, others say disaster." The Guardian: tunnel-plan-divided-reaction-victory-disaster-world-heritage-site
  • Gaffney, Chris et al. (2012). The Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project. Archaeological Prospection 19: 147–155.

M 11/20 / Searching for the Age of Heroes: Schliemann and Evans in Greece The Minoans and Sir Arthur Evans; Heinrich Schliemann and Homer's Troy; The Mycenaeans and the Greek Bronze Age.
Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: 514-536
  • Tsonis, A. A. et al. (2010). Climate change and the demise of Minoan civilization. Climate of the Past 6: 525–530.

W 11/22 / NO CLASS – THANKSGIVING
TH 11/23 / NO CLASS – THANKSGIVING
M 11/27 / Why Even Pompeii is not a Pompeii: Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Joya de Ceren
A typical bustling Roman harbor and an elite town of the early Empire come to a swift and violent end in A.D. 79. Joya de Ceren was a small village in what is today El Salvador, buried in AD 590. What can they tell us about archaeological sites more generally?
Watch:
  • Pompeii: The Mystery of the People Frozen in Time. 2015. BBC (Kanopy Streaming Video).
Reading:
  • Joya de Cerén: An Intimate Portrait of the Ancient Maya
  • Binford, Lewis R.1981. Behavioral Archaeology and the 'Pompeii Premise". Journal of Anthropological Research 37:195-208.
  • Schiffer, Michael B. 1985. Is There a 'Pompeii Premise' in Archaeology. Journal of Anthropological Research 41:19-41.

W 11/29 / Who Owns the Past? Pt. 3 – The Elgin Marbles and other Treasures
Reading:
  • Images of the Past, 7th ed.: pp. 543 - 554;
  • Reading: British Museum: What are the Elgin marbles?
  • "Amid sanctions, British Museum lends Russia controversial Elgin Marble" CNN: marbles-russia/
  • "Greece unveils museum meant for "stolen" scultures." NPR: 89188

TH 11/30 / MIDTERM 2
M 12/4 / Archaeology at the US – Mexico Border: Material Evidence of Dangerous Crossings
Reading:
  • Gokee, C. and J. De León. 2014. Sites of Contention: Archaeological Classification and Political Discourse in the US–Mexico Borderlands.Journal of Contemporary Archaeology1(1): 133 – 163..
  • De León, J. 2013. Undocumented migration, use wear, and the materiality of habitual suffering in the Sonoran Desert. Journal of Material Culture 18(24): 321 – 345.

W 12/6 / The Garbology Project – What We Do and What we Say We Do
Reading:
  • Selections from Rathje, W. R. and C. Murphy. 1992. Rubbish! The Archaeology of Garbage. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.

TH 12/7 / Archaeology of the Recent Past; Cultural Patrimony and Pseudoarchaeology
Defining an archaeology of the recent past. The colonies of Roanoke and Jamestown. Contemporary archaeology and political activism. ”Kennewick Man,” NAGPRA, and issues of looting. Pseudoscientific views of the past, including Atlantis, ancient astronauts, crop circles, and pop culture.
Reading:
  • Images of the Past pgs. 550–553
  • Ortiz, George (2006). Overview and assessment after fifty years of collecting in a changing world. In Eleanor Robson, Luke Treadwell, and Chris Gosden, eds., Who Owns Objects? The Ethics and Politics of Collecting Cultural Objects. Oxford: Oxbow Books, pp. 15-30.
  • Warren, Karen (1989). Introduction: Philosophical Perspective on the Ethics and Resolution of Cultural Properties Issues. In The Ethics of Collecting: Whose Culture? Whose Property?, edited by
  • P. M. Messenger. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, pp. 1-25.
  • Holtorf, Cornelius (2005). Beyond crusades: How (not) to engage with alternative archaeologies. World Archaeology 37(4): 544– 551.
  • Jordan, Alexis. (2013). Dealing with electric pandas: Why it's worth trying to explain the difference between archaeology & pseudoarchaeology. Field Notes 5(1): 66–75.