Archaeology

An examination of anthropologically oriented archaeology. Specific subjects to be considered will include the history of the subdiscipline, theoretical developments, field techniques, substantive contributions for the prehistoric and historic subareas, and recent developments in theory and methodology.

This course introduces students to archaeological field methods through hands-on experience, readings and field trips. Students study the cultural and natural processes that lead to the patterns we see in the archaeological record. Using the scientific method and current theoretical motivations in anthropological archaeology, students learn how to develop a research design and to implement it with actual field excavation. We visit several field excavation sites in order to experience firsthand the range of archaeological field methods and research interests currently undertaken by leading archaeologists.

Although often overlooked in our literary sources, the behaviors and experiences of ordinary men and women, slaves and ex-slaves, and freeborn foreigners from the provinces are essential for understanding the inner workings of Roman social hierarchies and the economy. This course examines how such groups made their way in the Roman world by operating within existing institutions or by forging new avenues for civic engagement and upward social mobility. In order to access their voices, we must look to their depictions in the world of Roman comedy and novels, the art and material culture they produced, and the most important body of evidence available to grasp the lives of ancient Romans, their personal inscriptions.

An introductory examination of the origin and physical evolution of the Earth as inferred from the rock record. Areas of particular emphasis include: the origin of the solar system and differentiation of the planets; the evolution of the terrestrial atmosphere and hydrosphere; explanations for the development of life; organic evolution and interpretations of "mass extinctions;" the changing configuration of continental blocks and ocean basins by continental drift, seafloor spreading, and plate tectonics; and the growth of continental blocks and their mountain systems.

In this course, we examine the strange and wonderful world of ancient Greek religion, beginning with stories of the gods that all Greeks knew: Homer and Hesiod. We then study religion on the ground, examining how religion functioned at a number of sanctuaries and shrines in Greece. Topics covered in this course include ancient conceptions of the cosmos, the nature of Greek deities and heroes, the distinction between myth and religion, the art and architecture of sanctuaries, ritual performances and festivals, ritual sacrifice, sacred games, oracles, the underworld, sacred mysteries, women and religion, and the socio-political role of Greek ritual practice.

Food is intimately connected with the environmental justice challenges of the Anthropocene - and to understand those connections fully, we need to examine how they developed in the past. This course explores how food has transformed societies and environments in the United States over centuries, and investigates how the legacies of those transformations continue to affect how we eat and drink today. We will use archaeology, history, anthropology, and other approaches from the environmental humanities to deepen our understanding of the (un)sustainability of modern U.S. food systems. We will study the potential lessons the past may hold for the future, and leverage this knowledge to evaluate the sustainability and environmental justice of our 21st century foodways.