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Anthropology 307
World Archaeology: Foundations of Civilization

Fall, 2006
M-W 2:00-3:15, Sabin G28

I think its Indus Valley for 'Ayans go home!'

  Instructor: Bettina Arnold
Office Hours: Sabin 229, T 10:00-11:00am, W 3:30-4:30pm or by appointment x4583
e-mail: barnold@uwm.edu
Course reader: On e-Reserve at http://www.uwm.edu/Library/		  

  Required Texts:  
  Christopher Scarre and Brian Fagan, 2003 Ancient Civilizations. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Reading Packet: On e-Reserve at http://www.uwm.edu/Library/		  
  Internet Sites  
  arrowExploring Ancient World Cultures   A great place for information on world civilizations
  
  arrowArchNet   One of the largest virtual libraries of archaeological information
  
  arrowArchaeological Resource Guide for Europe   Virtual library for European archaeology
  
  arrowWorld Atlas of Archaeology on the Web   Find information by geographical location
  

  Course Description:
About 10,000 years ago, human groups in several areas of the world began to undergo a series of major transformations. Small groups of hunters and gatherers settled into the world's first farming villages. From these villages arose larger settlements, and eventually complex urban civilizations like our own. How and why did these changes take place? Why did ancient civilizations evolve in repeated cycles of expansion and collapse? What do the similarities and differences in the development of early civilizations tell us about the nature of culture change, of civilization and the state, and of human society itself?

This course will review the origins of agriculture, urban life and state level societies. Origin theories and the archaeological evidence for changes in human economic and social organization will be discussed. The essential relationship between economy, environment and society provides the subtext for the more detailed presentation of the case studies. Readings will emphasize the Old World, but New World developments will be included for comparison. The geographic areas in which primary states developed and have been intensively studied archaeologically are the Near East (Anatolia, Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley) and Mesoamerica. These regions will be the focus of the course, with some discussion of the emergence of state level societies in other areas (such as East Asia, Africa and South America). Comparing Old and New World cultural responses to different environmental and geographic contexts focuses attention on the way in which the evolution of social complexity occurs, rather than on the memorization of facts and dates alone. The course provides a context for understanding the process of cultural evolution in the past as well as in today's world by exploring why we are the way we are, and how we got here.

Course Format: The course will include a combination of lecture and discussion, with PowerPoint slides and videos where applicable. Questions during lectures are encouraged (if they are germane to the discussion!), and there will be occasional handouts with questions/issues intended to provoke thought as well as discussion. Attendance is part of your final grade, so be sure not to let your presence in class slip as the semester progresses!


Grading:
Undergraduates

Exams will consist of multiple choice and short answer questions, as well as a choice of take-home essay questions based on readings, lectures and films. The final exam will not be cumulative! There will be two map quizzes, so be sure you are able to associate significant sites in space as well as time. Study guides will be provided before each exam, but these will not be comprehensive. You will receive 4 take-home essay questions two weeks before each exam and will hand in two of the four questions on the day of the exam. All essays must be typed!
Midterm: 40% (Essays 40 points out of 100)
Final Exam: 40% (Essays 40 points out of 100)
Map Quizzes: 10% (5% each)
Attendance/Participation: 10%
Attendance at three public lectures: 3 points maximum Extra Credit
Graduate Students
You will be expected to produce a 15-20 page final paper, typed, double-spaced with references in American Antiquity format, in addition to taking the objective portions of the midterm and final exams. Please see me about choosing a topic before the Midterm Exam!
Midterm: 25%
Final Exam: 25%
Map Quizzes: 10% (5% each)
Final Paper: 40%
Attendance at three public lectures: 3 points maximum Extra Credit
  

  READING ASSIGNMENTS AND EXAM DATES

  
  Weeks 1, 2
History and Process
Ancient Civilizations Chapter 1
Reading Packet: Units for Weeks 1 and 2		  
  arrowWhy Settle Down? The Mystery of Communities   On-line publication from Science
arrowÇatalhöyük   Reports on the ongoing excavations at Çatalhöyük
arrowEvolution of Crop Plants: The origins of agriculture and the domestication of plants   Course at UC-Davis 		 

  Week 3
Origins of Agriculture: Near East and Asia
Ancient Civilizations Ch. 1 (cont.); Ch. 6 pp. 170-174
Reading Packet: Units for Week 3		  
  arrow`Ain Ghazal Excavation Reports On-line site reports
arrowArchaeobotanical Reports   Bibliography of archaeobotonical research
  

  Week 4
Origins of Agriculture: Mesoamerica and South America
Ancient Civilizations Ch. 15 pp. 406-412; Ch. 17 pp. 470-482
Reading Packet: Units for Week 4		  

  Week 5
Theories of the Rise of the State
Ancient Civilizations Chapter 2
Reading Packet: Unit for Week 5
  

  Weeks 6 and 7
Evolution of Complex Societies: Mesopotamia
Ancient Civilizations Chapter 3; Chapter 7
Reading Packet: Units for Weeks 6 and 7

  
  arrowABZU   Resources for the Study of Ancient Mesopotamia
arrowAkkadian Language   Excellent summaries, focusing on culture history and language
arrowAmerican School of Oriental Research   Links to current research projects and more!

  

 
Mid-Term Exam, October 25!!


  
  Weeks 8 and 9
Evolution of Complex Societies: Egypt
Ancient Civilizations Chapter 4 and 5
Reading Packet: Units for Weeks 8 and 9		  
  arrowEgyptology Resources   Large virtual library of Egyptology resources
arrowTheban Mapping Project   Large online archaeological project

  

  Weeks 10, 11
Increasing Social Complexity: Near East, Asia
Ancient Civilizations Ch. 6 pp.175-197; Ch. 8; Ch. 12; Ch. 13; Ch. 14
Reading Packet: Units for Weeks 10 and 11		  
  arrowThe Prehistoric Archaeology of the Aegean   Another excellent on-line course
arrowArt of the First Cities   The Metropolitan Museum of Art online exhibit
arrowHistory of China
arrowEmperor Qin's Terracotta Warriors and Horses   A short virtual tour
arrowClassical Historiography for Chinese History   Another excellent link page
arrowThe Ancient Indus Valley   Excellent introduction to the Harappan Civilization

  

  Weeks 12, 13
Evolution of Complex Societies: Mesoamerica and South America
Ancient Civilizations Ch. 15 pp. 412-442; Ch. 16
Reading Packet: Units for Weeks 12 and 13		  
  arrowAncient Middle America   Excellent link page
arrowAncient Mesoamerican Civilizations   Excellent link page
arrowChronological Table of Mesoamerican Archaeology  
arrowArchaeology of Teotihuacan   		 

  Weeks 14, 15
Increasing Social Complexity: Mesoamerica and South America
Ancient Civilizations Chapter 17; Chapter 18
Reading Packet: Unit for Weeks 14 and 15		  
  arrowThe Aztecs/Mexicas  A very good link page for Aztec archaeology and culture
arrowAztec, Olmec and Mesoamerican Research  A good link pag.

  
 
Final Exam! Friday, December 15, 12:30-2:30 pm (NOTE DIFFERENT TIME)
  

  Course Reader Articles

          Weeks 1 and 2
  1. Diamond, Jared 1987 The worst mistake in the history of the human race. Discover May 1987: 64-66.
  2. Hayden, Brian 1995 A new overview of domestication. In T. Douglas Price and Anne Birgitte Gebauer (eds) Last Hunters, First Farmers, pp. 273-299. Santa Fe, New Mexico: School of American Research Press.

    Week 3

  3. Diamond, Jared 1992 The arrow of disease. Discover October 1992: 64-73. Reprinted in Annual Editions in Physical Anthropology 01/02, pp. 123-129.
  4. Gary Feinman and T. Douglas Price 1999 'Ain Mallaha; 'Ain Ghazal; Paleoethnobotany; Archaeozoology; Jericho; Obsidian and long-distance trade; Ban-Po-Ts'un; Mehrgarh. Images of the Past, pp. 182-203. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Week 4

  5. Masson, Marilyn A. and Michael E. Smith 2000 Introduction: Mesoamerican Civilizations. In Marilyn A. Masson and Michael E. Smith (eds) The Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica, pp. 1-14. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
  6. Feinman and Price 1999 Guilá Naquitz Cave (214-216); Tehuacán (220-223); Guitarrero Cave (224-227). Images of the Past. New York:McGraw-Hill.

    Week 5

  7. Yoffee, Norman 2005 Chapters 1 and 2. Myths of the Archaic State, pp. 4-41. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  8. Carneiro, Robert L. 1981 The chiefdom: precursor to the state. In G.D. Jones and R.R. Kautz (eds) The Transition to Statehood in the New World, pp. 37-75. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Weeks 6 and 7

  9. Feinman and Price 1999 Old World States and Empires (384-387); Eridu (388-3900; Temples (391); Uruk (392-396); Early Writing Systems (397-399)). Images of the Past. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Weeks 8 and 9

  10. Wengrow, David 2006 Chapter 1: Egypt and the Outside World. The Archaeology of Early Egypt, pp. 13-40. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  11. Wengrow 2006 Theaters of sacrifice, pp. 218-258. The Archaeology of Early Egypt.
  12. Feinman and Price 1999 Giza and Dynastic Egypt (414-419). Images of the Past.

    Weeks 10 and 11

  13. McIntosh, Jane 2002 Chapter 1: Lost Civilizations; Chapter 4: Crafts of the Indus; Chapter 8: The Enigmatic Indus Script. A Peaceful Realm: The Rise and Fall of the Indus Civilization. New York: Nevraumont Publishing Company.
  14. Feinman and Price 1999 Harappa and Mohenjo-daro (400-407). Images of the Past.
  15. Barnes, Gina L. 1993 Chapter 1: Orientation; Chapter 9: Early Mainland States; Chapter 11: The Spread of Rice Agriculture. The Rise of Civilization in East Asia. London: Thames & Hudson.
  16. Hadingham, Evan 1994 The mummies of Xinjiang. Discover April 1994: 68-77. Reprinted in Annual Editions in Archaeology 00/01, pp. 87-90.
  17. Feinman and Price 1999 An-Yang (420-425); Xianyang (428-433). Images of the Past.

    Weeks 12 and 13

  18. Reilly, F. Kent III 2000 Art, ritual and rulership in the Olmec world. In Marilyn A. Masson and Michael E. Smith (eds) The Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica, pp. 369-399. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
  19. Haas, Jonathan 1981 Class conflict and the state in the New World. In G.D. Jones and R.R. Kautz (eds) The Transition to Statehood in the New World, pp. 80-102. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  20. Demarest, Arthur 2000 Ideology in ancient Maya cultural evolution. In Marilyn A. Masson and Michael E. Smith (eds) The Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica, pp. 279-299. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
  21. Feinman and Price 1999 San José Mogote (286-287); San Lorenzo (290-293); El Morador (296-299); Monte Albán (300-304); Teotihuacan (306-310); Tikal (312-315). Images of the Past.

    Weeks 14 and 15

  22. Feinman and Price 1999 Tula (326-327; Chichén Itzá (328-331); Tenochtitlan (332-336). Images of the Past.
  23. Smith, Michael E. 1997 Life in the provinces of the Aztec Empire. Scientific American September 1997: 76-83.
  24. Feinman and Price 1999 South America (342-345); Chavín de Huántar (350-353); Moche (354-358); Tiwanaku (364-367); Cuzco and Machu Picchu (372-377). Images of the Past.
  

  University and Departmental Policies
Please take the time to read through the attached sheet. If you have any additional questions, please stop by my office or send me an e-mail message at barnold@uwm.edu.
  


© 2000 Bettina Arnold, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Design: Homer Hruby, Last Updated: September 17, 2006