Courses

TR 2:00  – 3:15
Professor Jonathan Ruane
Illustrated lectures focus on the important discoveries of the discipline of archaeology. Course covers the whole of human prehistory around the world. Archaeological methods are described, along with the great ancient sites: Olduvai, Lascaux, Stonehenge, Egyptian Pyramids, Machu Picchu. Lecture and Discussion.
* You must also register for a discussion section, times and days found on Student Link.

Course provides divisional studies credit in the Humanities
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

TR 9:30 AM – 10:20 AM
Prof. Jonathan Ruane
Theory, methods and aims of prehistoric and historical archaeology in the Old and New Worlds. Excavation and recovery of archaeological data; dating techniques; interpretation of finds; relation of archaeology to history and other disciplines. Examination of several Old and New World cultures. Lecture and Discussion.
* You must also register for a discussion section, times and days found on Student Link.
Course provides divisional studies credit in the Social Sciences

Course required for major and minor in Archaeology

MWF 11:15  – 12:05
Prof. Kathryn Bard
The comparison of origins and institutions of civilizations in the Old and New Worlds, including the first state-organized societies of Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, China, the Aegean, Mesoamerica, and Peru.
Course provides divisional studies credit in the Social Sciences
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

MWF 3:30-4:25
Prof. Alexandra Ratzlaff
How material remains help us understand aspects of Ancient Greek and Roman cultures in their historical development: religious and civic spaces; the culture of affluence; imperial identity; and the transformations that mark the end of classical antiquity.
Course provides divisional studies credit in the Humanities
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

TR 3:30-4:45
Prof. Mary Beaudry

Archaeological evidence of Viking life and culture. Topics include home life, ships and shipbuilding, trade, warfare, religion, art, colonization; detailed examination of major terrestrial and underwater archaeological excavations in Europe, Greenland, and North America.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

TR 2:00PM – 3:15PM
Prof. Catherine West
Natural sciences (biology, chemistry, geology) form an integral part of modern archaeology and are applied to issues of dating, reconstructing past environments and diets, and analysis of mineral and biological remains. Laboratories concentrate on biological, geological, physical and chemical approaches. Lecture and Lab.
* Prerequisite: CAS AR101 or consent of instructor.
** You must also register for a lab section, days and times found on Student Link.
Course required for major and minor in Archaeology

MW 4:30 PM – 5:45 PM

Prof. Kathryn Bard
The ancient Egyptians created monumental evidence of their belief systems, relating to both state religion and the mortuary cult. This course examines ancient Egyptian religion from the evidence of tombs, both royal and private, as well as the temple – all of which evolved over the course of 3,000 years of the pharaonic state. Additionally, hieroglyphic texts associated with these monuments will be studied in translation. These texts not only greatly expand what is known about ancient Egyptian beliefs, but also the rituals that were practiced within Egyptian temples and tomb complexes. The purpose of this course is to provide a better understanding of the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians, from their origins in Predynastic and Early Dynastic times to the development of the great temple complexes in the New Kingdom and later, based on a broad synthesis of the data: archaeological, architectural and textual.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

TR 11:00-12:15
Prof. Catherine West
Senior capstone seminar dealing with the intellectual history of the discipline, research methods, concepts, and problems in archaeological theory, and the formulation of research designs.
Course required for major in Archaeology

T 3:30-6:15
Prof. John Marston
Introduces the theory and method of the study of archaeological plant remains and basic botanical and ecological concepts. Highlights relationships between people and environments and the roles of plants in past societies. Laboratory sessions concentrate on quantitative analysis.
Lecture and Lab meet together.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate technical requirement

W 2:30-5:15
Prof. Fred Kleiner

Topics vary. In-depth examination of varying topics in the study of Roman art and architecture. Topic for Fall 2017: Pompeii. Urban planning; civic, religious, and domestic architecture; tombs; mural painting; mosaics; sculpture; minor arts; and the history of the excavations.
* Prerequisite: junior standing or permission of instructor.
** Meets with CAS AH 534.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

T 12:30-3:15
Prof. Curtis Runnels
The historical development of archaeological methods and theory from the Renaissance to the present day, including consideration of major developments in Western Europe and the Americas, with comparative developments in other regions. Basic concepts in archaeological record and society.
* Prerequisite: graduate standing and at least two prior courses in sociocultural anthropology.

offered at MIT

Prof. John Marston
Seminar. Topic to be announced. Offered through the Center for Materials Research in Archaeology and Ethnology.
* MIT Materials in Ancient Societies: MIT course #3.984.
*Must also take AR704 in the Spring: MIT course #3.989.

R 8:00AM – 10:45AM
Prof. Mary Beaudry
Explores aspects of contemporary theory in archaeology, including post-modern critiques of contemporary practice, new approaches to archaeology of ritual, personhood, identity, and the body; indigenous and public archaeology; and politics and archaeology.
* Cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same title previously numbered GRS AR702.
Course required for MA and PhD in Archaeology

W 8:00AM – 10:45AM
Prof. John Marston
Seminar exploring new ways of addressing archaeological questions through the application of scientific techniques, focusing on cutting-edge methodologies and the most recent literature in the field. Students pursue questions of individual interest through readings, discussions, presentations, and research papers.
* Cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same title previously numbered GRS AR707.
Course required for MA and PhD in Archaeology

TR 2:00PM – 3:15PM
Kathryn Bard
Illustrated lectures focus on the important discoveries of the discipline of archaeology. Course covers the whole of human prehistory around the world. Archaeological methods are described, along with the great ancient sites: Olduvai, Lascaux, Stonehenge, Egyptian Pyramids, Machu Picchu. Lecture and Discussion.
* You must also register for a discussion section, times and days found on Student Link.
Course provides divisional studies credit in the Humanities
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

TR 2:00PM – 3:15PM
Franco Rossi
Theory, methods and aims of prehistoric and historical archaeology in the Old and New Worlds. Excavation and recovery of archaeological data; dating techniques; interpretation of finds; relation of archaeology to history and other disciplines. Examination of several Old and New World cultures. Lecture and Discussion.
* You must also register for a discussion section, times and days found on Student Link.
Course provides divisional studies credit in the Social Sciences
Course required for major and minor in Archaeology

TR 12:30PM – 1:45PM
Prof. David Carballo
An introduction to the archaeology of cities and urbanism. The course includes introductory urban theory, exposure to ancient and early modern cities from geo-temporal contexts that Archaeology Department faculty specialize in, and comparison of cities and urbanism organized along central themes.
Course provides divisional studies credit in the Social Sciences
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

TR 9:30AM – 10:45 AM
Prof. Curtis Runnels
Traces the rise and fall of the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations from their Stone Age roots to the end of the Bronze Age. Subjects include art, architecture, economic, social, political, and religious characteristics, and theoretical explanations of cultural change.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

TR 11:00AM – 12:15 PM
Prof. Kathryn Bard
The technology, economy, social life, political organization, religions, art, and architecture of Egypt from predynastic times through the Hellenistic period, based on archaeological and historical sources. Emphasis on the period of the Pharaohs (ca. 3200-323 BC).
Course provides divisional studies credit in the Humanities
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

MWF 9:05AM – 9:55AM
Prof. Robert Murowchick
This course examines the Archaeology of Ancient China from the Neolithic through the Bronze Age (7000 to 221 BCE). Particular attention will be paid to the interaction between technology and the acquisition of political, religious, and social power.
Course provides divisional studies credit in the Humanities
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

TR 9:30AM – 10:45AM
Franco Rossi
A survey of current knowledge and scholarship about the Maya civilization, which flourished in Central America between 250-900 AD, its earlier beginnings and subsequent collapse, and aspects of its economic and social basis and artistic and intellectual achievements.
Course provides divisional studies credit in the Humanities
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

TR 3:30PM – 4:45PM
Prof. Mary Beaudry
Archaeological evidence for Columbus’ voyage and its aftermath. Topics include coastal exploration, early settlement, and cultural contacts between Europeans and Native Americans. Evidence from both land and underwater excavations will be presented.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

TR 11:00AM – 12:15PM
Prof. Catherine West
A survey of current knowledge and scholarship about the Maya civilization, which flourished in Central America between 250-900 AD, its earlier beginnings and subsequent collapse, and aspects of its economic and social basis and artistic and intellectual achievements.
Course provides divisional studies credit in the Humanities
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

T 3:30PM – 6:15PM
Alexandra Ratzlaff
This course examines the interconnected cultures of the eastern Mediterranean from the era of Alexander the Great (4th century BCE) through the Roman emperors period (c. 2nd-3rd centuries CE), with a focus on the material correlates of identity. Meets with GRS AR738.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

T 12:30PM – 3:15PM
Prof. Ricardo Elia
In this course students examine archaeology and professional ethics; archaeology as public interest; legal organization of archaeology; international approaches to heritage management; looting, collecting and the antiquities market; maritime law and underwater archaeology; cultural resource management in the United States.
* Meets with GRS AR892.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

R 3:30PM – 6:15PM
Prof. Ricardo Elia
Introduction to the practice of public archaeology in the U.S. Historical and legal background; state and federal programs; conducting archaeological investigations; archaeology as a business; the public interest; controversies, problems, and prospects in archaeological heritage management.Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

F 11:15AM – 2:00PM
Jonathan Ruane
Advanced computer (GIS) techniques are used to address regional archaeological problems. This applied course examines digital encoding and manipulation of archaeological and environmental data, and methods for testing hypotheses, analyzing, and modeling the archaeological record.
* Prerequisite: Two archaeology courses or consent of instructor.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate technical requirement

R 12:30PM – 3:15PM
Prof. Davidson
The purpose of this course is to turn students’ intellectual interests into answerable, field-based research questions. The goal is the production of a project proposal for future research.
* Cross-listed with CAS AN510.
** Undergraduate prerequisite: admission to AR Honors Program or consent of instructor.
*** Graduate prerequisite: graduate student standing in the social sciences or humanities.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate technical requirement

W 2:30PM – 5:15PM
Prof. Catherine West
Introduction to the study of archaeological animal bones. Provides theoretical background and methodological skills necessary for interpreting past human-animal interactions, subsistence, and paleoecology. Laboratory sections focus on skeletal identification.  Lecture and Lab.
* Prerequisite: CAS AR101 or consent of instructor.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate technical requirement

W 2:30APM – 5:15PM
Prof. Fred Kleiner
Topics vary. In-depth examination of varying topics in the study of Roman art and architecture. Topic for Spring 2018: Artistic Patronage in the Roman World. An empire-wide study of the role of patrons (imperial, civic, and private) in the commissioning of Roman art and architecture, and of the impact patrons have on the form and content of the works they pay for.
* Prerequisite: junior standing or permission of instructor.
** Meets with CAS AH 534.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

R 12:30APM – 3:15PM
Prof. Mary Beaudry
Identification and dating of European and Asian artifacts found on archaeological sites in the Americas, ca. 1500-1900. Emphasis on methods for analyzing, conducting research on, and interpreting artifacts and assemblages.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical or technical requirement

T 3:30PM – 6:15PM
Alexandra Ratzlaff
This course examines the interconnected cultures of the eastern Mediterranean from the era of Alexander the Great (4th century BCE) through the Roman emperors period (c. 2nd-3rd centuries CE), with a focus on the material correlates of identity. Meets with CAS AR338.

M 2:30PM – 3:15PM
Prof. Robert Murowchick
Explores how archaeology is shaped by and manipulated for political purposes. Case studies from Asia and around the world trace the development of archaeology during colonial empire-building and post-colonial nationalism, and the importance of archaeological heritage in regional politics.

T 12:30PM – 3:15PM
Prof. Ricardo Elia
Students examine archaeology and professional ethics; archaeology as a public interest; legal organization of archaeology; international approaches to heritage management; looting, collecting, and the antiquities market; maritime law and underwater archaeology; cultural resource management in the United States.
* Meets with CAS AR 480.
** Cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same title previously numbered GRS AR780.
Course required for MA and PhD in Archaeology

W 8:00AM -10:45AM
Prof. David Carballo
This seminar takes an explicitly comparative approach to addressing questions concerning the origins of and variability in human culture viewed through a review of worldwide archaeological literature.
Course required for MA and PhD in Archaeology

Illustrated lectures focus on the important discoveries of the discipline of archaeology. Course covers the whole of human prehistory around the world. Archaeological methods are described, along with the great ancient sites: Olduvai, Lascaux, Stonehenge, Egyptian Pyramids, Machu Picchu. Lecture and Discussion.
* You must also register for a discussion section, times and days found on Student Link.

Course provides divisional studies credit in the Humanities
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

Theory, methods and aims of prehistoric and historical archaeology in the Old and New Worlds. Excavation and recovery of archaeological data; dating techniques; interpretation of finds; relation of archaeology to history and other disciplines. Examination of several Old and New World cultures. Lecture and Discussion.
* You must also register for a discussion section, times and days found on Student Link.

Course provides divisional studies credit in the Social Sciences
Course required for major and minor in Archaeology

An introduction to the archaeology of cities and urbanism. The course includes introductory urban theory, exposure to ancient and early modern cities from geo-temporal contexts that Archaeology Department faculty specialize in, and comparison of cities and urbanism organized along central themes.
Course provides divisional studies credit in the Social Sciences
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

Protection and management of archaeological heritage, including sites, artifacts, and monuments. Survey of heritage values and stakeholders. Issues covered include policy and legislation, U.S. preservation system, international efforts, indigenous perspectives, looting, repatriation, underwater heritage, and heritage at war.
Course provides divisional studies credit in the Social Sciences
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

An introduction to the archaeology and civilizations of the pre-Columbian Americas. Topics progress chronologically as well as comparatively, with cases drawn from Native American cultures of the North America, Mesoamerica, and South America.
Course provides divisional studies credit in the Social Sciences
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

This Course investigates pseudoscientific claims about the past based on case studies claiming to solve archaeological mysteries, and subjects them to the test of evidence using the scientific method. Topics: Atlantis, ancient extraterrestials, Pyramids, Stonehenge, crop marks, Noah’s Ark, etc.
Course provides divisional studies credit in the Humanities
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

The comparison of origins and institutions of civilizations in the Old and New Worlds, including the first state-organized societies of Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, China, the Aegean, Mesoamerica, and Peru.
Course provides divisional studies credit in the Social Sciences
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

Traces the related evolution of technology and culture over the first million years of human existence. Case studies focus on the interaction between early technology and social structure, values, and institutions. Lectures and hands-on experience with ceramics, stone, and metallurgy.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

An overview of the archaeology of writing focusing on modern decipherments of ancient texts. Related topics include characteristics of the world’s major language families, the nature of linguistic change, and the origin and history of the alphabet.
Course provides divisional studies credit in the Humanities
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

Examines the wealth and power of the ancient Near East and Egypt during the Bronze Age. Topics include the establishment of power, long distance exchange and interaction, ethnicity, architecture, and environmental and ecological factors affecting the civilizations.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

Traces the rise and fall of the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations from their Stone Age roots to the end of the Bronze Age. Subjects include art, architecture, economic, social, political, and religious characteristics, and theoretical explanations of cultural change.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

Examination of the diverse and often conflicting values associated with archaeological objects, ancient monuments, and cultural sites. Case studies (including the Elgin Marbles) highlight contemporary controversies over ownership, appropriation, use, and abuse of the material remains of the past.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

An overview of the Archaeology of the Islamic world during 7th to 18th centuries CE. Focus on ancient cities, religious and secular buildings like gardens, palaces, forts, mausoleums and mosques and study of ceramics, calligraphy, metal and glassware, trade routes and Islamic crafts.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area or topical requirement

This course will introduce the major styles and monuments of the art and architecture of ancient Mesoamerica and the Andes from the first millennium BC to the 16th century AD Major areas to be studied include Mexico, Guatemala, and Peru.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area or topical requirement

How material remains help us understand aspects of Ancient Greek and Roman cultures in their historical development: religious and civic spaces; the culture of affluence; imperial identity; and the transformations that mark the end of classical antiquity.
Course provides divisional studies credit in the Humanities
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

The technology, economy, social life, political organization, religions, art, and architecture of Egypt from predynastic times through the Hellenistic period, based on archaeological and historical sources. Emphasis on the period of the Pharaohs (ca. 3200-323 BC).
Course provides divisional studies credit in the Humanities
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

This course examines the Archaeology of Ancient China from the Neolithic through the Bronze Age (7000 to 221 BCE). Particular attention will be paid to the interaction between technology and the acquisition of political, religious, and social power.
Course provides divisional studies credit in the Humanities
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

Analysis of major events and processes of the Mesoamerican area. Topics include the arrival of man; development of regional patterns; origin of food, production; the rise of towns, temples, and urbanism; the origin of the state, the development of the empires.
Course provides divisional studies credit in the Social Sciences
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

A survey of current knowledge and scholarship about the Maya civilization, which flourished in Central America between 250-900 AD, its earlier beginnings and subsequent collapse, and aspects of its economic and social basis and artistic and intellectual achievements.
Course provides divisional studies credit in the Humanities
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

Highly illustrated exploration of the archaeology of Asia’s most fascinating early cultures and their impact. Coverage includes the Indus, Oxus, and Khmer civilizations, the Han and Tang dynasty Silk Road, and the diverse Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures of China (including the First Emperor’s terracotta army and the Great Wall), Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Asian museums, cultural heritage management policies and challenges, and political appropriation of cultural heritage are also examined.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

Representation, meaning, and mystery of gods and goddesses of South and East Asian cultures, from prehistory to the present. Mother, fertility, and tree goddesses; deities of Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. Evidence from archaeology, rock engravings, religious shrines, and other sources.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area or topical requirement

Archaeological evidence for Columbus’ voyage and its aftermath. Topics include coastal exploration, early settlement, and cultural contacts between Europeans and Native Americans. Evidence from both land and underwater excavations will be presented.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

Archaeological evidence of Viking life and culture. Topics include home life, ships and shipbuilding, trade, warfare, religion, art, colonization; detailed examination of major terrestrial and underwater archaeological excavations in Europe, Greenland, and North America.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

Food stands at the intersection of nature and culture; it is a requirement for life yet it is always encoded with cultural meanings. Food can reveal aspects of social identity, politics and power, economics, environmental management, and religious beliefs. In this course, we will explore past societies through the archaeological study of food, drink, and medicinal substances. This survey will encompass the evolution of the human diet—from foraging to farming to the effects of industrialization, colonialism, and globalization—the cultural transformation of food from ingredients to cuisine, feasting, agricultural production, and other topics relevant to the study of food both past and present. We will focus on archaeological materials and case studies from throughout the world to achieve a cross-cultural understanding of the complex interplay between humans and food. The course will employ lectures, readings, discussions, field trips, a food journal, and other “food experiences” to demonstrate the impact of ancient diets on health, society, and the environment.
Course provides divisional studies credit in the Social Sciences
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

North American prehistory from initial peopling of continent to development of complex societies. Explores human entry into the New World; migration across North America; subsistence changes; human effects on landscape; encounters with Europeans; role of archaeology in contemporary Native cultures.
Course provides divisional studies credit in the Social Sciences
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

Examination of human impacts on the global landscape over the past 10,000 years through migration, hunting, disease, agriculture, and other cultural activities; implications for contemporary and future resources management and environmental policy.
Course provides divisional studies credit in the Social Sciences
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

Introduction to the emergence of culture and the reconstruction of early lifeways from archaeological evidence. Topics include early humans in Africa, Asia, and Europe; Neanderthals; the first Americans; and the prelude to agriculture.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

Natural sciences (biology, chemistry, geology) form an integral part of modern archaeology and are applied to issues of dating, reconstructing past environments and diets, and analysis of mineral and biological remains. Laboratories concentrate on biological, geological, physical and chemical approaches. Lecture and Lab.
* Prerequisite: CAS AR101 or consent of instructor.
** You must also register for a lab section, days and times found on Student Link.
Course required for major and minor in Archaeology

This laboratory-driven course engages students in independent research design and the hands-on analysis of archaeological materials. The course provides a foundation in the integration of theory, research design, and analytical methods through laboratory sessions where students work with archaeological materials. This course is offered in the Spring semester.
* Prerequisite: CAS AR100 or AR101, or consent of instructor.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate technical requirement

The conquests, trades, society, history and religion, art and architecture of the ancient Aztec and Inca empires in Mexico and Peru, as revealed archaeologically and in the accounts of their Spanish conquerors.
* Meets with GRS AR722. Cross-listed with AH322.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

This course introduces the styles and iconography of Maya sculpture, painting and architecture from Preclassic origins on the epi-Olmec Gulf coast, and the southern coast and highlands of Guatemala; then north into the south and central lowlands and the Classic Period florescence at Tikal, Copan, and Palenque, followed by the architectural innovations of the North, the hybrid grandeur of Chichen Itza, and finally the “international style” at the peripheries of the Classic Maya regions (AD 100-1400).
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

Archaeology in Greek lands from the Iron Age to the first century BC; aims and methods of Classical archaeology; correlations with anthropology, art history, history and literature.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

Cultural evolution on the Italian peninsula from the early Iron Age to the fall of Rome (1100 BC to AD 476). Origins and developments of Etruscan civilization; Italic peoples and the rise of Rome; Roman religion, economy, arts, architecture, and social and civic institutions.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

Follows the development of urban centers in the Greco-Roman world from the Late Bronze Age through the Roman period. Topics include state formation, urban architecture and infrastructure, public and private buildings and monuments, and social dynamics of urban culture.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

Lectures and discussions on the evolution and nature of mystery cults in the Graeco-Roman World from the 7th c. BC to Late Antiquity. The course will be concerned with the rituals, belief systems, iconography, and sanctuaries of select cults, including Demeter and Kore, Dionysus, Cybele and Attis, Isis, the Syrian deities, and Mithras. Evidence will be drawn from archaeology, art history, literature, and inscriptions.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area or topical requirement

This course examines the interconnected cultures of the eastern Mediterranean from the Late Bronze Age (c. 1400–1200 BCE) through the Achaemenid period (c. 5–4th C. BCE), with a focus on the material correlates of identity.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

This course examines the interconnected cultures of the eastern Mediterranean from the era of Alexander the Great (4th century BCE) through the Roman emperors period (c. 2nd-3rd centuries CE), with a focus on the material correlates of identity. Meets with GRS AR738.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

An overview of the core area of the ancient Near East from the introduction of agriculture to the Hellenistic era. Emphasis will be on the genesis of urban society and its transformation under the Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians and Persians.
* Meets with GRS AR741.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

In Israel, archaeology is part of current events. We study remains from the Israelite to the Moslem conquests (c. 1200 BCE – 640 CE) to learn how material evidence created and still plays a role in a larger historical drama.
* Meets with GRS AR742. Cross-listed with CAS RN390, GRS RN690, and STH TX815.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

An historically oriented survey of the material remains of the ancient cultures of Turkey and northwest Iran from the Neolithic to the Hellenistic Period. Emphasis is on the Hittite Empire and civilizations that succeeded it in the first millennium.
* Meets with GRS AR743.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

Acquaints students with some basic techniques used in modern archaeology prior to a full field school experience. Hands-on field and laboratory work, as well as examples from the literature, illustrate the techniques and concepts employed in the course.
* Prerequisite: CAS AR101 or consent of instructor.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate technical requirement

Examines the prehistoric and early historical origins of ancient Egyptian civilization, major institutions of the culture, and culture changes through time. Major topics such as changing socio-political organization, demography and the economic system, and beliefs/religion will be studied.
* Meets with GRS AR746.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

This course focuses on early states in northeast Africa, in Egypt, Nubia, and Eritrea/Ethiopia. Comparative analyses include socio-economic institutions, kingship, burial practices and religions of these early states, concentrating on archaeological as well as textual evidence.
* Meets with GRS AR747.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

The ancient Egyptians created monumental evidence of their belief systems, relating to both state religion and the mortuary cult. This course examines ancient Egyptian religion from the evidence of tombs, both royal and private, as well as the temple – all of which evolved over the course of 3,000 years of the pharaonic state. Additionally, hieroglyphic texts associated with these monuments will be studied in translation. These texts not only greatly expand what is known about ancient Egyptian beliefs, but also the rituals that were practiced within Egyptian temples and tomb complexes. The purpose of this course is to provide a better understanding of the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians, from their origins in Predynastic and Early Dynastic times to the development of the great temple complexes in the New Kingdom and later, based on a broad synthesis of the data: archaeological, architectural and textual.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

Comparative study of ancient Mesoamerican cities, including the Aztecs, Maya, and their predecessors, focusing on urban functions, cosmological symbolism, and development over time (ca. 1000 BC – AD 1500).
* Prerequisite: CAS AR100 or AR101, or consent of instructor.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area or topical requirement

Course focuses on the archaeological evidence for antecedents of the Indus Civilization and cultural processses leading to its climax and decline (3000-100 BC). Involves in-depth study of socio-economic, political and religious complexities of its organization, technology, settlement patterns, architecture, subsistence, inter-regional trades and relationships with contemporary civilizations.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

Introduction to the archaeology of American life in the Colonial Period. A consideration of the material culture of early America, including architecture, artifacts, complete sites, and the use of archaeology to confirm or modify the written record.
* Meets with GRS AR770.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

The archaeology of America from the Revolution to the present. Deals with the social history, industry, and the material culture of recent and modern Americans.
* Meets with GRS AR771.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

Boston’s buried history revealed through excavated artifacts and features. Tours of archaeological laboratories, Boston’s neighborhoods, burying grounds, waterfront, and Harbor Islands. “Big Dig” finds in Charlestown, Mill Pond, North End; Fanueil Hall, Blackstone Block, Boston Common, and Paul Revere House. This course is usually offered in the summer.
* Meets with GRS AR772.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

A practical introduction to the use of archival and oral sources in text-aided archaeology; surveys the use of oral and documentary sources by archaeologists, giving attention to the type and scope of documents-defined in the broadest sense-available. Critical analysis of documents as a step in constructing anthropological history, historical ethnography, and the “new culture history” as well as the interaction of history, anthropology and material culture studies in historical archaeology.
* Meets with GRS AR775.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

Examines the prehistoric and historic cultures of Southeast Asia, including the first arrival of humans, regional neolithic and Bronze Age communities, early states, maritime trading networks, as well as political motivations in archaeology and the illicit Asian antiquities trade.
* Meets with AR790.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

Technology is a central part of the human experience, and the development of metallurgy stands out as one technology that was mastered by some cultures, and virtually ignored by others. This course explores all aspects of the development of copper, bronze, gold, silver, iron, and other metals among the prehistoric and early historic cultures across Asia. By first providing an understanding of the technical aspects of mining, smelting, casting, alloying, and finishing, the course then looks at this technology within a much broader context, examining its varied roles and impact in the ritual, military, symbolic, and economic aspects of these cultures. Its prominence in the modern antiquities trade is also examined, as is its manipulation as a potent tool in modern nationalistic debates.
* Meets with GRS AR793.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

Course considers place of heritage in archaeology and cultural diplomacy; art architecture as cultural ambassadors; culture representation in museums and cultural landscapes; international art law; cultural affairs in U.S. embassies; the State Department; strategic impact of heritage in promoting U.S. foreign policy.
* Meets with GRS AR796. Cross-listed with CAS IR396 and GRS IR796.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

Elementary and intermediate application of the computer to archaeological data analysis, derivation and interpretation of the structure of archaeological data assemblages in terms of statistical and mathematical models.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate technical requirement

Prerequisite: at least one AR course at 200 level or equivalent or consent of instructor. Primary field recovery techniques, laboratory analysis, and laboratory experience in conservation methods for archaeological materials including pottery, wood, bone, metals, stone, leather, fabrics, basketry, paper, and floral remains. Lecture and Lab.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate technical requirement

Seminar on the archaeology, anthropology, mythology and history of collapse in complex societies. Course provides students with an in-depth understanding of major issues and challenges in studying the dissolution and reformulation of complex societies in the ancient world.
* Meets with GRS AR830.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

Investigates manifestations and contexts of religion in the Greco-Roman world, including iconographic, architectural, votive, magical, and archaeological remains, and drawing on theories of space, image, and ritual performance. Individual topics will address historical periods or specific themes in religious materiality.
* Meets with GRS AR735. Cross-listed with CAS RN490 and GRS RN790.Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

Senior capstone seminar dealing with the intellectual history of the discipline, research methods, concepts, and problems in archaeological theory, and the formulation of research designs.
Course required for major in Archaeology

Mesoamerican Archaeology: Advanced seminar covering major events and processes of the Mesoamerican culture region. Topics vary by semester, but may include issues such as early villages, urbanization, state formation, households, religion, economy and exchange, and the Spanish conquest and early colonialism.
* Prerequisite: AR222, AR250, AR251, AR322, AR323, AR353, or consent of instructor.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

In this course students examine archaeology and professional ethics; archaeology as public interest; legal organization of archaeology; international approaches to heritage management; looting, collecting and the antiquities market; maritime law and underwater archaeology; cultural resource management in the United States.
* Meets with GRS AR892.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

Introduction to the practice of public archaeology in the U.S. Historical and legal background; state and federal programs; conducting archaeological investigations; archaeology as a business; the public interest; controversies, problems, and prospects in archaeological heritage management.Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

Archaeological field school with intensive study of archaeological techniques and procedures. Direct involvement in field excavation, assisting in data recording, and in the description and inventory of artifacts and specimens. Field, lab and/or lecture involvement; requires six to seven hours a day, five days a week. Various locations around the world.
* Prerequisite: CAS AR101 or consent of instructor.
Course required for major in Archaeology

Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate field school requirement

Examination of fundamental issues of preservation and management of World Heritage sites, implementation of UNESCO’s Conventions, Recommendations and Charters; selection, evaluation, and nomination of cultural properties for inscription as World Heritage sites and their protection from human and natural causes.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

Lecture/laboratory course introducing students to applications of remote sensing in archaeology. A variety of geophysical survey methods as well as multispectral image analysis are taught. Topics include the use of remotely sensed data for regional analysis, the discovery and mapping of buried archaeological features, and computer analysis of multispectral data.
* Prerequisite: Two archaeology courses or consent of instructor.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate technical requirement

Advanced computer (GIS) techniques are used to address regional archaeological problems. This applied course examines digital encoding and manipulation of archaeological and environmental data, and methods for testing hypotheses, analyzing, and modeling the archaeological record.
* Prerequisite: Two archaeology courses or consent of instructor.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate technical requirement

This course integrates classroom, lab, and field instruction to provide students understanding and practical field skills in archaeological surface and subsurface mapping. Coverage includes point-based surveying, ground-based and photogrammetric surface modeling, aerial image digitization, and archaeogeophysical prospection.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

Lecture/laboratory course illustrating the use of geological concepts and methods in the study of archaeological problems. Topics include: stratigraphy and stratigraphic principles, geological environments and earth-surface processes, anthropogenic sediments, archaeological materials and their analysis; the formation of archaeological sites. Field trips in the Boston area.
* Prerequisite: CAS AR101 or consent of instructor.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate technical requirement

The purpose of this course is to turn students’ intellectual interests into answerable, field-based research questions. The goal is the production of a project proposal for future research.
* Cross-listed with CAS AN510.
** Undergraduate prerequisite: admission to AR Honors Program or consent of instructor.
*** Graduate prerequisite: graduate student standing in the social sciences or humanities.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate technical requirement

Topics vary. Intensive coverage of particular periods, sub-areas, or events in European prehistory (Paleolithic, Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages, Western Europe or Eastern Europe, population migrations, etc.) as selected by instructor.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

Introduction to laboratory and field methods used in Geoarchaeology, including description of field profiles and settings; map (topographic, geological, soil survey) and aerial photo interpretation; laboratory analytical techniques, such as soil micromorphology, x-ray diffraction, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (FTIR).
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate technical requirement

Topics vary. Intensive coverage of particular periods or sub-areas in Africa as selected by the instructor.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

The micromorphological examination and interpretation of soils, sediments, and archaeological and anthropogenic materials features (e.g., ceramics, bricks, hearths), with focus on the processes of landscape evolution and the mechanisms of archaeological site formation.
* Prerequisite: CAS AR101 and AR509, or consent of instructor.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate technical requirement

Introduces the theory and method of the study of archaeological plant remains and basic botanical and ecological concepts. Highlights relationships between people and environments and the roles of plants in past societies. Laboratory sessions concentrate on quantitative analysis. Lecture and Lab.
* Prerequisite: CAS AR101 or consent of instructor.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate technical requirement

Introduction to the study of archaeological animal bones. Provides theoretical background and methodological skills necessary for interpreting past human-animal interactions, subsistence, and paleoecology. Laboratory sections focus on skeletal identification.  Lecture and Lab.
* Prerequisite: CAS AR101 or consent of instructor.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate technical requirement

Topics vary. Studies of ancient Mesoamerican cultures as known from their archaeological sites and reconstructed history as known from their changing plans, architecture, art and iconography.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

Topics Vary.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

Topics Vary.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

Topics vary. In-depth examination of varying topics in the study of Roman art and architecture. Topic for Spring 2018: Artistic Patronage in the Roman World. An empire-wide study of the role of patrons (imperial, civic, and private) in the commissioning of Roman art and architecture, and of the impact patrons have on the form and content of the works they pay for.
* Prerequisite: junior standing or permission of instructor.
** Meets with CAS AH 534.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

Interdisciplinary overview of Europe and Mediterranean World in the 3rd-6th centuries A.D., based on the archaeological record and material culture (including art), and drawing on history and literature. Topics include: rise of Christianity; town and country; public and private life.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

An introduction to the Semitic language that served as the lingua franca in the Near East from ca. 2500-500 BC, with emphasis on reading texts in cuneiform script.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

Completes coverage of the essentials of Akkadian grammar and highlights differences between Assyrian and Babylonian dialects. Readings in cuneiform include sections of the Code of Hammurabi and the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

Topics vary. Analysis of major events and processes of the Mesoamerican area. Topics include the arrival of man; development of regional patterns; origin of food production; rise of towns, temples, and urbanism; the origin of state; and the development of empires.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

Study of the various writing systems and interdependent Mesoamerican calendar, as found in many media among the pre-Columbian Olmec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Mixtec, Aztec, and Maya cultures, from the last centuries BC to the sixteenth century.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

Supervised original research in excavation, survey, or field laboratory situation, as art of field study program.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area or technical requirement

Emergence, development, and decline of two Bronze Age Civilizations called “Oasis” in Central Asia and Indus/Harappan in South Asia. Focus on comparative study of cultural processes of urbanization, complex social, economic and religious institutions, specialized crafts, and long distance trade.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

Identification and dating of European and Asian artifacts found on archaeological sites in the Americas, ca. 1500-1900. Emphasis on methods for analyzing, conducting research on, and interpreting artifacts and assemblages.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical or technical requirement

Topics vary. The study of the remains of our industrial heritage including above-ground excavations. Topics include mills, dams, canals, bridges, and all other material remains of America’s industrial development. Field trips to New England industrial sites.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area or topical requirement

Considers ancient and historical objects in collections from historical, functional, material, aesthetic perspectives to understand original cultural context. Case studies demonstrate the changing theory, practice, legal and ethical implications of museum acquisition and display.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

Exploration of the food cultures and technologies through material culture- pots, pans, and utensils. Course will range broadly across cultures, time, and space with emphasis on medieval and early modern times. Life histories of humble, overlooked, everyday objects associated with food preparation and consumption; kitchens from prehistory to the present; tradition and fashion in cooking & dining vessels; pots and cooking technology; pots as metaphors & symbols.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

Introduction to Heritage Management with a focus on European case studies. This course involves both theory and practice of various themes of Cultural Heritage Management, understood in a broad sense and with an interdisciplinary approach. It involves topics such as the value and significance of cultural sites and objects; the identification and analysis of stakeholder communities; principles and practices of Heritage Management in local, national and international contexts; conservation of archaeological and historical remains; site management and cultural tourism; and site interpretation and education programs. Students will engage in hands-on heritage activities and projects, such as planning an exhibit, developing a public outreach program, or assessing a management plan. This course has an emphasis on archaeological sites, but it also extends to other areas such as historical sites and art centers. Therefore, it is open to students of art history, anthropology, classics, museum studies, and education. We will study how to prepare a site for tourism, how to design and implement programs for all kinds of publics—children, teenagers, mentally-handicapped, etc.— and how to reach the community and involve it in the task of preserving its cultural heritage.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

Before plastic, there was pottery – pots and pans, cups and dishes, crocks and jars – in every culture and in abundance. In this course we’ll study how archaeologists use the evidence of pottery to elucidate everything from personal habits to large-scale social, economic, and political developments.The course will be divided into three study units. In the first we will focus on the most common forms of scientific analyses: mineral and clay identification via thin section and chemical composition via Instrumental Neutron Activation and X-Ray Fluorescence Analyses. In the second study unit, we will focus on the Levant over the longue durée, from the Bronze Ages through the Ottoman empire, and examine how archaeologists have analyzed and deployed ceramic evidence to reconstruct social, economic, cultural, and political processes. In the third study unit, we will broaden our geographical scope to study the application of ceramic analysis in the archaeologies of Oceania, Africa, the early Americas, and historic America.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical or technical requirement

Societies craft their histories and identities via memorials, thereby firming up the past for the future. In this course, we analyze the historical context, form and message of important memorials in modern America and classical antiquity.
Societies craft their histories and identities via memorials, thereby firming up the past for the future. In this course, we analyze the historical context, form and message of important memorials in modern America and classical antiquity.
* Prerequisite: junior standing or permission of instructor.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate topical requirement

* Restricted to teaching assistants.

The historical development of archaeological methods and theory from the Renaissance to the present day, including consideration of major developments in Western Europe and the Americas, with comparative developments in other regions. Basic concepts in archaeological record and society.
* Prerequisite: graduate standing and at least two prior courses in sociocultural anthropology.

Seminar. Topic to be announced. Offered through the Center for Materials Research in Archaeology and Ethnology.
* MIT Materials in Ancient Societies: course #3.984.

GRS AR704 Materials in Ancient SocietySeminar. Topic to be announced. Offered through the Center for Materials Research in Archaeology and Ethnology.
* MIT Materials in Ancient Societies: course #3.989.

Cultural development from the origins of humankind through the establishment of food production, with emphasis on models for reconstructing successive changes in adaptation among early populations.

Core concepts of archaeological research on the formation, cultural development, and decay of complex societies as well as their introduction into other cultures. Coverage emphasizes research design rather than simply survey.

Considers in detail geological, biological and anthropogenic depositional and post-depositional processes that result in formation of archaeological sites. Initial focus on basic principles/processes, then their application to site-evaluation in New and Old World. Field trips in area.

This seminar deals with a variety of topics concerned with the earth and archaeological sciences. Such themes are related to quaternary environments; methods of studying archaeological sediments and materials; scientific methods in the study of archaeological sites.

Selected problems or topics in prehistoric archaeology of the Old World.

Theoretical and methodological approaches to the comparative archaeology of colonialism in ancient and early modern worlds; considers case studies from ancient Greece, Roman Empire, & European colonial projects in South Africa, Australia, and the Americas.

Selected problems or topics in historical archaeology of the Old World.

Topics vary.

Topics vary.

Investigates manifestations and contexts of religion in the Greco-Roman world, including iconographic, architectural, votive, magical, and archaeological remains, and drawing on theories of space, image, and ritual performance. Individual topics will address historical periods or specific themes in religious materiality.
* Prerequisite: Prior coursework in Archaeology or in ancient religions (Classics/RN/Hist/STh), or permission of the instructor.
** Meets with CAS AR435. Cross-listed with CAS RN490 and GRS RN790.

This course examines the interconnected cultures of the eastern Mediterranean from the era of Alexander the Great (4th century BCE) through the Roman emperors period (c. 2nd-3rd centuries CE), with a focus on the material correlates of identity. Meets with CAS AR338.
Course fulfills Department of Archaeology Undergraduate area requirement

Seminar. Studies this core area of the ancient Near East, from the introduction of agriculture to the Hellenistic era. Examines the genesis of the first urban society and its transformation under the Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and Persians.
* Meets with CAS AR341.

In Israel, archaeology is part of current events. We study remains from the Israelite to the Moslem conquests (c. 1200 BCE – 640 CE) to learn how material evidence created and still plays a role in a larger historical drama.
* Meets with CAS AR342.
** Cross lists with CAS RN390/690 & STH TX815.

A historically oriented survey of the material remains of the ancient cultures of Turkey and northwest Iran from the Neolithic to the Hellenistic period. Emphasis is on the Hittite Empire and civilizations that succeeded it in the first millennium.
* Meets with CAS AR343.

Seminar. Survey and analysis of sites from Egypt’s prehistory and the major periods of Pharaonic civilizations. Problems such as changing social and political organization, demography, and the economic system will be studied, as interpreted from the archaeological evidence.
* Meets with CAS AR346.

This course focuses on early states in northeast Africa, in Egypt, Nubia, and Eritrea/Ethiopia. Comparative analyses include socio-economic institutions, kingship, burial practices and religions of these early states, concentrating on archaeological as well as textual evidence.
* Meets with CAS AR347.

It is a seminar on the archaeology of prehispanic Mesoamerica (much of modern Mexico and Central America), and is intended to provide students with an in depth understanding of major issues in studying the Mesoamerican past, with relative emphases changing by semester.

Seminar. Material culture of the people who colonized North America. Architecture, artifacts, and a variety of sites – domestic, military, commercial, sepulchral – are studied. Uses of archival evidence as factual and ethnographic documentation for archaeological interpretation are discussed.
* Meets with CAS AR370.

Seminar. The archaeological study of America since the Revolution. Focus is on the archaeological and artifactual evidence for the development of plantation systems and slavery, industrial and urban centers, ethnicity, and modern popular culture.
* Meets with CAS AR371.

Boston’s buried history revealed through excavated artifacts and features. Tours of archaeological laboratories, Boston’s neighborhoods, burying grounds, waterfront, and Harbor Islands. “Big Dig” finds in Charlestown, Mill Pond, North End; Fanueil Hall, Blackstone Block, Boston Common, and Paul Revere House.
* Meets with CAS AR372.

Comprehensive survey of use of oral and written documentary history by archaeologists. Specific topics, sources, techniques of recording and analysis. Special attention to archaeological applications of African and American oral history projects; case studies involving documentation in New World historical archaeology.
* Meets with CAS AR375.

Examines the prehistoric and historic cultures of Southeast Asia, including the first arrival of humans, regional neolithic and Bronze Age communities, early states, maritime trading networks, as well as political motivations in archaeology and the illicit Asian antiquities trade.
* Meets with CAS AR390.

Technology is a central part of the human experience, and the development of metallurgy stands out as one technology that was mastered by some cultures, and virtually ignored by others. This course explores all aspects of the development of copper, bronze, gold, silver, iron, and other metals among the prehistoric and early historic cultures across Asia. By first providing an understanding of the technical aspects of mining, smelting, casting, alloying, and finishing, the course then looks at this technology within a much broader context, examining its varied roles and impact in the ritual, military, symbolic, and economic aspects of these cultures. Its prominence in the modern antiquities trade is also examined, as is its manipulation as a potent tool in modern nationalistic debates. Open to all interested students in all departments.
* Meets with CAS AR393.

Explores how archaeology is shaped by and manipulated for political purposes. Case studies from Asia and around the world trace the development of archaeology during colonial empire-building and post-colonial nationalism, and the importance of archaeological heritage in regional politics.

Course considers place of heritage in archaeology and cultural diplomacy; art architecture as cultural ambassadors; culture representation in museums and cultural landscapes; international art law; cultural affairs in U.S. embassies; the State Department; strategic impact of heritage in promoting U.S. foreign policy.
* Meets with CAS AR396. Cross-listed with CAS IR396 and GRS IR796.

Seminar on prehistoric hunting-and-gathering societies from the Lower Paleolithic through the Mesolithic. Technology, subsistence patterns, demography, and human organization. Use of ethnographic analogy and environmental studies.

Seminar. The application of quantitative methods to archaeological data covering techniques of exploratory data analysis, probability sampling, and techniques of spatial analysis with lectures on statistical methods.
* Prerequisite: CAS AR400 or consent of instructor.

This seminar traces the development of survey and landscape archaeology and their impact on understandings of the social, political, economic, and religious environments of ancient cultures. Weekly discussions and presentations cover a sample of methodological and interpretive approaches.

Investigations of issues in archaeological heritage management at the international level. Approaches, challenges, and solutions to problems in the identification, evaluation, conservation, management, and interpretation of archaeological resources. Focus on specific topics (e.g. legislation) and/or geographical regions.

Topics include safeguarding of cultural sites, monuments, and objects during armed conflict; history of cultural seizures as spoils of war; destruction of cultural heritage in war; development of legal protections; contemporary approaches to preservation of heritage at risk from war.

Seminar on the archaeology, anthropology, mythology and history of collapse in complex societies. Course provides students with an in-depth understanding of major issues and challenges in studying the dissolution and reformulation of complex societies in the ancient world.
* Meets with CAS AR430.

Explores aspects of contemporary theory in archaeology, including post-modern critiques of contemporary practice, new approaches to archaeology of ritual, personhood, identity, and the body; indigenous and public archaeology; and politics and archaeology.
* Cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same title previously numbered GRS AR702.
Course required for MA and PhD in Archaeology

Students examine archaeology and professional ethics; archaeology as a public interest; legal organization of archaeology; international approaches to heritage management; looting, collecting, and the antiquities market; maritime law and underwater archaeology; cultural resource management in the United States.
* Meets with CAS AR 480.
** Cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same title previously numbered GRS AR780.
Course required for MA and PhD in Archaeology

This seminar takes an explicitly comparative approach to addressing questions concerning the origins of and variability in human culture viewed through a review of worldwide archaeological literature.
Course required for MA and PhD in Archaeology

Seminar exploring new ways of addressing archaeological questions through the application of scientific techniques, focusing on cutting-edge methodologies and the most recent literature in the field. Students pursue questions of individual interest through readings, discussions, presentations, and research papers.
* Cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same title previously numbered GRS AR707.
Course required for MA and PhD in Archaeology

Contact the Department of Archaeology for registration instructions.

Contact the Department of Archaeology for registration instructions.

Contact the Department of Archaeology for registration instructions.

Contact the Department of Archaeology for registration instructions.

A full-time internship in an appropriate public or private firm, agency, or other organization involved in the practice of public archaeology.

Contact the Department of Archaeology for registration instructions.

Contact the Department of Archaeology for registration instructions.

Contact the Department of Archaeology for registration instructions.

Student has not completed all course requirements for degree and is registered for less than 12 credits.

Student has completed all course requirements for degree and is doing research, part time status.

Student has completed all course requirements for degree and is doing research.