Courses

• CAS AR 100: Great Discoveries in Archaeology
  Illustrated lectures focus on the important discoveries of the discipline of archaeology. Course covers the whole of human prehistory and history around the world. Archaeological methods are described, along with the great ancient sites: Olduvai, Lascaux, Stonehenge, Egyptian pyramids, Machu Picchu, etc. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.
• CAS AR 101: Introduction to Archaeology
  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. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS.
• CAS AR 202: Archaeological Mysteries: Pseudoscience and Fallacy in the Human Past
  Investigation through case studies of pseudoscientific claims about the past. Purported solutions to archaeological mysteries are subjected to the test of evidence using the scientific method. Topics include Atlantis, ancient extraterrestrials, Pyramids, Stonehenge, crop marks, and Noah's Ark.
• CAS AR 205: Origins of Civilization
  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, Mesoamerica, and Peru. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS.
• CAS AR 206: Ancient Technology
  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.
• CAS AR 208: Lost Languages and Decipherments
  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.
• CAS AR 209: The Near Eastern Bronze Age
  Examines the wealth and power of the ancient Near East and Egypt during the middle and late Bronze Age. Topics include the establishment of power, long distance exchange and interaction, ethnicity, architecture, and environmental and ecological factors affecting the civilizations.
• CAS AR 210: Minoan and Mycenaean Civilizations
  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.
• CAS AR 215: The Contested Past
  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.
• CAS AR 221: Archaeology of the Islamic World
  An overview of the Islamic world from the seventh to the eighteenth century CE. Focus on ancient cities: religious and secular buildings such as gardens, palaces, forts, mausoleums, and mosques; and study of ceramics, calligraphy, metal and glassware, trade routes, and Islamic crafts.
• CAS AR 222: Art and Architecture of Ancient America
  Introduction to the cities, monuments, and major art styles of the Aztec, the Maya, the Inca, and their predecessors in ancient Mesoamerica and the Andes from the first millennium B.C. to the sixteenth century.
• CAS AR 230: Archaeology of Classical Civilizations
  An introduction to classical antiquity through the material remains of the period ca. 1500 B.C. to A.D. 400. Chronological survey of the magnificent (palaces, temples, and major arts) and the mundane (pots, coins, tools, and weapons) as evidenced in the archaeological record. Special emphasis on daily life and on relations between Greco-Roman and other cultures. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.
• CAS AR 232: Archaeology of Ancient Egypt
  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 B.C.). Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.
• CAS AR 240: Archaeology of Ancient China
  Examines the archaeology of ancient China from the Neolithic through the Bronze Age (7000 to 221 B.C.) with particular attention to the interactions between technology and the acquisiion of political, religious, and social power.
• CAS AR 250: Anc Mesoam Civ
  This course description is currently under construction.
• CAS AR 251: Ancient Maya Civilization
  A survey of current knowledge and scholarship about the Maya civilization, which flourished in Central America between 250-900 A.D., its earlier beginnings and subsequent collapse, and aspects of its economic and social basis and artistic and intellectual achievements.
• CAS AR 261: Asia's Ancient Cultures and Civilizations
  Study of Asia's ancient civilizations known as the Indus, Oxus, Khmer, and Shang. Outstanding cities; sacred Buddhist, Jain, Hindu, and Judeo-Christian/Islamic centers; elaborate caves; unique burial sites like the Taj Mahal and royal tombs; historic gardens symbolizing "Paradise on Earth"; and architectural marvels like the Great Wall.
• CAS AR 262: Asian Gods and Goddesses
  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.
• CAS AR 270: New World Rediscovery: Archaeology of the Age of Exploration
  Archaeological evidence for Columbus's 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.
• CAS AR 273: Archaeology of the Viking Age
  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.

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