Courses

• 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 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: Introduction to Greek & Roman Archaeology
  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. 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. Also offered as CAS AH 232.
• 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: The Aztecs, Maya, and Their Predecessors: Archaeology of Mesoamerica
  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; origin of the state; and development of the empires.
• 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 280: Food, Diet, and Ancient People
  A survey of the archaeological evidence of the food, diet, and nutrition of hunter/gatherers and the changes brought about by the development of farming. Emphasis on the remains of plants, animals, and humans and what they tell us about ancient food.
• CAS AR 307: Archaeological Science
  Application of natural sciences, as an integral part of modern archaeology, 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.
• CAS AR 322: Ancient Aztec and Inca Civilizations
  The conquests, trade, society, history, religion, art, and architecture of the Aztec and Inca Empires in Mexico and Peru, as revealed archaeologically and in the accounts of their Spanish conquerors. Also offered as CAS AH 322.
• CAS AR 330: Greek Archaeology
  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.

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