Archaeology and World Prehistory

Catalog description

This course is an introduction to the archaeological record documenting the evolution of human culture from the earliest stone tool makers to the establishment and collapse of the world’s first major civilizations. Archaeological theories, techniques and methodologies are introduced as the means for understanding these developments. Covers societies from around the world including the Americas and Asia to Africa and Europe. Topics studied include hunter-gatherer adaptations, the domestication of plants and animals, the emergence of social complexity, the origins of writing, and the development of cities and states. (UC, CSU, AVC)