Archaeology of Politics

Catalog description

This seminar focuses on the political organization of a diverse set of premodern cultures. Course themes include egalitarianism, social complexity, hierarchy, political institutions, governments, and political economy. Students will learn about different world cultures with distinct political organizations, focusing on archaeological data like architecture, settlement, portable technology, art, written documents, and burials. Through ancient politics, students will also explore archaeological topics such as trade and commerce, warfare, religion, migrations, environments, political collapse, and ethics. This course will help students understand the contemporary world thanks to broadening their appreciation of political possibilities. Satisfies Anthropology major and minor requirement Satisfies Social-Scientific Thought requirement Satisfies Justice, Equality, and Community requirement