European Archaeology

Catalog description

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. COURSE OVERVIEW. Explores the study of human prehistory and history on the European continent and surrounding islands through the remains of material culture such as artifacts, human and animal remains, structures, landscapes and environments. Investigates the wide time span from the earliest Paleolithic hunter-gatherer hominids (up to two million years ago), through the Neolithic agricultural “revolution”, the metal ages, the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome, the medieval period and up to the modern era. Develops critical analysis skills using different types of information including archaeological site reports, academic papers, historical records and other primary sources to understand individual sites. Compares sites across space and time to form ideas of changing lifeways, technologies, and social and individual identities of past Europeans. TOPICS AND THEMES. Topics include human origins and migration; adaption and environment; domestication and agriculture; technological innovation and development; trade; social complexity, urbanization and state formation including hunter-gatherers, small scale societies, cities and empires; conflict and warfare; religion and ritual; art, music and culture; social, cultural and individual identity. Methodologies discussed include archaeological excavations, surveys, GIS, spatial analysis, analysis of landscapes and buildings, dating methods, artifact analysis, examination of human and animal remains, environmental and geoarchaeology, lab methods including ancient DNA, proteins, lipids, and stable isotopes, ethnographies and experimental archaeology. Class discussions may be thought-provoking and introduce new perspectives and material that students may not have encountered before. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification; also taught at Galveston campus.