All Courses in Archaeology and the Ancient World
Primarily for Undergraduates
ARCH 0030 (Formerly AE3) Art in Antiquity: An Introduction (Classics 3, History of Art and Architecture 3)
Examines the art of Greece and Rome for its significance to the modern world and in the context of the diversity of the parent cultures. Includes monuments of antiquity from the pyramids of Egypt to the Athenian Parthenon, the Pantheon in Rome to the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. Explores Pompeian frescoes and recent archaeological discoveries. A foundation for study of almost any branch of Western humanism.
ARCH 0050 (Formerly AE5) Archaeological Fieldwork (Anthropology 52, Classics 5)
Focuses on the aims, scope, and tools of field archaeology, and the nature of archaeological evidence. Emphasizes interdisciplinary fieldwork techniques and the composition, function, and responsibilities of an excavation staff. Examines systematic versus ad hoc excavations and their respective problems of preservation. Students excavate model sites in a laboratory and present a team report upon completion. Enrollment limited. Written permission required.
ARCH 0100 (Formerly AE10) Field Archaeology in the Ancient World
Always wanted to be Indiana Jones? This course, focusing on the Mediterranean world and its neighbors in antiquity, interprets field archaeology in its broadest sense. In addition to exploring “how to do” archaeology – the techniques of locating, retrieving and analyzing ancient remains – we will consider how the nature of these methodologies affects our understanding of the past. S. E. Alcock.
ARCH 0150 Introduction to Egyptian Archaeology and Art
An introductory survey of the archaeology, art and architecture of ancient Egypt, ranging in time from the prehistoric cultures of the Nile Valley through the period of Roman control. While the course will examine famous features and characters of ancient Egypt (pyramids, mummies, King Tut!), it will also provide a wide-ranging review of the archaeology of this remarkable land.
ARCH 0200 s01 Sport in the Ancient Greek World
Athletics and sports were as popular and significant in the ancient Greek world as they are today, and so offer an excellent introduction to its archaeology and history. This class will discuss the development of Greek athletics, the nature of individual events, the social implications of athletic professionalism, women and athletics, and the role of sport in Greek education. J.F. Cherry
ARCH0250 Intimate Stories
Images tell stories that carry us to imaginary worlds other than our own. An
arresting story in pictures engages us deeply, opening the doors of fantastic places and times. In antiquity many architectural monuments displayed pictorial narratives that animated public spaces and enthralled broad audiences. This course explores cultural aspects of visual narrative imagery from Western Asian and Mediterranean worlds.
O. Harmansah
ARCH 0300 13 Things
The course will explore a range of approaches -- material culture studies, science studies, design studies, consumption
studies, the sociology of technology, archaeology, phenomenology -- in dealing with 13
things: the wheel, a Neolithic Megalith, an Ancient Greek perfume jar,
the castle of Acrocorinth, Greece, a Moroccan watermill, a map, the
pocket watch, barbed wire, the light bulb, a surgical blade, the
portable radio, a Leica IIIc 35mm camera, and the personal computer.
Returning to the etymology of a thing, the course argues that things
are best conceived as gatherings of achievements that are neither wholly exclusive to any single era nor any immediate
set of relations.
ARCH0325 "Dead White Guys": Greco-Roman Civilization and American Identity
Why does classical antiquity matter? How did a group defined as white and European come to represent America's ancestors? And by emphasizing this "heritage," who do we exclude? This course looks at film, popular non-fiction, education policy, public art, architecture, and archaeology, to understand how the myth of Greco-Roman origins was adopted by America's founders, and how this affects issues of race and belonging today.
ARCH 0360 (Formerly AE36) Archaeology of Anatolia† (Anthropology 56)
Offers an archaeological survey of Anatolian civilization including an analysis of the settlements, history, art, architecture, and characteristics of specific sites and their artifacts, from prehistoric to Hellenistic periods.
ARCH 0370 (Formerly AE37) Archaeology of Mesopotamia (Classics 117)
A cultural and historical survey of Mesopotamia, tracing its origins and developments from prehistory to 6th-century Babylon. Both archaeological sites and literature are examined, as are works of art and sources for social and political history. Prerequisite: AE 3 or equivalent background in archaeology.
ARCH 0380 (Formerly AE38) Archaeology of Iran† (Anthropology 38)
An archaeological survey of the origins and development of the Iranian civilizations. Analysis of settlements, history, art, architecture, and characteristics of specific archaeological sites and their artifacts ranging from prehistoric to the Hellenistic period.
ARCH 0390 (Formerly AE39) Archaeology of Palestine (Anthropology 49)
Traces the prehistory of Palestine (modern Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan) from its beginnings in the Paleolithic to the end of the Byzantine period. Surveys history of archaeological research in this area, emphasizing significant excavations and their artifacts. Develops an understanding of the art, architecture, and modes of life of humankind from age to age, the changes introduced from one period to another, and causes and effects of those changes.
ARCH 0400 City and Sanctuary in the Ancient World
Examines the physical dimensions of the ancient city and the ancient sanctuary through archaeological evidence with special attention to aesthetic planning, urban planning and management, and the concept of public monumental art as developed in the ancient world.
ARCH 0410 (Formerly AE41) Mediterranean Bronze Age† (Classics 55)
Snake goddesses and bull leaping, labyrinths and gold masks, Linear B and Homeric heroes: these are only some of the most famous things about the Minoan and Mycenaean cultures of Bronze Age Crete and Greece. This class will also explore questions about the historicity of the Trojan War, trade and exchange; ritual landscapes; the origins of writing; death and burial; the eruption of the Theran volcano; and the collapse of the Mycenaean palaces.
ARCH 0420 Archaeologies of the Greek Past (Formerly AE42: Greek Art and Architecture)† (Classics 34, Classics 58, History of Art and Architecture 23)
From Bronze Age palaces to the Acropolis in Athens and on the trail of Alexander the Great, this course explores the ancient Greek world through archaeology—using art, architecture, and everyday objects to learn about ancient Greek society, from the mysterious to the mundane. It also considers how we experience ancient Greece today, including questions about archaeological practice, the antiquities trade, and cultural heritage.
ARCH 0450 (Formerly AE45) Archaeology of Jerusalem (Judaic Studies 45)
Examines the archaeology of the city of Jerusalem from David’s conquest in ca. 1000 B.C.E. through the Crusaders’ defeat in 1187 A.D. The contemporary literary sources, as well as the more recent scholarly debates and discoveries, help us understand the material remains of the relevant periods.
ARCH 0520 Roman Archaeology and Art (Formerly AE52.Roman Art and Architecture) (History of Art and Architecture 52)
Anyone who has ever watched “Gladiator”, “Spartacus”, “Life of Brian”, or “Bugs Bunny: Roman Legion Hare” has some image of Rome, the Romans and their empire. This course, while exploring and assessing these influential popular preconceptions, introduces a more balanced view of Roman archaeology and art, examining not only the “eternal city” of Rome, but its vast and diverse imperial domain. S.E. Alcock
ARCH 0540 Art, Archaeology and Civic Life from the End of the Republic through the Early Empire, 40 BCE-140 CE
This survey course will familiarize students with the art, architecture and literature of Rome during the early Imperial era (ca. 40 BC - AD 140), through investigation of significant sites, monuments and museum collections in Rome and southern Italy.
ARCH 0550 Late Roman and Early Christian Art and Architecture
An introduction to the relationship between Roman art and the art of emerging Christianity. The course begins with the Pantheon and ends with the Hagia Sophia.
ARCH 0600 (Formerly AE60) Introduction to Islamic Archaeology (Anthropology 55, History of Art and Architecture 48, Religious Studies 60)
Muslim societies are built upon a rich archaeological heritage of architecture, artifacts, and sites that stretches more than a millennium and spans a region from Spain to China. This course explores that heritage across time and space for what it can tell us about the various societies that make up the Muslim world of the past. Through examination of various sites as well as hands-on work with a collection of artifacts, this course examines the social worlds of this important religious and cultural tradition. I. Straughn
ARCH 0650 Islamic Civilizations
This introduction to ancient Islamic civilization will examine the interrelationship between the Islamic religion and development of Islamic culture. Students will use archaeology, political events, Islamic visual arts, and socioeconomic changes to explore the evolution and institutionalization of Islam, as well as looking at changing political and cultural attitudes and social structure. I. Straughn
ARCH 0770 (Formerly AE77) Food and Drink in Classical Antiquity (Ancient Studies 112, Classics 77)
Everybody eats - but patterns of eating (and drinking) vary dramatically from culture to culture. This course traces the mechanics of food production and consumption in the ancient Mediterranean world, considers how diet marked symbolic boundaries, gender differences, and in general explores the extent to which the ancient Greeks and Romans “were what they ate.” S. E. Alcock.
ARCH 0800 (Formerly AE80) Alexander the Great and the Alexander Tradition
This course focuses on a single historical figure, Alexander the Great, using him as a point of departure for exploring a wide range of problems and approaches that typify the field of Classical Studies. How knowledge of Alexander has been used and abused provides a fascinating case study in the formation and continuous reinterpretation of the western Classical tradition. J. F. Cherry
For Undergraduates and Graduates
ARCH 1100 Archaeology in the Age of Augustus
Rome's first Emperor, Gaius Octavian Augustus, ruled an empire stretching from Spain to Syria, from Britain to Egypt. Students will explore the social, artistic, and political successes and failures of this "golden age" of Rome's past. The course will assess a broad range of topics -- such as the creation of empire, art as propaganda, or the role of women -- within the context of Augustan ideology and history.
ARCH 1120 Pompeii
Pompeii is a dead city. Or is it? This course will explore what we can learn from Pompeii, and the neighboring communities also destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79. We will look at art, architecture (public and domestic), and all the many remains of ‘daily life’ so uniquely preserved in these buried, but not forgotten, places.
ARCH 1150 (Formerly AE115) Urbanism in the Archaeological Record† (Anthropology 152, Urban Studies 115)
This course investigates ancient cities in the comparative context of
several archaeological regions. Considering contemporary approaches to urban
space, we will explore urbanism in the ancient Near East, Egypt, and Aegean
with comparative examples from pre-hispanic Mexico and China. We will
explore the spatial and socio-economic structuring of cities in relation to
festivals, state spectacles, monumental building projects, and other
commemorative practices, investigating layered urban topographies saturated
with collective pasts. Prerequisite: One from among AE 36, 37, 38, 39, EG 143, 144. Enrollment limited. Written permission required.
ARCH 1160 (Formerly AE116) Archaeology Collections Policies† (Anthropology 162)
Studies ancient objects in collections from historical, functional, material, and aesthetic angles to understand their original cultural context. Uses case studies to demonstrate changing theory, practice, and legal and ethical implications of museum and dealer acquisition. (Previous experience with Archaeology, Anthropology, Classics, and/or Art History required).
ARCH 1200 (Formerly AE120) Topics in Old World Archaeology and Art
ARCH 1200A Early Italy
Focuses on the Bronze Age background to the emergence of Greek, Roman, and Etruscan Italy in the Iron Age. Emphasizes the results of recent excavations, the problems of contact between the Aegean and Tyrrhenian areas in the Bronze Age, Greek colonization, and the urban development of the Etruscan/Latian region.
ARCH 1200B Pompeii (History of Art and Architecture 120, Urban Studies 121)
Pompeii and its neighboring towns are the best examples for studying the life, art, and architecture of a Roman town. This seminar covers the works of art and the life in the town as reflected in the monuments excavated over the past 250 years. Enrollment limited.
ARCH 1200C Roman Iberia (Classics 193, History of Art and Architecture 120)
The archeology, art, and architecture of Iberia during the Roman presence from the Punic Wars to the beginning of the Arab conquest. The artifacts and monuments discussed will not only represent artistic production from Roman administrative expressions, but also a mixture of styles between indigenous art (such as Celtic) or expressions of syncretism or other cultural symbioses. Enrollment limited. Written permission required.
ARCH 1200D The Portrait (History of Art and Architecture 120, Classics 193)
Roman Crafts: The Study of Jewelry, Gems, Coins, Glass, and Silverplate
ARCH 1200E Topography and Monuments of Rome
Rome has been the scene of notable recent discoveries. This course will concentrate on the evidence for the so-called "regal period" but other topics, among them commemorative arches, the topography of the Campus Martius, and Christian basillicas, will also be taken up. A reading knowledge of Italian is highly recommended.
ARCH 1200F City and the Festival: Cult Practices and Architectural Production in the Ancient Near East (History of Art and Architecture 120)
This course will explore urbanization, formation of urban space, and architectural projects in relation to cult practices and commemorative ceremonies in the Ancient Near East. Investigating case studies from early cities of fourth millenium BC Mesopotamia to Iron Age Syria and Anatolia, we will study processes of the making of urban and extra-urban landscapes in the socio-religious context of festivals. Enrollment limited. Written permission required.
ARCH 1200G Arabia and the Arabs: The Making of an Ethnos (Anthropology 165)
This course will survey the archaeology and history of the Arabs and Arabia from before their emergence in the historical record to the modern period. Our particular focus concerns their relationship with the rise of Islam as well as the imperial politics of the pre-Islamic Near East. A major issue that frames these inquires is the concept of ethnicity and its projection into the past. Enrollment limited. Written permission required.
ARCH 1200H Islamic Landscapes: Cities, Frontiers, and Monuments (Anthropology 166, History of Art and Architecture 120, Religious Studies 188)
This course will examine the built environments of the Islamic Period Middle East through the growing archaeological and historical record of its cities, frontiers, and monuments. How has the landscape of this region become transformed under by its relationship with a dynamic Islamic tradition? Key issues examined are the notion of the “Islamic city”, sacred space, and the spatiality of Muslim/non-Muslim relations. Enrollment limited. Written permission required.
ARCH 1200I Material Worlds: Art and Agency in the Near East and Africa (Anthropology 167, History of Art and Architecture 120)
This course investigates technological processes of artifact production in the material culture of ancient and contemporary Near East and Africa. Archaeological and ethnographic case studies will be explored to understand the social relations behind skilled craftsmanship in architecture and “art”. Circulation of craft knowledge, cultural biography of artifacts, constitution of cultural identities and memory through material processes will be central topics. Enrollment limited. Written permission required.
ARCH1250 Greece in the Bronze Age
This class offers an introduction to the archaeology and art of mainland Greece, Crete, and the Aegean in the third and (especially) the second millennium B.C. The principal emphasis is on when, how, and why the Minoan and Mycenaean palace-based states first arose in this area, with consideration also of their sociopolitical and economic organization, and their interactions with neighboring cultures. J.F. Cherry
ARCH 1300 Greek Architecture
This course will trace the history of Greek Architecture from the Bronze Age through the Hellenistic Period. Emphasis is placed on the Archaic and Classical Periods and on the formation and implementation of the three major Greek orders (Doric, Ionic, Corinthian). Importance is placed on understanding construction techniques and the intricate relationship between form and function of the Greek orders.
ARCH 1310 (Formerly AE131) Ancient Painting†
Examines selected topics in ancient painting with emphasis on the remains of ancient fresco decoration. Topics are Palaeolithic Painting, Aegean Bronze Painting, Etruscan Painting, Greek Painting of the Fifth and Fourth Centuries (text evidence), Roman Painting, Roman Painting as reflected in Mosaic.
ARCH 1430 The Philistines
The Philistines were long considered to be trouble-makers and uncultured; however, recently their true character has been revealed. The origin, culture, social organization, political affiliations, religion, artwork, and technology of the Philistines, who inhabited Palestine during the Iron Age (ca. 1200-734 B.C.E.), will be elucidated through the examination of archaeological data and some textual evidence and pictorial representations.
ARCH 1440 (Formerly AE144) Synagogues, Churches, and Mosques (Judaic Studies 144, Religious Studies 188)
Reviews the discoveries and related scholarship of ancient synagogues, churches, and mosques in ancient Palestine. Focuses on their architectural and decorational as well as their spiritual and religious characteristics, and examines how those institutions influenced each other throughout their history of development.
ARCH 1450 (Formerly AE145) Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls (Judaic Studies 145, Religious Studies 188)
Examines the scholarly interpretations of the site and the scrolls. Attempts to determine the relationship between the archaeological and textual evidence.
ARCH 1500 Classical Art in the RISD Museum
The RISD Museum’s collection of Greek, Etruscan and Roman art will be studied firsthand and in light of recent scholarship in art history, archaeology and museum studies. The course will explore original contexts for museum objects; issues of cultural property and museum ethics; conservation and restoration; design and education components of exhibitions; and notions of historical interpretation in museum display. Gina Borromeo
ARCH 1550 (Formerly AE155) Who Owns the Classical Past? (Ancient Studies 112, Classics 155)
The purpose of this course is to offer a forum for informed discussion of a variety of difficult questions about access to the classical past, and its modern-day ownership and presentation, seen primarily from the perspective of material culture (archaeology, art, museum displays, etc). J. F. Cherry.
ARCH 1600 Archaeologies of the Near East
Writing, urbanism, agriculture, imperialism: the ancient Near East is known as the place where earliest agriculture flourished, cities were developed and writing was invented. This course offers a detailed examination of the region’s archaeological history and current archaeological practice, in connection with its political engagements including Western colonialism and the formation of nation states. The social and cultural history of the Near East from prehistory to the end of Iron age (300 BC) will also be discussed.
ARCH 1625 Temples and Tombs: Egyptian Religion and Culture
Religion was central to life in ancient Egypt, and this course will examine Egyptian religion through its material culture. Students will explore temples and tombs as the physical settings for priestly ritual and private devotion, including feeding and clothing the gods and communication with the dead. The course will also address evidence for private domestic cult and the overlap between religious and magical practice.
ARCH 1650 The Etruscans: Italy Before the Rise of the Romans
The Etruscan people dominated the Italian peninsula for centuries before the Romans became a Mediterranean power, but left behind little textual evidence of their culture. Focusing on architecture, artistic production, and funerary practice, we will study the “enigmatic” Etruscans and their contacts with the Greeks and early Romans, and consider their impact on Rome and on modern Italian archaeological scholarship.
ARCH1700 Architectural Sculpture of Ancient Greece and Rome
What would Times Square or Rockefeller Center have looked like in antiquity? What would have been advertised, and by whom? This course examines the themes, style, and contexts of the sculptural programs that decorated public buildings from the Greco-Roman world, their connections to other visual media and to the landscape, and their reflections of different cultural, civic, and elite identities.
ARCH 1710 Architecture and Memory
Buildings and monuments have been mediators of the past with their powerful
presence, either through their turbulent histories, various stories that
cling to their stones or the residues of human life that shape them.
Memories, imaginations and experiences, collectively shared or individual,
give meaning to architectural spaces. This course explores the intersections
of memory and architecture through various archaeological case studies from
the ancient world. O. Harmansah
ARCH 1780 Violence and Civilization: A Deep History of Social Violence
Why do we do violence to one another? This course will foster a sustained and critical reflection on social violence, history and humanity. We will explore social orders through time, together with their practices and moral economies of permissible and impermissible violence. Different conceptions of violence (‘symbolic’, ‘structural’, and ‘routine’) will be considered, in conjunction with their intersections with the many, ambivalent meanings of ‘civilization’. No prerequisites required.
ARCH 1800 Contemporary Issues in Archaeological Theory
This course will explore how archaeologists have placed material remains in the context of human practices, cultural processes and long-term history. Following a brief review of the history of the discipline as a social science, contemporary issues such as social complexity, technology and agency, ideology and narrative, gender and sexuality, production of space and construction of landscapes will be discussed. Case studies of archaeological materials will be drawn mostly from the ancient Western Asian and Mediterranean worlds.
ARCH 1850 Comparative Empires and Material Culture
The political, military, and cultural unit of “empire” has, by now, been the subject of numerous and varied studies. This seminar will explore the tangible effects of empires, that is, the art and architecture created when societies are engaged in what can be viewed as asymmetrical power relationships. In order to understand how conditions specific to empire influence the creation, dissemination, and reception of material culture, this course will examine the artifacts of four different empires—the Roman, the Chinese, the British, and the American—and their unique political, social, and cultural contexts. The creation of a ‘virtual exhibit’ of a range of illustrative artifacts is currently envisioned as an outcome of the class.
ARCH 1860 Engineering Material Culture: An Introduction to Archaeological Science
Unlikely bedfellow? No way! This course demonstrates how well archaeology (the humanities) and engineering (the hard sciences) can do business together. An introduction to the world of archaeological science, presented from the dual perspectives of material culture studies and materials science. Students will be introduced to a range of methodologies, instrumentation, and interpretive approaches through a combination of hands-on laboratory work, guest lectures, and interdisciplinary group research. Students must have already completed at least two university courses in archaeology, engineering, or any related discipline. Enrollment is limited to 20. Priority will be given to admitting a proportional number of students from archaeology, engineering and related fields.
ARCH 1900 s01 The Archaeology of College Hill
A training class in field and laboratory techniques. Topics include the nature of field archaeology, excavation and survey methodologies, archaeological ethics, computer technologies (such as GIS), and site and artifact analysis and conservation. Students will act as practicing archaeologists through the investigation of local historical and archaeological sites in the College Hill area (e.g. the First Baptist Church of America).
ARCH 1970 (Formerly AE191) Individual Study Project in Old World Archaeology and Art
Primarily for Graduates
ARCH 2000 Research Methods in Archaeology
Familiarizes beginning old world archaeology and art graduate students and graduate students from neighboring disciplines, as well as advanced undergraduate students, with the methods, history, and bibliography of the field.
ARCH 2010 (Formerly AE201) Problems in Old World Archaeology
ARCH 2010A Ancient Numismatics
Deals with problems in ancient numismatics from these topics: introduction of coinage, major coinages of archaic Greece, coinage of 4th C.B.C. in the Greek west and Roman coinage of 3rd C.B.C.
ARCH 2010B Approaches to Archaeological Survey in the Old World (Anthropology 263)
Recent decades have witnessed a marked development of interest in regional approaches to the ancient world and its landscapes. This seminar will explore the history of this development, as well as survey’s impact on the work of both ancient historians and archaeologists. Topics to be covered include survey design and methodology, and the wider implications and lessons of regional analysis. J. F. Cherry.
ARCH 2010C Architecture, Body, and Performance in the Ancient Near Eastern World
This seminar investigates the relationship between bodily practices, social performances, and production of space, using case studies drawn from ancient Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and Syria. Employing contemporary critical theories on the body, materiality, and social practices, new theories of the making of architectural spaces and landscapes will be explored with respect to multiple geographical, historical contexts in the Ancient Near East.
ARCH 2010D Archaeology and Religion: Excavating the Sacred from Prehistory to Islam (Religious Studies 203)
This course explores methodological approaches and theoretical underpinnings of scholarly (and sometimes unpopular) interpretations of the archaeological record as evidence for the religious life of past societies, considering how archaeologists have treated the analytical categories of ritual, religion, ideology, and the sacred. These discussions will be examined through Mediterranean case studies as a key region in the archaeology of religion.
ARCH 2010E Archaeology in the Information Age
Archaeology must circulate the material past in two dimensions. The right combination of image (maps, plans, photographs) and text has long defined professional archaeology. However, the current explosion of digital media has spurred profound shifts in all domains of archaeological practice and documentation. This course encourages reevaluation of archaeological media, which pertains to information technology across the humanities and sciences.
ARCH 2010Z The Archaeology of Empires (Anthropology 250, Classics 207)
Empires have been among the most influential political and social formations in global history. This seminar will explore general literature on imperial genesis, consolidation and decline, as well as considering the specific and unique contributions archaeology and art history can offer to the understanding of empire. A variety of case studies will be explored, with selections depending on student interest.
ARCH 2020 (Formerly AE202) Research Seminar in Greek Art and Architecture
May be repeated for credit.
ARCH 2020A Greek Vase Painting
ARCH 2020B Topography of the City of Athens
ARCH 2020C Pausanias's Guidebook to Greece
ARCH 2020D Greek Painting
Major developments in the history of Greek painting with special emphasis on archaic and classical Greek culture as reflected in vase painting. There will be field trips to area museums which may take longer than class time.
ARCH 2020E Economy and Trade in the Later Bronze Age Aegean and East Mediterranean
Beginning with an examination of the workings of the Mycenaean palace economy, including the evidence of Linear B documents, this seminar will then turn to a more inclusive consideration of trade and exchange involving Aegean states and their counterparts further east, and of the nature and extent of cultural interaction between them during the later Bronze Age (ca. 1600-1100 BC).
ARCH 2030 (Formerly AE203) Research Seminar in Roman Art and Architecture
May be repeated for credit.
ARCH 2030A Late Roman and Early Christian Mosaics
Study of Christian, Jewish, and secular mosaics of the Late Roman period.
ARCH 2030B Problems in Roman Portraiture
ARCH 2030C Roman Copies of Greek Sculpture
Copies of masterpieces of classical sculpture. Since the Renaissance, certain masterpieces of Greek sculpture have become famous through Roman copies. The relationship between copy and original will be investigated along with its relevance to Roman taste.
ARCH 2030D Roman Historical Relief
The scope of this seminar will not be limited to traditional examples of 'Roman historical relief' — that is, architectural reliefs charged with historical and political significance — but will also embrace media such as cameos and silver plate that similarly carry such messages. We will be examining monuments dating from the Roman Republic through Late Antiquity.
ARCH 2030E Roman Sculpture in East Coast Museums
ARCH 2030F The Archaeology of Constantinian Rome
Selected topics related to the monuments of Constantinian Rome, both secular and ecclesiastical.
ARCH 2030G Wall Paintings from Pompeii
Interpretations of Campanian frescoes.
ARCH 2040 (Formerly AE204) Research Seminar in Old World Archaeology
May be repeated for credit.
ARCH 2040A The Cities of the Decapolis
Examines the archeological evidence of the Decapolis, an administrative district or region of Greek cities located in northern Transjordan, southern Syria, and northern Palestine. The sites of most Decapolis cities have been surveyed and several have been extensively excavated. Excavation reports and their scholarly evaluations will form the basis for this course.
ARCH 2040B The Parthenon
ARCH 2040C Value and Exchange
ARCH 2040D Genealogies of Complexity in East Asia (3000-221 BCE)
Despite East Asia's rich archaeological and historical record, its early political (pre)histories have been more sites for theoretical projection than theoretical innovation. Focusing on mainland East Asia, we will engage political theory and its applications in case studies from the Neolithic to the first Empires. Topics will range from mortuary rituals to practices of social violence and sources include both material culture and text.
ARCH 2040E International Cultural Heritage: Creating a Future for the Past
From the Parthenon to Puccini to pizza, cultural heritage can be defined as places, objects, and ideas from the past that have survived to the present. This course will examine the theories, methods, and questions that shape the effort to protect and interpret cultural heritage today as well as responses to them. We will explore issues such as current threats to cultural heritage, the role of tourism and impacts of development, questions of authenticity and identity, international law, ethics, and emerging and non-traditional areas of the field.
ARCH 2040F Public Culture and Heritage in Postapartheid South Africa
This course examines the complex processes whereby issues of culture, race, identity/ subjectivity, globalization, memory and heritage are being reframed and rethought in post-apartheid South Africa. We will be guided by three broad themes: public histories; archives and knowledges; and questions of performance. Of all possible settings, post-apartheid South Africa may present one of the most challenging – at times troubling – contexts through which to consider such public negotiations and meanings.
ARCH 2050 Glimpses of Mesopotamian History & Archaeology
A course dealing with the country's ancient history through the ages, giving an account of the most prominent discoveries made and reviewing the leading problems of Mesopotamian archaeology.
ARCH 2090 (Formerly AE209) The Nabataeans† (Anthropology 201, Sociology 228)
Interested students should register for Anthropology 201.
ARCH 2100 Things! The Material Worlds of Humanity
This course explores the relationships between people and things. From archaeology to material culture studies, from philosophy to science studies, we will examine a wide variety of approaches to the world of objects, artifacts, and material goods. Perspectives will include materialist approaches, consumption studies (including notions of fetish), phenomenology, social constructivism, cognitive approaches, actor-network-theory, and more. C. Witmore
ARCH 2140 (Formerly AE214) Research Seminar in Medieval Art: Representing the Past: Archaeology through Image and Text (History of Art and Architecture 214)
Interested students should register for the appropriate section of History of Art and Architecture 214.
ARCH 2150 Theoretical Issues in Archaeology
The goal of this seminar is to examine the state of archaeological theory, with special emphasis on archaeological practice and interpretation in the Mediterranean, Egypt and ancient western Asia. While providing some measure of historical overview, the class chiefly offers an opportunity for students to read and critique recent writings that exemplify the variety of contemporary approaches to this subject.
ARCH 2160 The Archaeology of Democracy: Social Transformations in Ancient Greece
Between 900 and 600 BCE, profound social transformations took place in Greece, setting the stage for a revolution in political form: by 500, Athens was collectively governed by its citizen body. This course engages with the everyday materialities underlying Greek democracy of this era. Focusing on relationships among people and things, students will reassess of the composition of the demos from the ground up.
ARCH 2175 Archaeology and Modernity
Past societies, it is commonly supposed, differ fundamentally
from our own. From antiquarians and artists to
topographers and landscape archaeologists; from travelogues, maps and
landscape painting to regional syntheses and survey reports, this
course explores the history of archaeology and its relationship to
modernity. It engages issues relating to the rise of the nation state,
imperialism, and colonialism and the uses of the material past in
these processes. It will explore issues related to the antiquity of
humankind, the Heritage industry, museums, collecting culture and
tourism.
ARCH 2200 Evolution of Old World States and Civilizations in Comparative Perspective
The origins, evolution, and nature of ancient states have always constituted central problems of interest to archaeologists and anthropologists, but in recent years they have undergone radical critique. This seminar will consider modern studies on state formation, social structure and change in early states, with a primary emphasis on so-called ‘Old World’ cases, for example on ancient Mesopotamia and Greece.
ARCH 2250 Island Archaeology in the Mediterranean
The Mediterranean is a world of islands, par excellence, and the island cultures that have developed there over the millennia have great archaeological distinctiveness. This seminar will consider the concept of insularity itself, in cross-cultural archeological, anthropological, and historical perspective. We will then turn to the rich, specifically Mediterranean literature on island archaeology (exploring issues of colonization, settlement, interaction). J.F. Cherry
ARCH 2300 The Rise (and Demise) of the State in the Near East
Discourses on state formation dominate archaeological explorations of Mesopotamia in association with social complexity, urbanization,
long-distance trade, and development of writing. Archaeological evidence
from the 4th-3rd millennia BC was incorporated into narratives of state from
chiefdoms to empires, and linked to its ideologies and political economies.
We will unpack this preoccupation with states in academic practice, while
exploring case studies from Mesopotamia, Anatolia and the Levant from 9000
to 2000 BC. O. Harmansah
ARCH 2350 Archaeology of the Caucasus
The goal of this seminar is to provide students with an overview of the long-term archaeological record from the Caucasus and its near neighbors, as well as an understanding of the history of research in this area during Imperial Russian, Soviet, and contemporary times. Readings will cover a range of periods, prehistoric and historic, following the interests of the class.
ARCH 2400 Sacred Space: Archaeological and Religious Studies Perspectives
Innumerable cultures, past and present, have singled out specific locales and even whole landscapes as powerful vectors for communicating with the divine. This course will analyze such spaces for their ability to transform body, escape the material plane, and reconstitute social relations and bodily practice. Case studies will largely be drawn from the Mediterranean world and will employ an archaeological attention to the materiality of these sacred spaces. Key concepts will include: ritual practice, landscape production, memory and agency. I. Straughn
ARCH 2410 Archaeologies of Place
The concept of place, as a site of human practice in and with the material
world, has become foregrounded in humanities and social sciences. This
course explores how archaeological and ethnographic research addresses
material complexities and cultural meanings of places in the broader context
of landscapes. We will investigate critical theories of place and landscape,
while working with fieldwork data from the ancient Near East.
O. Harmansah
ARCH 2500 Art and Archaeology of Civic Identity
Every urban community in the Greco-Roman world presented itself in a specific way to other communities and to foreign entities. Looking at coins, public monuments, programmatic sculpture, and epigraphic and textual evidence, we will address different concerns related to the formation and propagation of civic identities. Comparative material from other historical periods and theoretical and anthropological literature on group identity, social cohesion, and empire will contextualize the visual and archaeological evidence.
ARCH 2540 (Formerly AE254) Roman, Byzantine, and Early Islamic Jerusalem (Religious Studies 254)
Jerusalem constitutes one of the most important archaeological sites connected to the origins of Judaism, Christianity, and Early Islam. Early and recent studies and discoveries, as well as old and new theories, will be examined in the seminar with special emphasis on the Roman, Byzantine, and Early Islamic periods. Prerequisite: knowledge in archaeological methodology.
ARCH 2550 (Formerly AE255) Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls (Religious Studies 255)
This course is structured as a seminar on the archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls. The site will be examined in its larger geographical, historical, and archaeological context. The goal is to become familiar with the different scholarly interpretations of the site. Prerequisites: solid background in at least one of three fields: archaeology, Judaism, and Early Christianity.
ARCH 2820 (Formerly AE282) Special Topics in Old World Art and Archaeology
ARCH 2900 (Formerly AE290) Individual Reading
ARCH 2950 (Formerly AE295) Thesis Research
Individual reading for the Master’s degree.
ARCH 2960 (Formerly AE296) Individual Reading for Dissertation
Reading leading to selection of the dissertation subject. Single credit.
ARCH 2970 (Formerly AE297) Dissertation Research
ARCH 2980 (Formerly AE298) Preliminary Examination Preparation
For graduate students who have met the tuition requirement and are paying the registration fee to continue active enrollment while preparing for a preliminary examination.
ARCH 2990 (Formerly AE299) Thesis Preparation
For graduate students who are preparing a thesis and who have met the tuition requirement and are paying a registration fee to continue active enrollment. No course credit.