Spring Term

(Jump to Fall Term)

 

Primarily for Undergraduates

ARCH 0030  Art in Antiquity: An Introduction   [Course Website]    
What went into the creation of the Parthenon? Who lived in the Tower of Babel? Why do we still care? This course offers an introduction to the art, architecture, and material culture of the ancient world. Things of beauty and of power will be explored, from Egyptian pyramids and Near Eastern palaces, to the 'classical' art of Greece and Rome. MWF 11:00-11:50. Instructor: Omur Harmansah.

ARCH 0155  'People Without History': Archaeology of Atlantic Africa and the Diaspora   [Course Website]
Too often 'Western' historical narratives consider Africans and African Diasporans as 'People Without History'. Such a notion also refers to peoples who cultures do not, or possess few formally written histories. This class employs archaeological evidence in order to dismantle the colonial library, exploring local histories that have been erased, silenced and marginalized, investigating histories of imperialism, colonialism, genocide, slavery, resistance and black nationalism. MWF 1:00-1:50. Instructor: Rachel Engmann.

ARCH 0405  State of Siege! Walls and Fortifications in the Greek and Roman World   [Course Website]
Warfare was endemic in the ancient world, and walls were therefore ubiquitous. This course will examine the most spectacular fortifications of the Graeco-Roman world, from Bronze Age citadels in Greece to the Roman frontiers. We will learn how to build walls and fortresses, how to defend them, and how to breach them by studying some of the best walls and famous sieges of Antiquity. MWF 2:00-2:50. Instructor: Sylvian Fachard.

ARCH 0530  Hannibal ad Portas! Fact and Fiction on Carthage and the Punic World   [Course Website]
"Hannibal stands at the gates": Roman parents would terrify their children with these words. And many others have been haunted by Hannibal Barca: the Carthaginian general still fascinates the European imagination, not least his epic trek over the Alps with three dozen elephants. This course explores fact and fiction about Hannibal and his world, holding up historical and mythical records against hard archaeological evidence. MWF 12:00-12:50. Instructor: Peter van Dommelen.

For Undergraduates and Graduates

ARCH 1010  Archaeology's Dirty Little Secrets  [Course Website]
Admit it -- you wanted to be an archaeologist when you grew up... This course builds on that enthusiasm, while radically expanding your notions about just what archaeology is and just what archaeologists do. This class is a hands-on introduction to the often-fraught process of doing archaeology, and a hands-on collaborative workshop to develop one of Brown's three pilot on-line classes, to be offered free to the world in summer 2013. W 3:00-5:20. Instructor: Susan E. Alcock.

ARCH 1052  Global Historical Archaeology (ANTH 1620)  
The course examines historical archaeology as a multidisciplinary approach to the study of the historic past. Draws in recent research from different parts of the world, including North America, South Africa, Australia, the Caribbean, and South America, to illustrate historical archaeology's contributions to interpreting peoples' everyday lives and the diversity of their experiences in the post-1500 era. TTh 10:30-11:50. Instructor: Colin Porter.

ARCH 1101  Age of Augustus: Topography, Architecture, and Politics (CLAS 1120T) 
Augustus Caesar boasted that he had found Rome a city in brick, but left it in marble. This course explores the transformation of Rome from an unadorned village to the capital of an empire. Source materials will include ancient art and architecture, literary accounts, maps, and urban theory.  TTh 2:30-3:50. Instructor: Lisa Mignone.

ARCH 1155  Cities, Colonies and Global Networks in the Western Mediterranean  [Course Website]
Urban life in the Mediterranean began in the Iron Age, a period that witnessed the rise of long-distance networks and the foundation of colonies by several Mediterranean powers. What happened when new settlers, visiting traders, and local inhabitants came into direct contact? This course will explore transformations in the West Mediterranean during the first half of the first millennium BC. TTh 10:30-11:50. Instructor: Peter van Dommelen.

ARCH 1162  Anthropology in/of the Museum (ANTH 1901)   
This course will provide an introduction to the history, purposes, transformations, and internal workings of museums from an anthropological perspective. Students will learn about museums that focus on natural and cultural history related to anthropological studies of archaeology, human evolution, and world ethnography. It will cover the relevance of anthropological training to careers in the museum field, as well as the importance of conducting anthropological investigations in the museum environment. Th 3:00-5:20. Instructor: Jennifer Stampe.

ARCH 1211  The Body in Medieval Art (HIAA 1440E)   
The seminar considers the contradictory aspects of embodiment in the visual and material culture of the Middle Ages. We will examine the veneration of holy bodies through living individuals, and through body parts (relics). We will look at the iconography of death and resurrection, the representation of the body in painting and sculpture, funerary rituals and burial, and the movement of bodies in dance and in civic and religious processions. F 3:00-5:20. Instructor: Sheila Bonde.

ARCH 1214  The Viking Age (HIST 1031) 
For two centuries, Viking marauders struck terror into the hearts of European Christians, but Norsemen were also traders and explorers who maintained a network of connections that stretched from North America to Baghdad and who developed a complex civilization that was deeply concerned with power and its abuses, and the role of law in society. This class examines the tensions and transformations within Norse society from AD 750 to 1100. MWF 10:00-10:50. Instructor: Jonathan Conant.

ARCH 1220  Byzantine Archaeology and Art: Material Stories of a Christian Empire  [Course Website]
The world of Byzantium is often considered as a dark age separating the glories of Rome and the Renaissance. Yet Byzantium was among the longest living empires in world history, with an artistic and cultural impact felt far beyond its borders. The course will introduce students to a series of art works, architectural masterpieces, and archaeological discoveries that illuminate our understanding of the much underestimated, and much misunderstood, Byzantine Empire. TTh 1:00-2:20. Instructor: Fotini Kondyli.

ARCH 1441  Ancient Synagogues, Churches, and Mosques in Palestine (JUDS 1440)   
Reviews the discoveries and related scholarship of ancient synagogues, churches, and mosques in ancient Palestine. Focuses on their architectural, decorational, spiritual and religious characteristics, and examines how those institutions influenced each other throughout their history of development. M 6:00-8:20 pm. Instructor: Katarina Galor.

ARCH 1444  What is Islamic Art (HIAA 1410C) 
Is there such a thing as modern Islamic Art? This course draws on Brown's Minassian collection of Islamic Art to help clarify these complex questions. Focusing on 3 forms from the collection -manuscripts, painting, and pottery- the course introduces students to key concepts in Islamic Art History. Enrollment limited to 20. T 4:00-6:20. Instructor: Shiva Balaghi.

ARCH 1608  Sacred Spaces and Sacred Times: Religious Travels and Pilgrimages in the Ancient Near East (AWAS 1200) 
The course will focus on the cultural and religious-historical interpretation of physical displacements among sacred places, including urban processions, visits to temples and journeys to sacred places within the context of the Ancient Near Eastern religions, focusing on case studies from Babylonia, Assyria and Syria from the third to the first millennium BC. MWF 12:00-12:50. Instructor: Cinzia Pappi.

ARCH 1633  Black Pharaohs: Nubian Rule over Egypt in the 25th Dynasty (EGYT 1455)  
The course will cover Egypt's 25th Dynasty (728-657 BC), when rulers of Nubia, located in the region of modern Sudan, added Egypt to their territories. Using a wide range of textual and archaeological evidence, students will learn about the history of famous 'black pharaohs' such as Taharqa and study some of Africa's most impressive archaeological remains.  MW 8:30-9:50 am. Instructor: Kathryn Howley.

ARCH 1772  The Human Skeleton (ANTH 1720) 
Through lecture and hands-on laboratory, students will learn the complete anatomy of the human skeleton, with an emphasis on functional and evolutionary perspectives, as well as forensic and bioarchaeological approaches.  MWF 10:00-10:50 or 11:00-11:50. Instructor: Andrew K. Scherer.

ARCH 1775  Animals in Archaeology  [Course Website]
Food, foe, friend: animals play all these roles, and more, in their relationship to humans, in the past as well as the present. This course will explore how zooarchaeology — the study of animal remains (bones, teeth, and shells) — allows us to reconstruct ancient human-animal-environmental interactions. We will cover a range of topics and analytical techniques, including hands-on sessions for the identification and quantification of faunal remains. TTh 2:30-3:50. Instructor: Suzanne Pilaar Birch.

ARCH 1852  Material Culture Practicum (ANTH 1621) 
Interested students must register for ANTH 1621. Combines theory with hands-on study of material culture in historical archaeology. Students gain skills and experience in identifying, dating, recording, analyzing, and interpreting artifacts and conduct individual or team research projects. Enrollment limited to 15. M 3:00-5:20. Instructors: Patricia Rubertone and Felipe Gaitan-Amman.

ARCH 1860  Engineering Material Culture: An Introduction to Archaeological Science  [Course Website]
Unlikely bedfellows? No way! This course demonstrates how well the humanities (archaeology, art history) and the hard sciences (engineering, geology, chemistry) can do business together. An introduction to 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. TTh 1:00-2:20. Instructor: Jennifer Meanwell.

Primarily for Graduates

ARCH 2041   Mesoamerican Archaeology and Ethnohistory (ANTH 2520) 
Seminar focusing on current issues in the archaeology and history of Mesoamerica, including Mexico and Northern Central America. Draws on rich resources at Brown, including the John Carter Brown Library.  W 3:00-5:20.  Instructor: Stephen Houston.

ARCH 2235  One Sea for All: Economic, Social and Artistic Interaction in the Medieval Mediterranean  [Course Website]
This seminar explores the phenomenon of interaction in the Medieval Mediterranean. We will study how, even in times of conflict, Byzantines created and maintained networks of ideological, commercial and artistic communication with the Arabs, the Slavs, the Latins, and the Ottomans. How did such encounters, among people of such different faiths, languages, and world-views, influence the political, economic and social transformations of the Medieval world? T 4:00-6:20. Instructor: Fotini Kondyli.

ARCH 2313  Art & Visual Culture in the Ancient Near East (AWAS 2750) 
Peoples of the Ancient Near East from prehistory to the Hellenistic period produced unique production technologies and visual culture. Cultures from Anatolia to the Iraqi southern alluvium, from the Levant to Iran and the Caucasus shared this common pictorial language in a variety of ways.  This seminar will investigate bodies of archaeological, architectural and pictorial evidence from the Near East while also debating relevant art and architecture historical methodologies and discourses in direct relationship to that material. Narrative, representation, perspective, agency, technology, style, symbolism, landscape, space, and power will be explored.  Th 4:00-6:20. Instructor: Omur Harmansah.

ARCH 2335  In the Wake of Empire: Anatolia after the Hittites, before Alexander  [Course Website]
Kings Croesus, Midas, and the much lesser known Warpalawas… Who were these people, when and where did they rule, and why does any of this matter? During the first millennium BCE, Anatolia was an astonishingly varied, multicultural and multilingual environment. This course will tackle head on the myriad archaeological, historical, and even linguistic challenges posed by this fascinating, but often-overlooked period in the history of the region. M 3:00-5:20. Instructor: Felipe Rojas.

 

Fall Term

(Jump to Spring Term)
 

Primarily for Undergraduates

ARCH 0270  Troy Rocks! Archaeology of an Epic   [Course Website]
What do Brad Pitt, Julius Caesar, Dante, Alexander the Great, and countless sports teams have in common? The Trojan War! This course will explore the Trojan War not only through the archaeology, art, and mythology of the Greeks and Romans but also through the popular imaginings of cultures ever since, to figure out what "really" happened when Helen ran off and Achilles got angry and the Greeks came bearing gifts. First-year seminar. TTh 9:00-10:20.  Instructor: Sylvian Fachard.

ARCH 0203  Who Owns the Past? (ANTH 0066D)   
We will look at how archaeological evidence is implicated in contemporary cultural and political issues. Students will learn that the past is a subject romanticized by antiquarians, mobilized in nation-building, marketed for profit, and consumed by tourists. Understanding different and competing valuations, claims, and uses of the archaeological past will provide an introduction to why the past matters in the present and to the future. FYS. M 3:00-5:20. Instructor: Patricia Rubertone.

ARCH 0295  Artifacts in Archaeology: Understanding Material Culture and Ancient Technologies   [Course Website]
The manufacture of artifacts distinguishes us from all other species. However, archaeologists often struggle with interpreting material culture. This course will use case-studies to examine the artifacts that archaeologists most commonly recover: lithics, pottery and metallurgy, as well as glass, wood and bone. Students will consider the importance of archaeological material culture and the technological processes that produce these artifacts in comprehending our human past. T 4:00-6:20. Instructor: Clive Vella.

ARCH 0351  Introduction to the Ancient Near East (AWAS 0800)   
This course offers an introduction to the study of the political, social and cultural history of the ancient Near East, from prehistory to the end of the Iron age (ca. 330 BC). State formation and the development of complex societies, cult practices and cuneiform literary traditions, art, architecture and material culture, agriculture, trade, and craft production will constitute the central issues in the course. TTh 2:30-3:50. Instructor: Matthew Rutz.

ARCH 0404  Cathedrals and Castles (HIAA 0420)  
The course aims to engage critically with the major architectural features of the medieval world: the cathedral and the castle. In addition to examining specific buildings as case studies, we will also interrogate the cultural context and the material culture associated with the construction, use and meanings of these important spaces. The course is arranged thematically rather than chronologically. MWF 10:0010:50. Instructor: Sheila Bonde.

ARCH 0425  The Agora: History at the Heart of Athens   [Course Website]
Part city hall, part church, part mall, part stadium, part law court, part red light district, the Agora of ancient Athens has seen it all, from Neolithic to modern times. This "marketplace" is most famous for its Classical history, when figures such as Pericles and Socrates walked and talked there. This course will consider the long life and impact of this civic space, including its ongoing and often problematic archaeological heritage. MWF 1:00-1:50. Instructor: Fotini Kondyli.

ARCH 0520  Roman Archaeology and Art   [Course Website]
Anyone who has ever watched "Gladiator", "Spartacus", or "Life of Brian” has an image of the Romans and their empire.  This course, while exploring and assessing these 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.  MWF 11:00-11:50.  Instructor:  Susan Alcock.

ARCH 0677  Pirates! Archaeologies of Piracy in the Atlantic World (ANTH 0515)    
Focusing on the mid-17th century, the golden age of piracy in the Atlantic World, this course will use historical and archaeological date to investigate the way in which the image of the pirate has been constructed in the West, as an embodiment of cultural, legal, moral and sexual transgression, and as an object of both fascination and fear which is still current in the contemporary, global world. MW 8:30-9:50 am. Instructor: Felipe Gaitan-Amman.

For Undergraduates and Graduates

ARCH 1128   The Long Fall of the Roman Empire (HIST 1030)  
Once thought of as the "Dark Ages," this period of history should instead be seen as a fascinating time in which late Roman culture fused with that of the Germanic tribes, tempered by a new religion, Christianity. Issues include the symbolic construction of political authority, role of religion, nature of social loyalties, and gender roles. TTh 1:00-2:20. Instructor: Jonathan Conant.

ARCH 1212  Charlemagne: Conquest, Empire, and the Making of the Middle Ages (HIST 1976Z)  
This seminar exposes students to primary sources, archaeological evidence, and modern scholarly debates surrounding the Carolingian age. Topics include Charlemagne's coronation; interactions with the Islamic and Byzantine worlds; the Church; warfare; and Vikings. Th 4:00-6:20. Instructor: Jonathan Conant.

ARCH 1233  Ancient Maya Writing (ANTH 1650)   
Nature and content of Mayan hieroglyphic writing, from 100 to 1600 CE. Methods of decipherment, introduction to textual study, and application to interpretations of Mayan language, imagery, world view, and society. MWF 11:00-11:50. Instructor: Stephen Houston.

ARCH 1450  The Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls (JUDS 1450)   
Qumran is one of the most prominent archaeological sites in the world, based on its proximity to a series of caves in which some 800 ancient scrolls were found. This seminar will examine the debates regarding the character of Qumran through the material finds from excavations conducted at the site and in the Dead Sea region. M 6:00-8:20. Instructor: Katarina Galor.

ARCH 1500  Classical Art in the RISD Museum (HIAA 1200A)  
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. F 3:00-5:20. Instructor: Gina Borromeo.

ARCH 1551  Who Owns the Classical Past? (CLAS 1120 O)   [Course Website]
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.).   T Th 1:00-2:20. Instructor: John F. Cherry.

ARCH 1615   Art/Artifact: The Art and Material Culture of Africa   [Course Website]
This course introduces students to the central ideas and controversies in African art and material culture (pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial). Students will examine African material culture through the multiple lenses of cultural biography, primitive art, tourist art, heritage ethics, and repatriation, and  will have the opportunity to study African objects from the Haffenreffer Museum’s collections.  TTh 2:30-3:50. Instructor: Rachel Ama Asaa Engmann.

ARCH 1709   Places of Healing: Memory, Miracle, and Storytelling (HMAN1970D S02) 
From antiquity to our day, therapeutic landscapes such as mineral and thermal springs, shrines and churches built at sacred springs, and volcanic ash mud baths  attract those who search for healing. Storytelling transformed these into places of memory and pilgrimage. The case studies will include Lourdes in France, Hierapolis in Southeastern Turkey and the Agiasma churches of Byzantine Istanbul. F 3:00-5:20. Instructor: Omur Harmansah.

ARCH 1835  Inventing the Past: Amulets, Heirlooms, Monuments, Landscapes   [Course Website]
Long before archaeology and art-history were academic disciplines, individuals and communities manipulated physical traces of the past to imagine and explain their own antiquity. What did pre-modern excavations and collections look like and what do they tell us about our engagements with antiquities? This course delves into the origins of antiquarianism and archaeology, from pre-history to the Renaissance. TTh 10:30-11:50. Instructor: Felipe Rojas.

ARCH 1900  The Archaeology of College Hill    [Course Website]
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 John Brown House).  M 3:00-5:20.  Instructor: Alex Knodell

Primarily for Graduates

ARCH 2006  Principles of Archaeology (ANTH 2501)   
Examines theoretical and methodological issues in anthropological archaeology. Attention is given to past concerns, current debates, and future directions of archaeology in the social sciences. W 3:00-5:20.   Instructor: Stephen Houston.

ARCH 2105  Ceramic Analysis for Archaeology   [Course Website]
The analysis and the interpretation of ceramic remains allow archaeologists to accomplish varied ends: establish a time scale, document interconnections between different areas, and suggest what activities were carried out at particular sites. The techniques and theories used to bridge the gap between the recovery of ceramics and their interpretation within anthropological contexts are the focus of this seminar. F 3:00-5:20.  Instructor: Jennifer Meanwell.

ARCH 2240  Key Issues in Mediterranean Prehistory   [Course Website]
This course's scope is the entire Mediterranean basin, from its first peopling until ca. 500 BC. The focus is on key transformations in economic, social, and political structures and interactions; on explanations for these changes; and on current issues where fresh data or new approaches are transforming our understanding. W 3:00-5:20.  Instructor: John F. Cherry.

ARCH 2245  Rural Landscapes and Peasant Communities in the Mediterranean   [Course Website]
The aim of this course is to examine rural settlement in the Mediterranean through ethnographic and historical rural studies and to explore household and community organisation as well as agrarian production in Classical Antiquity. The archaeological starting-point is numerous scatters of surface remains, usually interpreted as 'farmsteads' broadly datable to Classical Antiquity. Th 4:00-6:20. Instructor: Peter van Dommelen.

ARCH 2501A  Problems in Archaeology: Culture, Contact and Colonialism (ANTH 2500A)   
Explores the theoretical discourses shaping anthropological approaches and defining archaeological projects on culture contact and colonialism. Attention will be given to examining colonial encounters between Europeans and indigenous peoples as ongoing processes rather than particular historical moments, and to looking at recent efforts at decolonizing archaeological practice. Th 4:00-6:20.  Instructor: Patricia Rubertone.