WEEK 1

1/7

• Introduction to the course

1/9

• Introduction: civilizations, states and empires
• The History of Prehistory

Readings

• Patterns in Prehistory, Chapter 1

WEEK 2

1/14

• Social Theory of State Emergence

1/16

• The Rise of Agriculture
• Why Agriculture Matters

Readings

• Patterns in Prehistory, Chapter 6

WEEK 3

1/21

• Agricultural Foundations in the Ancient Near East
• Egypt: Geographic Setting

Readings

• Patterns in Prehistory, Chapter 9 (pp. 368 – 373)

1/23

• Egypt: The Neolithic Transition

WEEK 4

1/28

• Egypt: The Early Predynastic

Readings

• Patterns in Prehistory, Chapter 9 (pp. 373 – 377)
• Introduction to the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt, Chapter 5 (pp. 89-103) [view PDF]

1/30

• Egypt: The Late Predynastic
• Egypt: The Emergence of the Unified State

WEEK 5

2/4

• Egypt: The Emergence of the Unified State

Readings

• The earliest representations of royal power in Egypt: the rock drawings of Nag el-Hamdulab (Aswan) [view PDF]
• Introduction to the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt, Chapter 5 (pp. 109-120) [view PDF]

2/6

• Egypt Uncovered: Chaos and Kings

Assignments

• Blog #1 Due (post Due Thursday by 5pm, response due Sunday by 5pm)

WEEK 6

2/11

• Egypt: The Archaic, Old Kingdom, and Collapse

Readings

• Patterns in Prehistory, Chapter 9 (pp. 377-384)
  
• Introduction to the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt, Chapter 6 [view PDF]

2/13

• Egypt: The Archaic, Old Kingdom, and Collapse (continued)

WEEK 7

2/18

• Lecture overflow (if necessary)
• Exam 1 Q & A

2/20

• Exam 1

WEEK 8

2/25 & 2/27

• Southwest Asia: The Emergence of Inequality
• Mesopotamia: Early States

Assignments

• Blog #2 Due (post Due Thursday by 5pm, response due Sunday by 5pm)

Readings

• Patterns in Prehistory, Chapter 8
• Susan Pollack, Ancient Mesopotamia, Chapter 4 [download PDF]

WEEK 9

• No classes, Spring Break

WEEK 10

3/11 & 3/13

• Indus Valley: Harappan civilization
• Sumer-Egypt-Indus world system

• Last portion of lecture (video)

Readings

• Patterns in Prehistory, Chapter 10
• Susan Pollack, Ancient Mesopotamia, Chapter 5 [download PDF]

WEEK 11

3/18 & 3/20

• China: Lungshan Roots
• China: Shang civilization

Readings

• Patterns in Prehistory, Chapter 11

Assignments

• Blog #3 Due (post Due Thursday by 5pm, response due Sunday by 5pm)

WEEK 12

3/25

• Lecture overflow (if necessary)
• Exam 2 Q & A

3/27

• Exam 2

WEEK 13

4/1

• Greece: The Emergence of the Archaic Greek State (Guest lecture by Jon Frey)

Readings

• Patterns in Prehistory, Chapter 12

4/3

• Mesoamerica: Emergence of Inequality

WEEK 14

4/8 & 4/10

• Mesoamerica: Teotihuacan
• Mesoamerica: Classic Maya states

Readings

• Patterns in Prehistory, Chapter 13

WEEK 15

4/15 & 4/17

• Mesoamerica: Classic Maya states (cont)
• Mesoamerica: The Highlands

• The Andes: Ancient Elites, Ecology and Political Power

Readings

• Patterns in Prehistory, Chapter 13

WEEK 16

4/22

• The Andes: Ancient Elites, Ecology and Political Power (continued)
• Why does this all matter?

4/24

• Class Cancelled

Assignments

• Blog #4 Due (post Due Thursday by 5pm, response due Sunday by 5pm)

FINAL EXAM

• Take-home Final Exam Due April 29th before 5pm.