Schedule

WEEK 1 (Jan 9, 11) – Introduction to Archaeology

  • Introduction to the course
  • What Do Archaeologists Do?
  • Common Misconceptions about Archaeology
  • How Do Archaeologists Do What They Do – Finding a Site
  • How do Archaeologists Do What They Do – Excavation

Read

WEEK 2 (Jan 16, 18) – Introduction to Archaeology

  • Introduction to Archaeology (Continued)

WEEK 3 (Jan 23, 25) – The History of Archaeology

  • Introduction to Archaeology (Continued)

  • Historical Roots of Archaeology
  • In the Beginning: Nabonidus, Herodotus, Biondo, and Pizzicolli
  • The Rise of Antiquarianism
  • The History of Archaeology and Emergence of the Museum
  • Bishop Usher and the Age of the Earth
  • Christian Jürgensen Thomsen, the Three Age System, and Cultural Evolutionism
  • Archaeology in the 20th Century.

Read

Watch

  • Archaeology, A Secret History: In the Beginning [watch]
  • Archaeology, A Secret History: The Power of the Past [watch]

WEEK 4 (Jan 30, Feb 1)- The Mounds of North America

  • The Archaeological Remains of the Moundbuilders
  • Myth of the Vanished Race
  • The Mystery of the Moundbuilders “Solved”: The Mississippians

Watch

  • Ancient Mysteries: America’s Hidden Pyramid City [watch]

Assignments

  • Discussion Post #1 (due Sunday by 5pm): Prompt: Talk about the legacies of the “Myth of the Moudbuilder.”  Do you think these sorts of ideas still persist today?  If so, what sort of shape do they take in popular culture (TV, movies, public discourse, etc) and what sort of impact do they have on the public’s perception of pre-contact histories of indigenous peoples of the Americas?

WEEK 5 (Feb 6, 8) – Tutankhamun

  • The Discovery of the Tomb Tutankhamun
  • Tutankamun in a Modern Archaeological Context
  • The Cultural and Historical Context – The New Kingdom
  • Who Made the Valley of the Kings?
  • The Continuing Story of Tutankamun

Read

Watch

  • Ancient Mysteries: King Tut’s Tomb -The Hidden Chamber [watch]

WEEK 6 (Feb 13, 15) – Cave Paintings and the Upper Paleolithic

Because classes are cancelled across the entire university on Feb 13, we’re going to do this entire week as online/asynchronous

  • Cave Paintings and the Upper Paleolithic [watch]

Read

Watch

  • Cave of Forgotten Dreams [watch]
    Cave of Forgotten Dreams can be a little wacky in places (mostly thanks to Werner Herzog’s personality and sensibilities). However, it is an absolutely unprecedented look into Chauvet-Pont D’Arc cave, one of the oldest, extensive, and impressive Paleolithic cave sites ever discovered.

Assignments

  • Discussion Post #2 (Due Sunday by 5pm). Prompt: Select and describe an Upper Paleolithic site of cave art that wasn’t covered during this week’s lectures and readings.  Discuss how your chosen site relates to the sites we did cover this week. Support your discussion with at least 2 scholarly sources (which need to be cited at the end of your discussion post).  Please refer to the in-depth discussion of what constitutes a scholarly source on the Assignments page. If you don’t use scholarly sources (as outlined and described on the Assignments page) and don’t cite those sources properly (as outlined and described on the Assignments page), you won’t receive credit for this discussion post.

WEEK 7 (Feb 20, 22) – Midterm

  • Midterm
    The midterm is completely online (delivered through D2L). Students can take the exam anytime they want during the week of February 19th. The exam will go live on Monday at 10am (EST) and close on the 25th at 5pm. Students will have 90 minutes to complete the exam once started. Once the 90 minute timeline is expired, the exam will automatically close and submit. The midterm will use the LockDown Browser, but not webcam proctoring.

WEEK 8 (Feb 27, 29) – Spring Break

  • Spring break, no classes

WEEK 9 (March 5, 7) – The Great Pyramids of Giza

  • The Great Pyramids of Giza
  • The Pyramids: of Slaves, Secret Codes, and the Storehouse of Joseph
  • The Great Pyramid of Giza in a Modern Archaeological Context
  • Who Built the Pyramids: Exploring the Lost City of the Pyramids

Watch

  • Egypt Uncovered: Pyramid, the Resurrection Machine [watch]

Readings

  • Ancient Egypt Old Kingdom & First Intermediate Period [download PDF]

WEEK 10 (March 12, 14) – Stonehenge

  • The Geography of Stonehenge
  • Early Ideas About Stonehenge
  • Modern Archaeological Interpretations About Stonehenge

Watch

  • Operation Stonehenge: What Lies Beneath (Part 1 of 2) [watch]
  • Operation Stonehenge: What Lies Beneath (Part 2 of 2) [watch]

WEEK 11 (March 19, 21) – Machu Picchu

  • Machu Picchu
  • The World of the Ancient Inca

Read

  • The Evolution of Complex Societies in Andean South America [download PDF]

Watch

  • Ghosts of Machu Picchu [watch]

Assignments

  • Discussion Post #3 (Due Sunday by 5pm). Prompt: Stonehenge has captured our imagination for a long time.  Our understanding of Stonehenge has also evolved (sometimes drastically) over all of that time.  Discuss how our understanding of two aspects of  Stonehenge have changed over time.  The two aspects are totally your choice. Support your discussion with at least 2 scholarly sources (which need to be cited at the end of your posted thread).  Please refer to the in-depth discussion of what constitutes a scholarly source on the Assignments page. If you don’t use scholarly sources (as outlined and described on the Assignments page) and don’t cite those sources properly (as outlined and described on the Assignments page), you won’t receive credit for this discussion post.

WEEK 12 (March 26, 28) – Tikal

  • Tikal & The Cities of the Ancient Maya
  • The Ancient World of the Maya

Watch

  • Lost World of the Maya [watch]

Readings

WEEK 13 (April 2, 4) – The Franklin Expedition

This week is online/asynchronous

  • The Franklin Expedition: The Story, the Story, and the Recent Discoveries [watch]

Watch

  • The Franklin Expedition: Buried in Ice [watch]
  • Hunt for the Arctic Ghost Ship [watch]

Assignments

  • If you want to write your Archaeological Discovery Paper on a site that isn’t on the list on the Assignments page, you must have done so (and have is approved) no later than April 5 by 5pm. Alternative sites will not be accepted nd approved after this date.
  • Discussion Post #4 (Due Sunday by 5pm). Prompt: Many might argue that archaeology has nothing to offer in a historical context where there are lots of historical documents.  Based on what you’ve learned about the Franklin Expedition this week, do you agree?  If so, why?  If not, what would you say that archaeology “brings to the table” in a more recent historical setting? Based on what you learned this week, what does archaeology have to offer?

WEEK 14 (April 9, 11) – Great Zimbabwe

  • Great Zimbabwe
  • Protecting and Preserving Archaeology
  • Why Does Archaeology Need to Be Protected?
  • How is Archaeology Protected: Law, Policy, and International Treaty.

Read

Watch

  • Lost Kingdoms of Africa: Great Zimbabwe [watch]

WEEK 15 (April 16, 18) – Protecting and Preserving Archaeology & Class Wrap Up

  • Protecting and Preserving Archaeology (Continued)
  • Class Wrap-up

Assignments

  • Archaeological Discovery Paper Due (Friday by 5pm). Email MS Word document directly to Ethan

Assignments

  • Bonus Discussion Post (Due Sunday before 5pm): Prompt: Select and discuss an archaeological discovery that we didn’t cover in class (and that you didn’t choose for your Archaeological Discovery Paper). Why is it interesting and important? (5% bonus)

FINALS WEEK (April 22-26) – Final Exam

  • Like the midterm, the final exam is completely online (delivered through D2L). Students can take the exam anytime they want during finals weeks. The exam will go live on April 22 at 10am (EST) and close on the 26th at 5pm. Students will have 120 minutes to complete the exam once started. Once the 120 minute timeline is expired, the exam will automatically close and submit. The exam will use the LockDown Browser, but not webcam proctoring