ANTH 1101

Humans have a long history prior to the advent of written language and archaeology provides us with the methods to understand the majority of the human past. In this course we will explore the human past beginning with the emergence of our own species (Homo sapiens sapiens), and then follow our global expansion into a variety of environments. We will document the numerous ways we have lived in different places and at different times. During the course students will be introduced to the methods and theories that archaeologists use to reconstruct past human cultures. We will take a global perspective in examining some of the major transitions in the way of life humans have experienced from the advent of sedentism and agriculture to the emergence of social complexity and urbanism. Highlights in the case studies used may include the building of the Pyramids of Giza in Ancient Egypt, the settlement of Polynesia, the rise of the Classic Maya and an examination of the urban landscape of Cahokia. Finally we will explore the ways in which the distant human past continues to influence our contemporary world.