Coordinator: Dr Stephen Collier

Availability: Available to external students in second semester.

Residential School: None

Online level: 0

Unit objective:
To introduce you to the major civilisations of the ancient world, and to the social and ecological contexts from which they appeared, from an archaeological perspective. We expect you to develop an appreciation of the concepts of what civilization is, and, indeed, of whether the term (which is a technical one in archaeology) has any utility given the variety and complexity of cultures, both ancient and recent. You will be able to go deeply into cultures considered, but the important thing is that you achieve a critical approach to the criteria that define civilization and separate it as a social adaptation from other types of society. You will be expected to learn enough of the history and features of the societies to make these judgements about them. You may care to examine the very question of judgement - how much our notions of the classification of societies is value judgement based upon criteria important to us, and how much is based upon objective observation. Some of you may question whether there can be objective observation.

Unit statement:
This unit traces the archaeological evidence for the development of complex, urban societies in the Old and New Worlds from the time of established farming communities. There are two lectures and one tutorial per week. Assessment will be one examination and one essay for external students, and one exam and lecture and tutorial assessment for internal students.

Assessment: Externals: Essay 2,000 words (40%), Exam (60%), Internals: Lecture assessment 25%, Examination (50%), Tutorial Assessment (25%)

Prescribed Book: Fagan, Brian M., 2004, People of the Earth, 11th Edition, Longman, New York. 013111316-X