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Week # 1 - August 27, 2008

[From] Common understanding: “You know it when you find it,” i.e., selected histories of discoveries. Origin of the term itself (Latin “civilis, civilitas, civis, civitas; ”French “civilisation, civilisateur, civiliser;”). Other terms (e.g., “prehistory versus history,” “complex versus primitive societies”). Selected discoveries: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Minoan, and Mesoamerican civilizations.

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Required reading:

Chazan, Michael: Putting the Picture Together. Pp. 37-59. In World Prehistory and Archaeology: Pathways through Time. Pearson Education. 2008.
 

Week # 2 - September 3, 2008

[Through] Classical listing of elements of civilization (understood as “urbanization”).

Required readings:

Childe, V. Gordon. The Urban Revolution. Pp. 6-14. In Lamberg-Karlovsky, C.C. & Jeremy A. Sabloff. The Rise And Fall of Civilizations. Cummings Publishing Company. 1974. 

[To] Modern methodologies in comparative studies of various civilizations. 

Buren, Mary Van & Janet Richards. Introduction: ideology, wealth, and the comparative study of “civilizations.” Pp. 3-12.  In Order, Legitimacy, and Wealth in Ancient States. Part I: Order, Legitimacy, and Wealth in Ancient States. Cambridge University Press. 2000.
 

Baines, John & Norman Yoffee. Order, legitimacy, & wealth: setting the terms. Pp. 13-17. In Buren, Mary Van & Janet Richards, eds. Order, Legitimacy, and Wealth in Ancient States. Part I: Order, Legitimacy, and Wealth in Ancient States. Cambridge University Press. 2000.   Future/optional reading: McGuire, Randall H. Core and Periphery Systems. Pp. 132-137. In Ellis, Linda ed. Archaeological Method and Theory. An Encyclopedia. Garland Publishing, Inc. 2000.

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Week # 3 - September 10, 2008

Writing: the main or just contributing factor in the development of civilization. Temples - centers of distribution. Many “firsts” on which a civilization is supposed to be based. From city-states to the first empire. Rich people, “poor” neighbours. Childe’s and others’ check lists.

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Required readings:

Chazan, Michael: Mesopotamia. Pp. 323-334. In World Prehistory and Archaeology: Pathways through Time. Pearson Education. 2008.

Cooper, Jerrold S.: Babylonian Beginnings: The Origin of the Cuneiform Writing System In Comparative Persepctive. Pp. 71-99. In Houston, Stephen G. ed. The First Writing: Script Invention and Process. Cambridge University Press. 2004.

Future/optional reading (absolutely great and fun to read):

Kramer, Samuel Noah. History Begins in Sumer. The University of Pennsylvania Press. 1981.

Movies:
Iraq: The Cradle of Civilization.  Legacy . #1. V-Cass CB 311 L43 1991.

Mesopotamia. I Have Conquered the River. CB 311 M48 2003 v. 2.  
 
 
  Week # 4 - September 17, 2008

Religion: through battles to unity.  Pharaoh: a god left behind? Writing: an independent invention? Grand scale of public works. Urban legend of the huts.  Childe’s and others’ check lists.

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Required readings:

Redford, Donald B. The Ancient Egyptian “City”: Figment or Reality? Pp. 210-220. In Aufrecht, Walter E., Neil A. Mirau & Steven W. Gauley eds. Urbanism in Antiquity. Sheffield Academic Press. 1997.

Routledge, Carolyn. Temple as the Center in Ancient Egyptian Urbanism. Pp. 221-235. In Aufrecht, Walter E., Neil A. Mirau & Steven W. Gauley eds. Urbanism in Antiquity. Sheffield Academic Press. 1997.

Chazan, Michael: Egypt. Pp. 360-375. In World Prehistory and Archaeology: Pathways through Time. Pearson Education. 2008.

Future/optional readings (fun, fun, fun):

Almost anything about ancient Egyptian religion. (Avoid those without pictures).
Karl-Theodor Zauzich: Hieroglyphs without Mystery. University of Texas Press. 1996. (Impress your friends with knowledge of the ancient Egyptian script).

Movies:
Egypt: Quest for Immortality. Time Life’s Lost Civilizations. #4. V-Cass CB 311 T54 1995 v. 1.

Egypt: Journey to the Global Civilization. CB 311 M48 2003 v. 1.  
 
 
 

Week # 5 - September 24, 2008

Summary with movies. Review.
 
 

Week # 6 - October 1, 2008

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#1

Week # 7 - October 8, 2008

It is all about neighborhood: trading competition.  The sea knows no limit: spreading "the word". The price of peace: let foreign empires set up their rules. A case of “megalomania”: ancient Israel according to the Old Testamental authors. Childe’s and others’ check lists.

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Required readings:

Patterson, Thomas C. State Formation, Ethnogenesis, and Resistance: The Levant in the First Millennium B.C. Pp. 216-226. In Archaeology. The Historical Development of Civilizations. Prentice Hall. 1993.

Gore, Rick: Who Were the Phoenicians? Pp.26.49. In National Geographic. October 2004.

Future/optional readings:

Markoe, Glenn E. Peoples of the Past: Phoenicians. University of California Press.  
For information about sailing the Atlantic see Cunliffe, Barry. Facing the Ocean. The Atlantic and Its People. Oxford University Press. 2001.
 

Week # 8 - October 15, 2008

Week # 9 - October 22, 2008

Palace-centered polities.  Mystery of its origin – the Minoan Linear A. Continuation of the island culture on land: the Mycenaean civilization. Heinrich Schliemann: reinventing the legend of Troy. Childe’s and others’ check lists.

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Required readings:

Tsipopoulou, Metaxia. Palace-Centered Polities in Eastern Crete: Neopalatial Petras and Its Neighbors. Pp. 263-277. In Aufrecht, Walter E., Neil A. Mirau & Steven W. Gauley eds. Urbanism in Antiquity. Sheffield Academic Press. 1997.

Wolff, Walther. The Aegean. Pp. 165-203. In Early Civilizations: Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Aegean. The Herbert Press. 1989.

Check also: www.ou.edu/finearts/art/ahi4913/aegean.html and www.daedalus.gr/DAEI/THEME/Knossos.htm

Future/optional readings:

Works of Homer. You should go through them at least once in your life.

Movie:
Aegean: Legacy of Atlantis. Time Life’s Lost Civilizations. #4. V-Cass CB 311 T54 1995. 48 minutes. 
 
 
  Week # 10 - October 29, 2008

Çatal Hüyük - a city with no right to exist. The Indo-Europeans and those whom they ruled. From nomads to urban dwellers to an empire? In the name of tolerance: let’s worship them all. Childe’s and others’ check lists.

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Required readings: 

Dunstan, William E. Chapter VIII. The Hittites of Anatolia and Their Contemporaries. Pp. 154-175. In The Ancient Near East. Harcourt Brace College Publishers. 1998.

Check also: www.allaboutturkey.com/hitit.htm

Balter, Michael: The First Cities: Why Settle Down? The Mystery of Communities. In Science 20, November 1998: Vol. 282.no.5393, p. 1442 (www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/282/5393/1442).

For more general information about Çatal Hüyük check also: http://wcuww.com/civcty/cathyk00.htm

For scientific reports check: www.catahoyuk.com
 

Future/optional reading:

Macqueen, J.G. The Hittites and Their Contemporaries in Asia Minor. Thames and Hudson. 1986.

Balter, Michael. Çatal Hüyük: An Archaeological Journey to the Dawn of Civilization. Free Press. 2005.

Week # 11 - November 5, 2008

The forgotten civilization: Elam. Arrival of the "Aryans" and their dominance in the area (The Medes and the Persians). Too nice to last? The empire of tolerance and moderation. Between monotheism and polytheism: divine authority of Zaratushtra.  Childe’s and others’ check lists.

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Required reading:

Dunstan, William E. Chapter XIII and XIV. Persia. Persian Cultural Achievements. Pp. 267-294. In The Ancient Near East. Harcourt Brace College Publishers. 1998.

Check also: www.museum-achemenet.college-de-france.fr and www.iranchamber.com/history/elamite/elamite.php on Elam

Future/optional reading (somewhat dry but quite informative):

Curtis, John. Ancient Persia. Harvard University Press. 1990.

Movie:
To be decided.
 
  Week # 12 - November 12, 2008

#2
 
 

Week # 13 - November 19, 2008

The Dravidian and Indo-Aryan question. Land without social stratification? Too much religion or not enough - can we even speculate? Focus on hygiene? Disposable cups and bath-houses. Childe’s and others’ check lists.

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Required readings:

Patterson, Thomas C. Harappan Society: Class-stratified or kin-based? Pp. 141-146. In  Archaeology. The Historical Development of Civilizations. Prentice Hall. 1993.

Chazan, Michael: The Indus Valley. Pp. 375-380. In World Prehistory and Archaeology: Pathways through Time. Pearson Education. 2008.

Check also: www.harappa.com/har/har0.html

Future/optional reading (very informative):

Kenoyer, Jonathan Mark. Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civilization. Oxford University Press. 1998.

Movie:
India: The Unvoiced Civilization. CB 311 M48 2003 v. 3
 
 
  Week # 14 - November 26, 2008

Sedentary versus nomadic empires: China vs. Hsiung-Nu. The Great Wall and Teracotta Warriors of Xi’an.  In search of defense: the Silk Road.  Is the conflict still there? Childe’s and others’ check lists.

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Required readings:

Barnes, Gina L. Chapter 12. The Making and Breaking of Empire. 220 B.C. - A.D. 500. Pp. 192-207. In The Rise of Civilization in East Asia: The Archaeology of China, Korea and Japan. Thames & Hudson. 1999. 

Di Cosmo, Nicola. Those Who Draw the Bow. The Rise of the Hsiung-nu Nomadic Empire and the Political Unification of the Nomads. Pp. 161-205. In Ancient China and Its Enemies. The Rise of Nomadic Power in East Asian History.Cambridge University Press. 2002.

Chazan, Michael: Shang China. Pp. 350-355. In World Prehistory and Archaeology: Pathways through Time. Pearson Education. 2008.

Check also: www.ess.uci.edu/~oliver/silk.html and www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Myth/shang.html

Future/optional reading (very interesting but also confusing at times):

Di Cosmo’s whole book.

Movies:
China:Heritage of the Wild Dragon. CB 311 M48 2003 v. 4  
China: The Mandate of Heaven. Legacy . #3. V-Cass CB 311 L43 1991. 
Silk Road series. 
 
 
  Week # 15 - December 3, 2008

Too many empires, too much conflict: CHINA AND HSIUNG-NU. 
PART 2.
 
 

Week # 16 - December 10, 2008

Continuum of complexity: Mesoamerica as a scholarly dream. From prehistory to history: decipherment of the Mayan languages and writing. Chocolate to die for: human sacrifices and commerce among the Aztecs. Is the writing necessary? The Inca Empire. Childe’s and others’ check lists.

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Required readings:

Smith, Michael E. & Marilyn A. Masson, eds. Part III. Political Organization. (6 articles by different authors). Pp. 252-359. In The Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica. A Reader. Blackwell Publishers. 2000.

Chazan, Michael: The Maya. Pp. 334-350. The Inca Empire. The Aztec Empire. Pp. 388-413. In World Prehistory and Archaeology: Pathways through Time. Pearson Education. 2008.

Future/optional reading (fun and informative):

Foster, Lynn V. Handbook to Life in the Ancient Maya World. Facts On File, Inc. 2002.

Movies:
Inca: Secrets of the Ancestors. Time Life’s Lost Civilizations. #9. V-Cass CB 311 T54 1995. v. 9. 
Maya: The Blood of Kings. Time Life’s Lost Civilizations. #9. V-Cass CB 311 T54 1995. v. 2. 48. 
 
 
  Week # 17 - December 17, 2008

Last day to turn in your papers. 

IMPORTANT!!!

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT

Please familiarize yourself with the University of Utah CODE OF STUDENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES (“STUDENT CODE”) at www.admin.utah.edu/ppmanual//8/8-10.html
The following is an excerpt from this CODE explaining specific actions, which won’t be tolerated in this class.
“2. “Academic misconduct” includes, but is not limited to, cheating, misrepresenting one's work, inappropriately collaborating, plagiarism, and fabrication or falsification of information, as defined further below. It also includes facilitating academic misconduct by intentionally helping or attempting to help another to commit an act of academic misconduct.
a. “Cheating” involves the unauthorized possession or use of information, materials, notes, study aids, or other devices in any academic exercise, or the unauthorized communication with another person during such an exercise. Common examples of cheating include, but are not limited to, copying from another student's examination, submitting work for an in-class exam that has been prepared in advance, violating rules governing the administration of exams, having another person take an exam, altering one's work after the work has been returned and before resubmitting it, or violating any rules relating to academic conduct of a course or program.
b. Misrepresenting one's work includes, but is not limited to, representing material prepared by another as one's own work, or submitting the same work in more than one course without prior permission of both faculty members.
c. “Plagiarism” means the intentional unacknowledged use or incorporation of any other person's work in, or as a basis for, one's own work offered for academic consideration or credit or for public presentation. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, representing as one's own, without attribution, any other individual’s words, phrasing, ideas, sequence of ideas, information or any other mode or content of expression.
d. “Fabrication” or “falsification” includes reporting experiments or measurements or statistical analyses never performed; manipulating or altering data or other manifestations of research to achieve a desired result; falsifying or misrepresenting background information, credentials or other academically relevant information; or selective reporting, including the deliberate suppression of conflicting or unwanted data. It does not include honest error or honest differences in interpretations or judgments of data and/or results.”

The following sanctions will be imposed in this class for a student engaging in academic misconduct:
1. A failing grade for the specific assignment, paper, exam, etc., without possibility to re-write it, re-take it, etc. This academic misconduct will be reported to the Chairman of the Department of Anthropology.
2. The second offense will be sanctioned with a failing grade for the whole course. In such a case, the following rule of the University of Utah CODE OF STUDENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES is applicable and will be followed: “If the faculty member imposes the sanction of a failing grade for the course, the faculty member shall, within ten (10) business days of imposing the sanction, notify in writing, the chair of the student’s home department and the senior vice president for academic affairs or senior vice president for health sciences, as appropriate, of the academic misconduct and the circumstances which the faculty member believes support the imposition of a failing grade.”
3. For more information concerning sanctions for academic misconduct (additional sanctions might be imposed) and your rights and procedures to appeal these sanctions please refer to the aforementioned CODE.

If you need more information and/or explanations please don’t hesitate to contact the instructor.

 

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