Admission requirements
World Archaeology 2 obtained.
Description
This course focuses on the archaeology of early urban societies across the globe. After a general introduction on the archaeology of early cities and states the lecturers will present a series of regional case studies on
the Near East (Politopoulos);
the Mediterranean (Revello Lami);
the Americas (vacancy).
We will tackle a number of themes in these sessions, including the emergence of social inequality, class society, cities and states, the development of complex economies and long-distance trade, and the transformation of ritual practices and religion.
In this course we will discuss conceptual frameworks and theories, and present a number of important datasets through a series of case studies.
Course set-up
The topics and their regional case studies are introduced in 2-hour lectures. Subsequently students study reading materials. Mini multiple choice wrap-ups will be provided on Brightspace after every class.
Course objectives
Gain insight into models and theories applied by archaeologists when investigating complex societies and processes of urbanisation;
Gain insight into the emergence of diverse social and political arrangements;
Gain insight into the development of economic and administrative systems;
Gain insight into the ritual practices and religion of the first cities and states;
Ability to critically evaluate theories on the development of the first cities, early state formation, and the diversity of human societies against archaeological datasets on a general level.
Timetable
Course schedule details can be found in MyTimetable.
Log in with your ULCN account, and add this course using the 'Add timetable' button.
Mode of instruction
Lectures;
Autonomous study;
Weekly mini tests (not graded);
Bi-weekly group discussions.
Assessment method
- Three assignments (one in every two weeks).
Assessment deadlines
All assessment deadlines (exams, retakes, paper deadlines etc.) can be found in MyTimetable.
Log in with your ULCN account, and add this course using the 'Add timetable' button. To view the assessment deadline(s), make sure to select the course with a code ending in T and/or R.
Deadlines for assignments are included in the course syllabus.
Reading list
Per meeting there will be one or two papers to read. The reading list will be distributed at the start of the class.
Registration
Enrolment for all components of your study programme through MyStudymap. is mandatory. This applies to both compulsory elements and elective credits. If you are not enrolled, you may not participate.
General information about registration can be found on the Course and exam enrolment page.
Exchange and Study Abroad students, please contact the exchange coordinator for information on how to apply.
All information for those who are interested in taking this course as a Contractstudent is on the Contractonderwijs Archeologie webpage (in Dutch).
Contact
For more information about this course, please contact A. (Aris) Politopoulos or drs. M. (Martina) Revello Lami.
Remarks
Compulsory attendance.