“Archaeology as a discipline is, at its core, a way of asking and answering questions about people and the worlds they built and inhabited (often in the past, but not always)” (Frieman 2023: 73)
Archaeologists “think from things”—we study past cultures through material remains, which may be as tiny as a chemical residue or as massive as an ancient city. In this course, students will be introduced to a wide variety of field methods, analytical techniques, and theoretical approaches to investigate, reconstruct, and learn from the past. We will discuss how different types of archaeological data—collected from settlement surveys, site excavations, and artifact analysis—can be used to address economic, social, political, and ideological questions across time and space. Because this course is taught from an anthropological perspective, we will explore theoretical debates about key transitions in human prehistory: the origins of food production, social inequality, and state-level societies. Lastly, students will be asked to consider the relevance of archaeological practices and the material world, more broadly, in modern political, economic, and social contexts. Can archaeology be a transformative discipline in the 21st century?
The course is divided roughly into three parts: (1) Historical Roots & Contemporary Approaches in Archaeology; (2) Methods of analysis & interpretation; and (3) Important topics & Trowelblazing archaeologists. There are weekly reading assignments and three major assignments that will be outlined in detail as the semester progresses.
Course Basics:
- Class: Tuesday/Thursday, 10:50-12:05 in Sage 215
- Office Hours: M 11-12, Tu 1-2 & by appt- 10 Prospect, #103 [book here]
- Email: eklarich@smith.edu
- Syllabus PDF & Google Docs
- Student Questionnaire
Course Materials: Readings, etc.
- Archaeology as history: telling stories from a fragmented past, C. Frieman (2023)
- Smith ebook; PDF for download; or buy here or here
- Other readings available in weekly menus above
Assignments & Grading
- Site Report Essay (24%), due 10/10 by 5pm [Update: 10/16 by 5pm]
- Methods Essay (24%), due 10/31 by 5pm [Update: Sunday, 11/3 by 5pm]
- 21st c. Trowelblazers Project (32%), due 12/17 by 5pm
- Weekly Exercises, 10 total (20%), due by class meetings
- See “Course Policies” on syllabus for additional information about grading.