Introduction to Archaeology

This course is an introduction to world archaeology. Through an overview of select archaeological research and fossil evidence spanning the history of the genus Homo up to the emergence of state-level societies, students will become familiar with analytical methods and interpretive frameworks used to reconstruct the human past. In this course students will gain an appreciation of the time scales involved in the study of human evolution, the fragmentary nature of the archaeological record, the interpretive potential of different types of material culture, and the drivers of cultural change.