NEAA

The aim of this seminar is to challenge prevailing views on Egypt's non-urban past and investigating Egypt as an early urban society. The emergence of urban features will be traced starting with the Predynastic Period up to the disintegration of the powerful Middle Kingdom state (ca. 3500–1650 BC). This seminar offers a synthesis of the archaeological data that sheds light on the different facets of urbanism in ancient Egypt. Drawing on evidence from recent excavations as well as a vast body of archaeological data, the changing settlement patterns will be explored by contrasting periods of strong political control against those of decentralization. On a microlevel, the characteristics of households and the layout of domestic architecture will be addressed, which are key elements for understanding how society functioned and evolved over time. In addition, settlement patterns will provide further insights into the formation of complex society and the role of the state in the urban development in ancient Egypt.

This course is intended to present the dominant typologies of Islamic ceramics, most of which have been studied from an art historical approach. Specific archaeological typologies will be assembled from published reports and presented in seminar meetings. Half of the course will consist of analysis of shred collections, observatory analysis of typological criteria, and training in drawing these artifacts.

This course is intended to follow the Introduction to Islamic archaeology, a survey of the regions of the fertile crescent from the 9th to the 19th century. Beginning with P. Wheatley's Places where Men Pray Together, the institution of the Islamic are examined in light of its beginnings and definitions. Emphasis is on archaeological remains from the Middle East.

This course is tailored to the needs of individual students, with a list of readings to be set depending on the interests and level of the student. The readings are meant to fill in gaps in knowledge of Mesopotamian Archaeology, and are often used by the student to refine the area to be selected for a doctoral dissertation.  The student meets with the professor once a week to discuss what has been read and decide what should be the next logical source to be read.  The student's detailed notes on all the reading or a paper summing up the quarter's findings, as well as the discussion sessions are the basis for grading.  The schedule of meetings is flexible and will be arranged with each student. 

Students may register for this course during quarters in which they are overseas participating in archaeological field projects.

This course is an exploration of the cultural patterns in the Levant from the late Byzantine period down to modern times, a span of some 1500 years. While the subject matter will be archaeological sites of this period in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel, the focus will be on the role of medieval archaeology in amplifying the history of economic and social systems. It is this connective quality of Islamic archaeology which contributes to an understanding of the earlier history and archaeology of this region.

This course surveys the archaeology and art of Mesopotamia.