The physical remains of the Greek world from the Bronze Age to 323 BCE will be studied, with emphasis on its artistic triumphs, as a means of understanding the culture of ancient Greece.

This course introduces the archaeology of the Greek world from the Neolithic to the Hellenistic period (approximately 7000 to 150 BCE) and includes both art historical and anthropological approaches. We will explore the artifacts that ancient people used in their daily lives, as well as the buildings, landscapes, and tombs where they lived, worked, worshipped, and died. We will also examine famous artworks, monuments, and sites, from the gold-filled Shaft Graves of Mycenae to the Parthenon in Athens, tracking key technical and stylistic developments. Above all, we will learn how to situate archaeological sites and artifacts within their larger social, economic, and political contexts, using new methods and theories to interpret the past. Discussions of cultural heritage, repatriation, the antiquities trade, and archaeological ethics will illuminate the many ways in which Greek archaeology is relevant to the concerns of today.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills