Anthropology 12, Section 2093
Room: ArtB 305
T, Th 9:30 pm - 10:55 am

Course Policies:

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Extra Credit Guidelines     Dr. Gibson

As I value a strong work ethic, students are encouraged to improve their scores through
extra-credit work. I keep a running tally of extra credit points at the far
column of my grade book. These are added to a student's point total after I
have calculated the semester grade scale. I don't log extra credit submissions
individually due to the large and varied forms that they may take, so students
should retain items that have been handed back to them in case there is a
dispute concerning what the student has done. The effect that extra credit
points have on a student's grade depends upon where they stand with respect to
grade boundaries, and how much extra credit work has been done.

No presentations or any other submissions will be
allowed during the final two weeks of class.

There are three ways to earn extra credit:

1) I believe that rather than being a purely solitary exercise - the
knowledge that the student gains should be shared with the class. Extra credit
can therefore take the form of a short (c. 5 min.) oral presentation on
something the student has come across in the media that is relevant to the
course material. This exercise benefits both the student (gaining confidence in
public speaking), and the class. Yes, this also means that written reports are not
acceptable. Any of the following may be turned to as a source: a recent
newspaper or magazine article, a book, a film or TV program, a relevant museum
exhibit, or a public lecture on a topic relevant to the class. Things culled
from internet media outlets are ok, too, except as noted below

Exclusions:

It is not a
term paper or research project. This means that reports on old books,
chapters from textbooks, or on a topic that you have researched will not be
allowed. Please don't go to the library and dig up something arcane or
obscure from a scientific journal. It should be something that the class can
easily relate to, and relevant to some aspect of the course material;
e.g. in the case of physical anthropology, no dinosaurs, please. The article must
be from a publication that appeared this year, preferably within the
last few months. Promotional internet press releases, internet summaries of
full length articles, informational texts from institutional web sites, and
Wikipedia or other online encyclopedia entries are not ok. Anything from the web should be about four pages long minimum.
Finally, extra credit means doing extra work, so reports drawn from your life
experiences, however interesting, are not allowed.

Please clear
whatever it is you are considering with me prior to class, and give me an idea
what you are going to say or do. Please, no DVD's. The presentation should
ideally be 5 minutes or under. Please retain a copy of the article you
presented, initialed by myself, in case there is a question about your
extra-credit points at the end of term

Points and limitations:  I will give 10 points per presentation.
Students are limited to 1 presentation per class meeting, and no more than
three presentations total will be allowed. Students may not duplicate the
presentation of another student.

2) An officially sanctioned visit or excursion to a relevant
museum exhibit, conference, symposium, ritual gathering, public lecture, collection
of primates, or archaeological site. Trips made by the anthropology club often
do fall into this category, and can earn the participant points.

The visit must
be sanctioned by myself before points will be allocated. Do not go to
something and expect it to be retroactively sanctioned. Sanctioning depends
upon its relevance to the class. The number of points awarded is variable,
depending upon the distance the student traveled in order to participate, and
the cost of the event to the student.

Submit a one-page, typed
description of the museum exhibit with the ticket attached.  

3) Attending a free department-sponsored lecture. As these are free and
occur on campus. 5 pts. are awarded per lecture. In order to gain credit, the
student must submit a 1 page typed summary of the lecture. This summary
must reach me within a week of the event.    

A word of advice: Don't wait until the last minute to do extra credit. The reasons are:
1) the instructor may be absent on the last day when presentations are allowed.
2) Many other people do this, and they may have the same article to read, and
only one person can present any one article. Finally, 3) articles don't always
conveniently present themselves in moments of desperation.

Finally, extra credit is meant to be an assist to
students who are otherwise making an effort to do well in the class, it is not
meant to be a means of compensating for poor attendance. Therefore, students
with an excess of two week's worth of unexcused absences will be barred
from acquiring additional extra credit points. Students will also be barred
from earning extra credit if they disrupt class with tardies - arriving at
class after role taking has ended. Each tardy will count as ½ unexcused
absence.

Relevant Institutions (by discipline). You may only
visit an institution for credit that corresponds to the class that you are
enrolled in.  

Physical Anthropology (Anthropology 1): San Diego Museum of Man

Southern California Primate Research Forum (scprf.ucsc.edu)

Gibbon Conservation Center (gibboncenter.org). Note: You cannot visit this
institution for credit after the third exam on non-human primates.

Cultural Anthropology (Anthropology 2): Fowler Museum
of Cultural History/ Fowler Museum at UCLA

Bowers Museum of Cultural Art (www.bowers.org). Address: 2002 N. Main St.

Santa Ana San Diego Museum of Man

Autry National Center/Southwest Museum of the
American Indian (This building may not be finished yet, call for an update-don't go to
the cowboy part!).

Pacific Asia Museum, 46 N. Los Robles Ave. Pasadena.

Japanese American Museum, Chinese American Museum - both in downtown LA.

California African American Museum (focus on cultural exhibits, especially those

concerning Africa).

Archaeology (Anthropology 3): UCLA Cotsen Institute of Archaeology  
(www.ioa.ucla.edu).

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (archaeology exhibits only).

Bowers Museum of Cultural Art (call ahead to enquire about archaeology-themed exhibits).

Getty Center in Malibu (not the one in the Sepulveda pass, unless there is an archaeology

exhibit).

Pacific Asia Museum, 46 N. Los Robles Ave, Pasadena.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (archaeological exhibits only - e.g the new Latin American hall.

Chen Art Gallery (in the Sunrider Corporate headquarters
on Carson, you must call ahead for an appointment to see it (310) 781-3808)

Ancient Civilizations of the World/ of the Americas (Anthropology 12 & 8)

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA, archaeological exhibits only - e.g the new Latin American hall. See their website for relevant lectures as well.

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
(archaeology exhibits only)

Bowers Museum of Cultural Art (call ahead to enquire about archaeology-themed exhibits,

or go on to their website).

San Diego Museum of Man - Small permanent exhibit on the Maya.

Getty Center in Malibu (Anthro. 12 only, except for temporary exhibits).

Chen Art Gallery (Anthro. 12 only).

Mesoamerican Network - Now based at CSULA, visit their website for
details on the biannual conference.

Skirball Museum: mostly does exhibits on Jewish history,
but has a small archaeology exhibit. Thursday is their free day.

Mesoamerican Society - Also based at CSULA.
Mesoamericansocietycsula.blogspot.com

New World Archaeology Council - sponsors occasional symposia.

Archaeological Institute of America - sponsors talks primarily on Old World Archaeology

around the southland, but occasionally on the New World as well. Check their website for information.

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Syllabus:

Fall 2011              Ancient Civilizations of the World               Dr. Blair Gibson

Phone: (310) 532-3670 x 3580     
email: dbgibson@elcamino.edu     Office: ArtB 330 D Faculty web page: www.elcamino.edu/faculty/dbgibson/index.html

Office hrs: M, T, W, Th 8:30 - 9:00 AM; T, TH 3:30 - 4:00 PM, MW 1:30 - 2:30 PM

Textbooks: Ancient Civilizations; Christopher Scarre and Brian M. Fagan

Course resources: Syllabi, handouts, and Powerpoint lectures can be viewed and
downloaded on the class web page, accessed through my faculty index page.
Copies of the textbooks are on reserve in the library in the reserve reading
area.

Course Description: this course constitutes a survey of the
earliest urban states of the Old World. It will review the anthropological
theories which have attempted to explain state origins, look at the origins of
agriculture and urbanism in the Middle East, and then examine the earliest
states in various culture areas.

Course Objectives

Course Student Learning Objective

Over five multiple choice questions a student will demonstrate that he/she is able
to distinguish between those organizational characteristics that are invariably
associated with archaic state-level societies, and those that often but not always
occur in these contexts. Moreover students should be able identify those
characteristics that archaeologists use to recognize states in lieu of written
records. Finally, students should be able to recognize the differences in
organization, and in the amount of authority wielded by the leaders of complex
chiefdoms and archaic states. 

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ADA Statement: El Camino
College is committed to providing educational accommodations for students with
disabilities upon the timely request by the student to the instructor. A
student with a disability, who would like to request an academic accommodation,
is responsible for identifying herself/himself to the instructor and to the Special Resources Center.
To make arrangements for academic accommodations, contact the Special Resources
Center.

Course Requirements

Four equally weighted exams, five quizzes, and written answers to questions concerning the Gilgemesh epic.

The Exams: The exams are non-cumulative and involve
multiple choice and matching type questions. Each exam will be 60 questions
long, and each question will be worth 1 point. The grade scale for the tests
will be based upon the highest grade achieve on the test. Grade boundaries will
be 90%, 80%, 70% etc. of that score. The exams will cover lectures, readings,
and films. The exams are worth 76% of the grade.

The quizzes: The syllabus quiz is intended to acquaint
students with class policies. The remaining quizzes prepare students for the
exams. The quizzes are worth 17% of the grade.

The Gilgemesh epic - Brief written answers will be submitted in
response to questions asked about the Gilgemesh epic. A translation of the
Gilgemesh epic can be found online. This assignment will be worth 20 points,
and is worth 6% of the grade. With the possible exception of the syllabus quiz,
each quiz will be worth 10 points, so the potential number of points achieved
for the semester is c. 314.

  Make-ups: Quizzes
cannot be made up under any conditions. Exams, with the exception of
the final exam, may only be made up under the following conditions: 1) the
reason for missing the exam is very serious or a school-sanctioned
activity, and it is documentable, 2) the instructor has been contacted on the
day of the crisis or before. 3) Documentation of the problem is furnished
to me prior to taking the make-up. Make-ups may only be taken in my
office during my office hours. I will not turn back test results until all
make-ups have been completed.  I will
only delay returning exams to students one class meeting to allow time for
make-ups.

Extra credit:
Students are encouraged to do extra-credit assignments. See guidelines for
details. No extra
credit presentations will be allowed during the 15^th-16th week.
Students will be excluded from earning extra credit
for excessive unexcused absences (2 weeks) and tardies.

Student
responsibilities:
Full participation is expected from
the participants in this course. This responsibility entails attending class
meetings and reading the assigned materials. There are consequences for not
living up to these responsibilities:

Attendance - I take attendance at the beginning of
the period. I don't adjust attendance retroactively, so if a student is late
and misses roll, it is the student's responsibility to seek a correction on
the day of the tardy. A student who is absent on a given day is still
responsible for what transpired in class on that day. Missing class often means
not receiving materials, like study guides. The student is to come to the
instructor's office during the office hour to obtain any handout or unclaimed
work a student has missed due to an absence. Attendance will figure into my
grading at the end of term if the grade is borderline. I consider absences
exceeding a week to be excessive. 
Students whose total absences and tardies exceed two weeks will be
barred from extra credit. A tardy counts as ½ unexcused absence.

Unrighteous behavior - if you wish for me to waiting for you at grade time with vengeance in my heart, then do any of the following 1) leave the classroom while lecture is in
progress, and for added effect, cross directly in front of me to make sure I
lose my train of thought. If you do this I will deduct 20 points from your score, and record you as absent for the day. 2) read a newspaper, talk to your neighbor, show off your laptop computer, or
sleep while lecture is in progress. 3) take a cell phone call while class is in
progress 4) play games or text on your cell phone while class is in progress.
These are all effective ways of communicating to me your interest level in the
class, and your respect for me as a teacher.

Cheating: I don't fool around
with those who cheat. Cheating includes copying off another's test. Learn the
consequences at your peril!

Drops - Generally speaking, I will
automatically drop anyone with 1 ½ - 2 consecutive week's worth of absences. However,
oversights occur, so ultimately it is the responsibility of the student to
withdraw from the class if the student wishes to do so.

Incompletes - an incomplete will only be given to a student caught in the throes of a crisis not related
class performance. I will not give an incomplete if the student has missed or
cannot take the final at the scheduled time except in cases of medical or
family emergency.

Grade Reporting - If you wish to know
your grade ahead of official reporting, bring me a grade card at the final
exam, or send an email to me.

*****If you have any special
problems or pressures, please discuss them with me as soon as you can,
not at the end of the term!

Week                       Topics                    Reading  
______________________________________________                       _____

1    Civilization and Archaic States: characteristics.     Chpt. 1  

The rediscovery of the ancient states of the Old World.   

2-3  Theories on the Origins of the State                      Chpt. 2

4-5   The Earliest Temple, Villages and Towns               Part II 

Syllabus Quiz Tuesday September 13th

4      Quiz #2 Thursday Sept. 22^nd

5       Test  #1 Thursday Sept. 29^rd

6   Temple, City, and State in Early Mesopotamia             Chpt. 3

7-8  From Chiefdom to State in Ancient Egypt                  Chpt. 4

7    Quiz #3 Thursday October 13^th

8    Test #2  Thursday October 20^th

9-10     From State to Empire in Ancient Egypt                 Chpt. 4

11-12   The Harrapan Civilization of the Indus Valley         Chpt. 5                       

11     Quiz # 4 Thursday November 10^th                                                             

12    Test #3 Thursday November 17^th

13    The Earliest Chinese States                                      Chpt. 6          

14   Mediterranean Kingdoms: Minoan Civilization              Chpt 9

15-16   The States of Archaic Greece                               Chpt. 10

Quiz #5 Thursday December 8^th

16   Final Exam Thursday December 15^th

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Assignments:

List assignments here.
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30 pts.                                                     Due: Tuesday, October 13th

Epic of Gilgemesh Assignment

There are several translations of the Epic of Gilgemesh to be found online. Read the epic, all eleven tablets, and then provide brief answers to the following questions.

1. What does the wild bull (Aurochs) seem to personify or symbolize in the myth?

2. Who is Ishtar? What are her powers and what role does she play in the epic's narrative?

3. How does the epic view sex, and by extension women?

4. What kinds of rituals are carried out in temples and on mountains?

5. The killing of the Bull of Heaven resembles whichmmodern sport? How? How should both this sport and the killing depicted in the epic be regarded, in the context of early religion?.

6. Echoes of the Epic of Gilgemesh are to be found in the Book of Genesis and in Greek mythology. Describe the details of one correspondence.

7. What's the deal with cedar? Why go to such lengths to obtain it?

8. Was Gilgemesh's power in Uruk absolute? Explain.

9. What might the character Enkidu represent in the story?

Your submission must be typed.

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Course Material:

Study Guide for Test #1 - Ancient Civilizations of the World

Chapter 1  Terms: civilization, city, civitas, ceremonial center, king, royal family

Concepts: states (primary, secondary, pristine), ritual homicide, scale, ecclesiastical religion, caste, endogamy, prestige goods.

Theoretical schools: Marxism, Multilinear evolutionism

Scholars: Vere Gordon Childe, Julian Steward, Eli Sagan

Works: Man Makes Himself, At the Birth of Tyranny

Sites: Pompeii, Herculanium, Rosetta, Nineveh, Hisarlik

Figures from the history of Archaeology: Charles III of Spain, Austen H. Layard, Giovanni Belzoni, Lord Elgin, Napoleon Bonaparte, Giovanni Fiorelli, Jean François Champollion, Howard Carter, Johann Georg Ramsauer, Heinrich Schliemann

How does a dictionary define civilization? What was Childe's conceptualization of civilization? What impact did Marxism have on his thinking? What were the defects in his thinking? What did he get right? What are the characteristics of a city?

What are the characteristics of a state? How may an archaeologist identify a state? How is a primary or pristine state different from a secondary state? Are the differences really significant?

Have an idea of the general stages of the development of archaeology in respect to the investigation of ancient civilizations. In particular, be aware of the shifting motivations of the investigators, and cultural and political developments that stimulated archaeological research.  For instance, what stimulated the British government to finance the undertakings of Layard? Why motivated northern European aristocrats to loot Greek and Roman antiquities? What role did the Renaissance play?

Chapter 2

Scholars: V. Gordon Childe, Julian Steward, Elman Service, Alan Johnson and Timothy Earle,  Norman Yoffee, Karl Wittfogel, Susan Frankenstein and Michael Rowlands, Ester Boserup, Mark Nathan Cohen,  Robert Carneiro, Marshall Sahlins, Richard Blanton, Gary Feinman, Joyce Marcus, Jared Diamond, Friederich Engles, Kent Flannery

Concepts: levels of sociocultural integration, Neolithic Revolution, Oasis theory, Urban revolution, hydraulic hypothesis, prestige goods system, systems theory, geographical  and social circumscription, dual processual theory, chiefdoms

What are the features of Neoevolutionism, and Julian Steward's thinking in particular (see also Chpt. 1 in the book)?

Terms: conflict and managerial theories, coercive and voluntaristic theories, agency, power, settlement hierarchies, cycling, prestate societies, scale, redistribution, ancestor veneration, staple finance, Neolithic, exchange, political economy, sumptuary consumption/prestige goods, fixed capital resources

What are the attributes of a complex chiefdom? How is a chiefdom different from a state? How many settlement hierarchies are there in each? Do scholars agree that chiefdoms always existed prior to the emergence of states? Did Earle's research in Kauai'i bear out the redistributive function of chieftains as advocated by Sahlins?

Why did Childe place such an emphasis on the role played by craft specialization in social evolution? What were the key processes in Childe's theory of social evolution? Were all archaic states urban?

Why might Wittfogel think that irrigation might lead to the origin of the state, and determine its' character?

What relationship did Boserup posit between population growth and agricultural technology?

Which scholars thought that trade played a determinative role in social evolution? Trade in which kinds of goods?

What are the key components of Caneiro's theory? What part of the world inspired his ideas?

What are the hallmarks of systems theory? Are ecological theories still popular?

What is a weakness of dual processual theory?

What were the sources of early leaders power? Why did chiefdoms exist? Were they inherently instable? What lead to some states being unstable? What are some of the common processes leading to the collapse of states? Were early states sustainable over the long term?

Part II

Terms: fertile crescent, Epipaleolithic, Pre-pottery Neolithhic, broad spectrum foraging, totem, sedentism, tell, clan

Sites: Abu Hureyra, Göbekli Tepe, Jericho, Çatal Höyük

Excavators: Klaus Schmidt, James Mellaart, Andrew Moore, Kathleen Kenyon, John Garstang, Charles Warren,  Carl Watzinger

Which theories of social evolution were examined at Abu Hureyra? Did Childe's oasis theory have a bearing? How was it that so much preserved grain was found there? What were the earliest dwellings like? What kinds of buildings succeeded them? What was the pace of the transition to food production?

How old is the site? Why is it so well preserved? What are the various ways the animals depicted at Göbeckli Tepe could be interpreted. Is any final answer as to symbolism and the use of the site possible? What does the excavator think that the ultimate significance of the site was? What kind of people does Schmidt think built the site? What evidence does he refer to? Why was it located where it was?

What did the history of the exploration of Jericho say about the evolution of archaeological techniques? Why were scholars drawn to Jericho? Why did humans settle at Jericho? Did the excavations prove the historicity of the Bible? Was Carl Watzinger right about the site? What periods of time did Kenyon's excavations at Jericho illuminate? How have interpretations of Neolithic features that she found such as the wall and tower change over time? What do people presently believe that the plastered skulls that she found signify?

What were Mellaart's interpretations of the art and other religious features found at Çatal Höyük? Why was he banned from Turkey? How did Hodder's approach to the site differ? What were the drawbacks of Hodder's approach? What was the ecological setting of the site? Why was it so remarkable that at town was located there?

Chapter 3 (I will probably not finish covering this chapter by the time of the test)

Scholars: Gill Stein, Robert McC. Adams, Hans Nissen

Excavators: Leonard Woolley

Terms: Mesopotamia, Hassuna, Halaf, Ubaid

Sites: Yarim Tepe, Ur, Uruk

What are the differences between Northern and Southern Mesopotamia in terms of the distribution of resources? Which region developed first?  How was the Halaf pottery tradition distinct from the earlier two Neolithic traditions? What are the signs that an elite social stratum was emerging in the Halaf period? Where were Ubaid developments concentrated? What was the typical family structure during the Ubaid period, and how do we know this? What evidence does Gill Stein put forward to support his claim of chiefdoms during the Ubaid? From what source does Stein believe chieftains derived their power?

What distinction does Uruk have? Did Adam's survey work support or weaken Wittfogel's hydraulic hypothesis? What is the evidence for state origins during Uruk times at Uruk? Is it universally accepted that Uruk period Uruk was a state?

When did writing appear? What is the prevailing theory concerning its evolution? What was the prevailing function of cuneiform writing? How and when was it deciphered? At what point in time can we identify the Sumerian language through cuneiform? What kind of language was Sumerian? Akkadian? Are the linguistic distinctions between Sumerian and Akkadian the same as ethnic distinctions? Where were Akkadian speakers concentrated?

What are the problems that confront the scholar when working with ancient texts? At what point can we be certain that the kings on the Sumerian king list are real? What does the Gilgemesh epic and the Stele of the Vultures tell us about the organization of Sumerian society and Sumerian political systems?

Anthropology 12                               Study Guide #2

Ancient Civilizations of the World

Chapter 3

Scholars: Gill Stein, Robert McC. Adams, Hans Nissen, Georg Grotefend, Henry Rawlinson

Excavators: Leonard Woolley

Terms: Mesopotamia, Hassuna, Halaf, Samaria, Ubaid, kiln, phalanx, cylinder seal, bullae, proto-cuneiform, cuneiform, lyre, ziggurat, proto-state, chiefdom confederacy.

Concepts: interaction sphere, ritual homicide, tutelary god, linguistic isolate, language family, proto-language, logogram, phonogram, ideogram

Sites: Yarim Tepe, Ur, Uruk, Bisutun, Lagash, Agade, Susa, Tell al-Raqa'i

Features: Grave of Pu-Abi, the Stone Cone Temple, Eanna district

Artifacts: Standard of Ur, Stele of the Vultures, Stele of Naram Sin, lyres, early inscribed maceheads

Languages: Sumerian, Elamite, Akkadian, Old Persian.

Figures from the past: Naram Sin, Gilgemesh, Sargon, (En)Me-baraga-si, Me-salim, Ur-Nammu

What are the differences between Northern and Southern Mesopotamia in terms of the distribution of resources? Which region developed socially first?  What was the significance of circular structures in Hassuna villages? How was the Halaf pottery tradition distinct from the earlier two Neolithic pottery traditions? What are the signs that an elite social stratum was emerging in the Halaf period? Where were Ubaid developments concentrated? What does it mean if pottery traditions are found to be distributed over a wide area? What was the typical family structure during the Ubaid period, and how do we know this? What evidence does Gill Stein put forward to support his claim for the existence of chiefdoms during the Ubaid? From what source does Stein believe chieftains derived their power? Can we identify linguistic communities during the Ubaid Period?

How long have archaeologists been investigating Uruk? What was the character of urban settlement in the city? The temples in Uruk were characteristic of Mesopotamian temples in what way? What distinction does Uruk have? Did Adam's survey work support or weaken Wittfogel's hydraulic hypothesis? What is the evidence for state origins during Uruk times at Uruk? Is it universally accepted that Uruk period Uruk was a state? What might the consolidation of settlement during Early Dynastic times signify?

How was cuneiform writing deciphered? When did writing appear? What was the concern of most Sumerian texts? What is the prevailing theory concerning the evolution of writing? What was the prevailing function of cuneiform writing?  At what point in time can we identify the Sumerian language through cuneiform? What kind of language was Sumerian? Akkadian? Are the linguistic distinctions between Sumerian and Akkadian the same as ethnic distinctions? Where were Akkadian speakers concentrated?

What are the problems that confront the scholar when working with ancient texts? At what point can we be certain that the kings on the Sumerian king list are real? What does the Gilgemesh epic and the Stele of the Vultures tell us about the organization of Sumerian society and Sumerian political systems? Is the Gilgemesh epic a historical text? What were Sumerian chariots like and how and by whom were they used? How were gods and kings depicted artistically? What was typical Sumerian men's dress?

How were Sumerian workers compensated? How was the safe shipment of goods ensured?

How does the landscape of Ur of Early Dynastic times differ from today? Where did the gold and lapis lazuli found at Ur come from? How did Wooley recover wooden artifacts that had already decayed?

What did Sargon achieve? Where did he locate his capital? What does the Stele of Naram Sin say about the changed nature of Mesopotamian kingship? How were the political economies of the states of Uruk, Sargon and Ur-Nammu structured?

Chapter 4

Terms: mastaba, nome, nomarch, cartouche, vizier, ank

Scholars: W.M. Flinders Petrie, Günther Dreyer, Barry Kemp, Willikie Wendrich

Gods: Horus, Set, Osiris, Min

Towns and sites: Naqada, Hierakonpolis, Thebes, Abydos, Memphis, Elephantine, Saqqara, Giza

Sites: Faiyum depression, Tomb 100, HK29A and the Main Deposit at Hierakonpolis, Tomb U-J at Abydos, Djoser's step pyramid, Meidum pyramid

Artifacts: Narmer palate, Scorpion macehead, beer jugs, bread molds

Kings: "Scorpion", Narmer, Aha, Qa'a, Khufu, Kheops

Egyptian concepts: maat, ka

Artifacts: crook, flail, palate, mace

Rituls: sed, pr wr

Be familiar with the geography and phsiography of Egypt. How was agriculture tied to the seasons of the Nile?

What was and is Egyptology? What was the standard of archaeological work in the 19^th century in Egypt? What is the consensus of thought among scholars concerning the ethnicity and language of the ancient Egyptians? What is the relationship of Coptic to Egyptian?

Be familiar with the common written forms of ancient Egyptian. A town may be known by as many as three names. Why? Why are many words of Greek derivation? Why are we not sure how many Egyptian words were pronounced?

Predynastic and Early Dynastic Egypt

Which animal served as a metaphor for the king in Early Dynastic Art? Which religious concepts did the wall painting of tomb 100 at Nagada depict? What were Predynastic temples like, as represented by examples at Coptos and Hierakonpolis. What kinds of rituals were carried out at them? What do these temples and Scorpion's tomb suggest about Egypt's trade connections? From where did Egypt's exotic goods come from?

What does the iconography of the Narmer palate suggest about the political significance of Narmer? What are the typical poses of the king? How does the archaeological evidence square with later history about Egypt's beginnings? How does Barry Kemp think that the Egyptian state came about? How were the predynastic tombs at Abydos built? What is the evidence for trade with Palestine and Lebanon?

Which features of the Egyptian state are on view at Elephantine Island? How did this settlement signal a changed relationship with Nubia? What does the location of the Saqqara cemetery complex signal?

Old Kingdom Egypt

Who built Djoser's step pyramid complex? What did a vizier do? What does the step pyramid symbolize? Which rituals are depicted at the complex and what did they symbolize?

What change to the quality of kingship did the pyramid at Meidum signal?

How was the political economy of Egypt organized? How were workers and officials paid? How were pyramids constructed? What role did scribes play? Why did Khufu bury entire ships?

First Intermediate Period

Why did the Egyptian state collapse? What type of individuals rose to prominence after the monarchy disappeared? Which chiefdoms were the power players? What do we know of advances in military technology?

Anthropology 12    
Study Guide #3

Chapter 4

Terms: mastaba, nome, nomarch, cartouche, vizier, ankh.

Chronology: Naqada Culture (I &II), Predynastic Period (Dynasty 0), Early Dynastic
Period, Old Kingdom Egypt.

Scholars: W.M. Flinders Petrie, Günther Dreyer, Barry Kemp, Willikie Wendrich

Gods: Horus, Set, Osiris, Min

Towns and sites: Naqada (Nubt), Hierakonpolis/Nekhen, This/Thinis, Coptos, Abydos,
Memphis, Elephantine Island, Saqqara, Meidum,  Thebes, Giza, Kahun.

Sites: Faiyum depression, Tomb 100, HK29A and the Main Deposit at Hierakonpolis, Tomb
U-J at Abydos, Djoser's step pyramid, Meidum pyramid

Artifacts: Narmer palate, Scorpion macehead, Narmer macehead, Abydos Label, beer jugs,
bread molds.

Kings: "Scorpion (I &II)", Narmer, Aha, Qa'a, Khufu, Kheops

Egyptian concepts: maat, ka

Artifacts: crook, flail, palate, mace

Rituls: sed, pr wr

Be familiar with the common written forms of ancient Egyptian. A town may be known by as many as three names. Why? Why are many words of Greek derivation? Why are we not sure how many
Egyptian words were pronounced?


Predynastic and Early Dynastic Egypt

Which animal served as a metaphor for the king in Early Dynastic Art? Which religious
concepts did the wall painting of tomb 100 at Naqada depict? What were
Predynastic temples like, as represented by examples at Coptos and
Hierakonpolis. What kinds of rituals were carried out at them? What do these
temples and Scorpion's tomb suggest about Egypt's trade connections? From where
did Egypt's exotic goods come from?

What does the iconography of the Narmer palate and macehead suggest about the political
significance of Narmer? What are the typical poses of the king? What does his
crook and flail symbolize? How does the archaeological evidence square with
later history about Egypt's beginnings? How does Barry Kemp think that the
Egyptian state came about? How were the Predynastic tombs at Abydos built? Through
which artifacts found at Abydos can we track the evolution of the Egyptian
hieroglyphic script? What is the evidence for trade with Palestine and Lebanon?

Which features of the Egyptian state are on view at Elephantine Island? How did this
settlement signal a changed relationship with Nubia? What does the location of
the Saqqara cemetery complex signal?

Old Kingdom Egypt

Terms:
sed, ankh, territorial cairn, cartouch, vizier, ka, maat, Re/Ra

People: Djoser,
Imhotep, Khafre, Kheops, Khufu, Rahotep, Nofret

Sites: Step
pyramid complex at Saqqara, pyramid at Meidum, Giza

Who built
Djoser's step pyramid complex? What did a vizier do? What does the step pyramid
symbolize? Was the original intention to build a step pyramid? What do the
buildings in the complex represent? Which rituals are depicted at the complex
and what did they symbolize? What is the symbolism of the ankh and flail?

What change
to the quality of kingship, and the king's interpretation of Egyptian religion,
did the pyramid at Meidum signal? Why does it look the way it does today? How
were the temple complexes associated with pyramids supported? What was the
arrangement of temples associated with pyramids.

How was the
political economy of Egypt organized? How were workers and officials paid? How
were pyramids constructed? What role did scribes play? Why did Khufu bury
entire ships?

First Intermediate Period

Why did the
Egyptian state collapse? What type of individuals rose to prominence after the
monarchy disappeared? Which chiefdoms were the power players? What do we know
of advances in military technology?

Middle Kingdom Egypt

People: William
Matthews Flinders Petrie, Senusret II

Sites: Fayyum, Lahun, Kahun, Pyramid of Seostris
II

How did
developments at Fayyum mark a change in Egyptian agriculture? Why do we know so
much more about the organization of Egyptian society during the Middle Kingdom?
How was Kahun organized? How were the servile classes treated? In what ways did
Egyptian's beliefs concerning their gods change?

Indus
Civilization  Chapter 5

Sites: Mehrgarh, Kot Diji, Mohenjo-Daro, Harappa

People: John Marshall, Mortimer Wheeler, Asko
Parpola, Yuri Konorozof

Language
Families: Dravidian, Indo-Aryan

Language: Sanskrit

Symbols: chakra, conch shell

Gods: Siva, Durga

Rituals: lustration, libation

Theory: expanded nuclear zone

In what part of Pakistan does the Neolithic
economy begin? What is the evidence for Mehrgarh's contacts with the west? How
did plant and animal domestication proceed at Mehrgarh? Which domesticates were
unique to the site? Did the inhabitants live at the site full-time? What were
the buildings used for?

What new features did Early Harappan sites
acquire? What was the fate of many Early Harappan settlements?

What is the sole source of historical
information concerning the Indus civilization? How was trade with Mesopotamia
conducted?

When were
the most extensive excavations on Mohenjo Dara and Harappa carried out? How did
Wheeler's approach to excavation differ from prior approaches? What did Wheeler
come to believe about the features of the citadels, and how are they now
interpreted? What did Wheeler come to believe about the Indus civilization and
the fate of Harappan cities?

Which
features lay at the heart of Mohenjo Daro? The Indus civilization saw technical
advances in which crafts?

In which ways is the Indus civilization anomalous?

What are the difficulties involved with
translating the Indus script? On what kinds of objects is it found? What have
been the conclusions of the most recent attempts to decipher the texts? Is much
faith vested in these conclusions by other scholars?

Some scholars claim to have identified gods
and goddesses from Hinduism in the images and cult objects from the Indus
sites. What is the evidence that is marshaled to support of these
identifications, and how certain are they?

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Anthropology 12                           Final Study Guide

Chapter 6  The First Chinese Civilizations

Scholars:  J. Gunnar Anderson, Richard "Scotty" MacNeish, Sima Qian, Peter Bellwood, Gary Feinman

Schools: Marxism

Religions: Taoism, Shamanism

Cultures: Cishan-Peiligang, Longshan, Yanshao, Langzhiu

Sites: Cishan, Diantonghuan, Hemdu, Banpo, Niuheliang, Taosi, Wangchengang,  Erlitou, Yanshi, Zhengzhou, Anyang, Sanxingdui

Dynasties: Xie, Shang, Zhou

Artifacts: bi, cong, ding, yue, oracle bones

Terms: shaman, ritual homicide, ancestor veneration, primitive valuable/prestige object

Be aware of the differences in approaches and attitudes between scholars in the West and East taken towards the study of the Chinese past.

Be aware of the ecological differences between Southern and Northern China, and how this affected the course taken in the domestication of plants.

How did the Early Neolithic cultures of the North and South differ? How was the community of Banpo village organized and what was its subsistence economy like? Which technological innovation shows up for the first time at this village?

How do we recognize shamanism in the Chinese archaeological record?

What craft specialties and ritual objects set the Langzhiu culture apart? What interpretations have been advanced for these objects?

What are the arguments in favor of recognizing the site of Erlitou as the center of a state?

What was the conventional layout of a Chinese aristocratic compound? How far back in time can we recognize these coupounds? What kind of ritual consecrated ruler's buildings and burials?

From which aspect of Chinese religion did leaders derive their authority?

How was the Shang state organized? How did the leaders of early Chinese states secure the loyalty of subordinates?

How far back do written symbols go in Chinese prehistory? How was the first oracle bones discovered?

What is the most common usage of early Chinese writing? What kind of symbols are they? To what extent can they be read? What kinds of information are contained in the inscriptions? To which period of the Shang dynasty do they date?

Be familiar with Peter Bellwood's theory of language dispersal in what is now China.

What has recent archaeological work revealed about early state development in China?

Chapter 9

Places: Crete, Santorini, Greece

Culture: Minoan, Mycenean

Site: Knossos, Akrotiri, Mycenae

Scholar: Arthur Evans, Michael Ventris, Homer

Languages: Minoan A and B

What do we know of Minoan religion. What were the functions of the Minoan palaces? What is depicted in the murals at the palace at Knossos? What is the language of linear B? What were the functions of Mycenean palaces that we can determine from the texts. How were Mycenean kingdoms organized?

Chapter 10

Time Periods: Mycenean, Dark Age, Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic

Peoples: Etruscans  (maybe)

Terms: hoplite, deme, ephor, ephorate, boiotarch, halia, tyrant, polis, ethnos, amphictiony, helot, perioeci, agon, phalanx, ostracism, laconic

Persons: Lycurgus, Leonidas, Solon, Pericles

Political systems: monarchy, oligarchy, confederacy, democracy

Places: Acropolis, Agora, Delphi, Sparta, Messenia, Laconia, Corinth, Boiotea, Athens, Sparta, Olympia, Thebes

When does history begin in Greece?

Be aware of the differences in the organization of the Greek polities discussed in class and in the movie.  Be aware of the organization of Spartan society and its customs. What made Athenian democracy different from other forms of democracy? To whom are the changes in Athenian political organization attributed? Who could be a hoplite? How did Athenians regard women?

What are our sources for the reconstruction of Spartan society?

What role did religion play in giving the Greeks a sense of community or ethnic unity?

Chapter 11

Places: forum, Capitoline hill

Terms: patron, client, senate, consul, Emperor

Phases of Roman development: kingdom, republic, empire

If I get this far, all I can say is pay attention to the movies I will show.

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Online Resources: (list related websites as links)

Lecture 1 Definitions and Theories

Lecture 2 Theories on the Origin of the State

Lecture 3 The Transition to Settled Life in the Middle East I

Lecture 4 The Transition to Settled Life in the Middle East II

Lecture 5 Early Mesopotamia

Lecture 6 Early Egypt

Lecture 7 Old and Middle Kingdom Egypt 

Lecture 8 Indus Plains Civilization

Lecture 9 Neolithic and Bronze Age China

Lecture 10  Minoan Crete and the Mycenean Greeks