Archaeology

Director:
Professor R. Bruce Hitchner, Classics

Program committee:
Professor Jack Ridge, Geology
Associate Professor Stephen M. Bailey, Anthropology
Lecturer Peter Der Manuelian, Classics
Associate Professor David M. Guss, Anthropology
Associate Professor David M. Gute, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Associate Professor Steven Hirsch, Classics
Assistant Professor Emma Blake, Greek archaeology
Lecturer Lauren A. Sullivan, Prehistoric archaeology, origins of complex societies; Mesoamerica
Lecturer Anthony Tuck, Classics

Our understanding of the majority of the human past, for which the written record is nonexistent or minimal, is based on a material record. Archaeology examines this record of human activity to recover and interpret information about past societies and cultures. There are many subdisciplines within archaeology, reflecting both the specific periods and regions into which we divide the human past, and the different approaches to the recovery and analysis of the evidence about that past.

Tufts offers a general interdisciplinary undergraduate major in archaeology, incorporating courses from the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. Ideally, a student in archaeology will combine course work with firsthand experience in recovery, conservation, and interpretation of material remains.

The archaeology program has affiliations with several summer field schools, including the Murlo excavation in Italy, the Talloires/Mt. Musièges excavation in France, the Old Sturbridge Village Field School, and with the Center for Materials Research in Archaeology and Ethnology based at M.I.T., an alliance of Boston-area programs which offers specialized course work in the scientific dimensions of archaeological study. Students are encouraged to take appropriate course work at the universities affiliated in the Boston Consortium (Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis University).

Undergraduate Concentration Requirements
The undergraduate major consists of eleven courses, including a core of five required courses plus a selection of six elective courses distributed among three broad subject areas. Students are advised to complement their archaeology major with a second major or a minor in a related field. It is recommended that students pursue an interdisciplinary research project in their senior year.

Required Core Courses
Anthropology 10; Archaeology/Classics 27 (cross-listed as Art History 19); Archaeology/Anthropology 30;
Geology 1 and 2.

Elective Subject Areas and Courses
NATURAL SCIENCE (any two):
Anthropology 20, 150; Biology 7, 143, 144; Chemistry 2; Geology 32; Physics 1, 2, 11, 12.

ARCHAEOLOGY (any two):
Archaeology 49, 51, 52, 91, 92, 190, 191; Archaeology/Classics 163, 164, 166, 167, 168 (cross-listed as Art History 112, 113, 118, 115, 116); Archaeology/Classics 187, 188.

HISTORY: Any two approved history courses; History 102 strongly recommended.

Interdisciplinary Capstone (optional)
Archaeology 193 and 194, or other approved courses.

Graduate Program

Master of Arts in Classical Archaeology
(See Classics for program description.)

Undergraduate Courses

27 Introduction to Classical Archaeology. (Cross-listed as Art History 19 and Classics 27.) The great sites and monuments of the ancient Mediterranean from preclassical times to the fall of the Roman Empire; their discovery and interpretation; their place in the reconstruction of the social, political, and artistic history of their time. Topics include the excavation and analysis of materials from Troy, Bronze Age Crete, and Mycenae; the archaeological evidence of the rise of Greece, particularly Athens, in the first half of the first millennium B.C.; the misunderstood contribution of Hellenism in art, literature, and civilization; the Etruscan phenomenon; the essentially Roman qualities of the first four centuries of the Christian era; and the archaeological and documentary evidence for the transition from paganism to Christianity. Some attention to the disciplines of epigraphy and numismatics, as well as to the peripheral island civilizations of Malta, Sardinia, and Cyprus. Spring. 

29 Archaeology of Palestine. (Cross-listed as Art History 18, Classics 29, and Judaic Studies 77.) Introduction to the archaeology of Palestine from the Persian period to the Muslim conquest (586 B.C.-640 A.D.), including the influence of Greco-Roman civilization on the local cultures; the rise of diverse groups within Judaism, such as the sect that composed the Dead Sea Scrolls; the development of Rabbinic Judaism; the rise of Christianity; and the spread of Islam. 

30 Prehistoric Archaeology. (Cross-listed as Anthropology 30.) Survey of human culture from the earliest paleolithic hunters and gatherers to the formation of states and the beginnings of recorded history. Course provides an introduction to archaeological methods, a worldwide overview of prehistoric ways of life, and a more detailed analysis of cultural development in the New World. 

49 Archaeology of Complex Societies. Comparison of the emergence and disappearance of selected complex societies around the world. Focus on archaeological case studies with discussion of anthropological theory and contemporary debates. Prerequisites: Archaeology/Classics 27 or Archaeology/Anthropology 30. Spring. Archaeology program faculty

51, 52 Special Topics in Archaeology. Exploration of special topics in archaeology through a lecture course or seminar. Prerequisites: Archaeology/Classics 27 or Archaeology/Anthropology 30. Fall and spring. Archaeology program faculty

91, 92 Archaeological Research. Guided library, laboratory, or field research in archaeology. Five to ten hours per week (variable credit), including one hour per week consultation with the adviser. Final written or oral presentation. Prerequisite: consent. Fall and spring. Archaeology program faculty

193, 194 Senior Thesis in Archaeology. Intensive investigation designed and carried out by the student, culminating in a written thesis and oral defense under the supervision of a thesis adviser. Usually two semesters. Prerequisites: archaeology major and consent. Fall and spring. Archaeology program faculty

Courses for Undergraduate and Graduate Students

128 Mesoamerican Archaeology. (Cross-listed as Anthropology 128.) An introduction to the archaeology of pre-Columbian cultures of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Focus is on the origins of village life, the development of social complexity, emergence of states, ritual, religion, and culture collapse. Cultures studied include the Olmec, the Maya, the Zapotec, and the Aztec through artifacts, architecture, murals, inscribed monuments, hieroglyphs, and codices. Sullivan

163 Aegean Archaeology. (Cross-listed as Art History 112/Classics 163.) The study of the sites and monuments of the Aegean area from the Neolithic period to the end of the Bronze Age, with special emphasis on the art of the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations. Museum trips will be part of the course. Prerequisite: Archaeology/Classics 27 or consent. 

164 Greek Art and Archaeology. (Cross-listed as Art History 113/Classics 164.) The development of Greek art from the Geometric Age through the fourth century B.C., studied in architecture, sculpture, pottery, painting, and selected sites. Museum trips will be part of the course. Prerequisite: Archaeology/Classics 27, Art History 1, or consent.

166 Classical Portraiture. (Cross-listed as Art History 118/Classics 166.) The concept and development of portraiture, beginning with Neolithic representations and emphasizing specific portraits of the Greeks, Ptolemaic Egyptians, and Romans. The extent to which portraiture can be called the plastic equivalent of biography. Original material from museums and collections will be studied. Prerequisites: Archaeology/Classics 27, Art History 1, or consent. 

167 Tyrrhenian Archaeology. (Cross-listed as Art History 115/Classics 167.) The study of ancient Italy from prehistoric times to the Roman Republic. Special emphasis may be placed on the Etruscan civilization, its possible origins, and its context in the Mediterranean world as shown by its artistic development. Museum trips will be part of the course. Prerequisite: Archaeology/Classics 27 or consent. 

168 Roman Art and Archaeology. (Cross-listed as Art History 116/Classics 168.) The study of Imperial Rome and its provinces, with attention to the Hellenistic background and subsequent contributions to urban development, architecture, sculpture, or painting. Museum trips will be part of the course. Prerequisite: Archaeology/Classics 27, Art History 1, or consent. 

187, 188 Problems in Classical Archaeology. (Cross-listed as Classics 187, 188.) Study and interpretation of material remains of antiquity with varying emphases: historical, artistic, documentary. Techniques in the recovery of material and remains and the changing aspects of the discipline of archaeology are considered. Prerequisites: Archaeology/Classics 27 and consent. 

190, 191 Materials in Archaeology and Anthropology. Intensive study of materials encountered in archaeological and anthropological investigations. Topics change every semester and include metals, ceramics, lithics, and plant fossils. Taught on local collaborating campuses. Prerequisites: Archaeology/Classics 27 or Archaeology/Anthropology 30, and consent. Fall and spring.