How do archaeologists learn how old something is? How do they figure
out where to dig? How do they make sense out of the discoveries they
make? This course will introduce you to archaeology, its goals,
methods and findings. Archaeologists are famous for using other
people's garbage as their main source of information, so this is
essentially a course about junk. We will discuss how archaeologists
use various methods to explore ancient food and eating, trade,
politics, world views, and technology. You will learn about scientific
methods that archaeologists use, including dating, sampling,
excavation strategies, and materials science. In the process we will
be discussing specific ancient time periods like the Neolithic,
cultures like the ancient Mississippians, and phenomena such as the
development of irrigation agriculture in the Andes. You will gain an
understanding of what we think happened in the past through the lens
of the things people left behind. You will also learn how
archaeologists apply their interpretations to modern situations, and
how we can best preserve the archaeological record. S & H Distribution
credit.

Format: There will be illustrated lectures, demonstrations, videos,
and hands-on lab exercises and simulations conducted in the lab sections.
Evaluation: Tests, short papers, and completed assignments in
Revealing Archaeology and a short final project. Students in the
honors section read some extra and more challenging materials, and
will write site reports for their final projects.
Text: Revealing Archaeology, an interactive software package. Plus
e-reserve