NES 6633 - [New Directions in Near Eastern Archaeology]

(crosslisted) ANTHR 6633, ARKEO 6633
(CU-ITL)

Fall. Not offered 2017-2018. 4 credits. Student option grading.

Co-meets with ANTHR 4633/ARKEO 4633/NES 4633.

L. Khatchadourian.

This course provides an advanced exploration of the themes and theoretical orientations that define Near Eastern archaeology in the new millennium. Key topics include religion and sedentism, power and performance, the rise of cities and states, landscapes and collective memory, pastoralism and pilgrimage, human resilience and environmental change, politics and materiality, violence and the body, household and community, civilizations and civilizational divides, heritage preservation and heritage destruction. Innovative approaches to classic debates are brought side by side with distinctly 21st-century concerns. The course is intended for students with some background in either archaeology or the ancient Near East. Students will develop the analytical tools of contemporary Near Eastern archaeology and an understanding for why it matters.