Archaeological Studies
51 Hillhouse, 432.3772
M.A.
Chair and Director of Graduate Studies
Richard Burger (Anthropology)
Professors
Richard Burger (Anthropology), Edward Cooke, Jr. (History
of Art), Robert Gordon (Geology & Geophysics), Andrew
Hill (Anthropology), Frank Hole (Anthropology), Diana Kleiner
(Classics), Mary Miller (History of Art), William Simpson
(Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations), Ronald Smith
(Geology & Geophysics), Karl Turekian (Geology & Geophysics),
Harvey Weiss (Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations)
Assistant Professors
Marcello Canuto (Anthropology), John Darnell (Near Eastern
Languages & Civilizations), Björn Ewald (Classics),
Thomas Tartaron (Anthropology)
Lecturers
Karen Foster (Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations),
Iman Saca (Anthropology)
The aims of the program are to give students the academic background needed
for careers in the conservation of archaeological resources, to prepare students
to teach in community colleges and secondary schools, and to provide the opportunity
for teachers, curators, and administrators to refresh themselves on recent developments
in archaeology. The program is administered by Yale's Council on Archaeological
Studies, with faculty from the departments of Anthropology, Classics, Geology
& Geophysics, History of Art, and Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations.
Special Admissions Requirements
The GRE General Test; applicants need not have an archaeology background, but
a strong grounding in the social sciences or history is recommended.
Special Requirements for the M.A. Degree
Courses are drawn from the graduate programs of the
participating departments and from those undergraduate courses
that are also open to graduate students. Eight courses are
required. Unless previously taken for credit, these will include:
Field Techniques; World Prehistory, Origins of Western Civilizations,
or Introduction to Archaeology; at least one laboratory course;
a course related to archaeology in each of the following groups:
Anthropology; Classics, History of Art, or Near Eastern Languages
& Civilizations; Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Forestry
& Environmental Studies, or Geology & Geophysics;
and two electives. In addition, each student will write a
master’s thesis. Degree candidates are required to pay
a minimum of one year of full tuition. Full-time students
can complete the course requirements in one academic year,
and all students are expected to complete the program within
a maximum period of three academic years.
Program materials are available upon request to the Director
of Graduate Studies, Archaeological Studies, Department of
Anthropology, Yale University, PO Box 208277, New Haven CT 06520-8277; e-mail, anthropology@yale.edu; Web site, http://www.yale.edu/archaeology/.
Courses
ARCG 701au, Foundations of Modern Archaeology. Frank
Hole. W 1.30–3.20
Discusses how method, theory, and social policy have
influenced the development of archaeology as a set of methods,
an academic discipline, and a political tool. This course
assumes a background in the basics of archaeology equivalent
to one of the introductory courses. Also ANTH 701au.
ARCG 705Lbu, Archaeology Laboratory II. Marcello
Canuto. W 1–4
Practical experience in preparation, analysis, and interpretation
of artifacts and nonartificial archaeological data. Students
undertake term projects. Also ANTH 705Lbu.
ARCG 710au, Maya Art and Archaeology of Copan and Quirigua. Mary
Miller, Marcello Canuto. M 1.30–3.20
This seminar addresses the art, archaeology, and history
of the southeastern Maya region, particularly the cultural
production and developments at the Classic Maya centers of
Copan, Honduras, and Quirigua, Guatemala. Among the particular
topics for discussion and research are areas in which the
study of art, archaeology, and anthropology converge to develop
interdisciplinary interpretations of this region’s importance
and role in Classic Maya civilization. Open to advanced undergraduates
with appropriate course preparation. Also ANTH 710au,
HSAR 747au.
ARCG 716au, Neanderthals and Wise Men. Iman
Saca. TTh 11.30–12.45
Examines popular and scientific views concerning the
archaic hominids known as neanderthals and their role in the
cultural and biological evolution of modern Homo sapiens.
Also ANTH 716au.
ARCG 721au, Archaeological Approaches to Architecture. Richard
Burger. T 9.30–11.20
The archaeological study of architectural remains is
considered from a historic and theoretical perspective. Particular
attention is given to the way in which contrasting theoretical
orientations have shaped excavation and analytical strategies.
The geographical focus of this seminar is comparative and
includes both Old World and New World cases. Also ANTH
721au.
ARCG 722bu, The Archaeology of Ethnicity. Marcello
Canuto. T 1.30–3.20
In this seminar the difficult questions involving the
recognition, delineation, definition, and interpretation of
“ethnicity” in the archaeological record are discussed.
This course begins with a theoretical and methodological discussion
of this concept and its utility to archaeological investigation.
In the second half of the course, a cross-cultural approach
is used to apply the theoretical and methodological issues
in relation to distinct case studies. Open to advanced undergraduates
with appropriate course preparation. Also ANTH 722bu.
ARCG 731au, Near Eastern Prehistory. Iman Saca.
MW 11.30–12.45
A review of the archaeology of the Near East from the
time of early hominids to the establishment of agricultural
villages and towns. Also ANTH 731au.
ARCG 732au and 733Lau, Archaeological Field Techniques
and Archaeology Lab I. Marcello Canuto. MW 9–10.15,
Lab SA 9–5
An introduction to the practice and techniques of modern
archaeology, including methods of excavation, recording, mapping,
dating, and ecological analysis. The lab offers instruction
in the field at an archaeological site in Connecticut in stratigraphy,
mapping, artifact recovery, and excavation strategy. The courses
must be taken concurrently and are counted together as 1 credit.
Also ANTH 732au and ANTH 733Lau.
ARCG 734bu, Archaeology and the Modern World. Iman
Saca. W 9.30–11.20
Throughout the centuries, the science of archaeology
has been used as a means to justify political, cultural, and
religious claims through declaring ownership of the past.
Through the use of case studies, this seminar tracks some
of the perceptions, uses, and abuses of archaeology and our
cultural past, and how this constructed past is used to strengthen
religious, national, and ethnic loyalties. We examine how
countries use their archeological/cultural heritage to present
themselves to their population and to the outside world. We
also consider the social and political construction of cultural
heritage values, and the role that international organizations
play in the development, protection, and promotion of the
cultural heritage of developing countries. Also ANTH 734bu.
ARCG 736bu, Environmental History of the Near East. Harvey
Weiss. Th 9.30–11.20
Natural and anthropogenic climate and environmental changes
of the Holocene studied in the lake, marine, and terrestrial
records of West Asia. Periodic adaptations to these changes
through the modern period within regional habitat-tracking,
agricultural innovation and pastoralism, political expansion
and disintegration, and ideological reformulation. Also
ANTH 736bu, NELC 587bu.
ARCG 748b, Contemporary Archaeological Theory. Richard
Burger. W 1.30–3.20
This seminar explores contemporary theory in all of its
diversity. The course begins with an examination of multiple
critiques of New Archaeology and the remaining legacy of this
approach. It then focuses on the diversity of competing approaches,
sometimes grouped as post-processualist, that are currently
employed in the United States and the United Kingdom, including
critical archaeology, the archaeology of gender, structuralist
approaches, various Marxist and neo-Marxist formulations of
archaeological theory, and applications of evolutionary theory.
The differing trajectory of distinctive archaeological approaches
outside the English-speaking world is also explored. Also
ANTH 748b.
ARCG 753au, Early Prehistory. Frank Hole. TTh
9–10.15
A study of the formation of complex societies in the
Near East during the fourth–third millennia B.C. The
focus is on the Tigris-Euphrates watershed, including Iraq,
Syria, and parts of Turkey and Iran. Topics include the development
of religion, monumental architecture, craft production, writing,
and trade, both within and outside the region. Also ANTH
753au.
ARCG 758bu, Chavín and the Origins of Peruvian
Civilization. Richard Burger. T 9.30–11.20
The development of early complex society in Peru during
the Early Horizon is examined along with its antecedents during
the Preceramic and Initial periods. This seminar focuses on
the problems of elucidating the sociopolitical organization
of these societies and the factors responsible for their transformation.
General theories of the origins of complex society are critically
reviewed in light of the Peruvian case. Also ANTH 758bu.
ARCG 773bu, Civilizations and Collapse. Harvey
Weiss. Th 2.30–4.20
Collapse documented in the archaeological and early historical
records of the Old and New Worlds, including Mesopotamia,
Mesoamerica, the Andes, and Europe. Analysis of politicoeconomic
vulnerabilities, resiliencies, and adaptations in the face
of abrupt climate change, anthropogenic environmental degradation,
resource depletion, “barbarian” incursions, or
class conflict. Also ANTH 773bu, NELC 588bu.
ARCG 953a or b, Directed Research in Archaeology and
Prehistory. Faculty.
By arrangement.
Related Courses
ARCG 120a, Art and Architecture in Mesoamerica. Mary
Miller.
Also HSAR 200a.
ARCG 171b, Great Discoveries in Archaeology. Iman
Saca.
ARCG 232a, Ancient Civilizations of the Andes. Richard
Burger.
ARCG 238a, Buried Cities: Thera, Pompeii, and Herculaneum. Karen
Foster.
Also HSAR 238a.
ARCG 467b, Geochemical Approaches to Archaeology. Karl
Turekian.
Also G&G 467b.
HSAR 213a, American Material Life: Architecture
and Decorative Arts in the Seventeenth Century. Edward
Cooke.
HSAR 214b, American Material Life: Architecture and Decorative
Arts in the Eighteenth Century. Edward Cooke.
HSAR 235b, The Worlds of Homer. Karen
Foster.
Also NELC 106b.
HSAR 407b, Royal Maya Cities. Mary Miller.
HSAR 425a, Pompeii and Herculaneum. Björn
Ewald.
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