Course Syllabus
This seminar will explore a new branch of the archaeological research called ‘Household archaeology’. In recent years, numerous monographs, excavation volumes, and conference proceedings have been published that document the increased interest in bottom-up approaches of single households. Studies from regions all around the world, but particularly from New World archaeology substantiate the advances in the study of the private sphere and what can be gained from this understanding for wider social processes. The study of households encompasses a variety of themes, from household composition, social structure, and family types, to the expression of gender, and status. Interaction between household members, multiple households, the household and outsiders or visitors, and the household and subordinate or superior instances, as well as consumption patterns, the economic background, and production are topics addressed within household studies. Exciting new areas are explored in households’ reproduction and lifecycles, as well as domestic cults and construction of identity, but also the perception of space, sensory experience, and the structuring and manipulation of the built environment. All these different aspects mirror households’ behavior. In order to track these different components in the archaeological record the dwelling, its installations, and the artifacts found therein have to be investigated. With a strong focus on the architecture and artifacts found inside the dwelling, textual and scientific evidence can, however, equally be integrated. Especially from a scientific perspective, recent advances in the field have stimulated a renewed interest and added attraction to the field of household archaeology. Subsumed under the term ‘Micro-Archaeology’, the investigation of micro-particles, sediments, faunal and floral remains – mostly invisible to the excavator’s eye – yields crucial evidence for activity areas in houses, health, diet, and migration patterns, just to name a few.
By working with an integrated approach, which combines the examination of the archaeological, micro-archaeological, and textual evidence for the study of households, the seminar should open up a discussion and present new avenues in the analysis of households that promise to tackle the array of problems that the new discipline is still struggling with.
Prerequisites
A good knowledge of the eastern Mediterranean and Near Eastern region and some background information on the most important sites in Egypt, Mesopotamia and the Levant are useful, although there are no concrete prerequisites for this course. For a first overview, please have a look at the following textbooks that will be widely used during the class.
Required textbooks
Foster, C.P.-Parker, B.J. (eds.) (2012) New Perspectives on Household Archaeology, Winona Lake, IN
Müller, M. (ed.) (forthcoming) Household Studies in Complex Societies. (Micro) Archaeological and Textual Approaches, Chicago
Yasur-Landau, A.-Ebeling, J.R.-Mazow, L.B. (eds.) (2011) Household Archaeology in Ancient Israel and Beyond, Brill, Boston-Leiden
PDFs of all three volumes as well as all the other readings will be available on the website, in the Discussions.
Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course students will:
- have a thorough overview on the development of this new field, its current state, and application in the different disciplines in the eastern Mediterranean, the Near East and beyond
- be familiar with anthropological models and techniques that have contributed to and constantly further the development of this new field
- have been introduced to the material culture from domestic contexts, know how to deal with different groups of objects and their respective assets and drawbacks
- be able to identify the most important sites in the eastern Mediterranean, the Near East and beyond that have enabled scholars to explore this new field
- be capable to lead and interact in a discussion, as well as formulate a critical opinion on a certain topic and debate the individual views in a group
- be able to present a specific topic in a condensed form and expand on this presentation with regards to critical comments and additions by the audience in an original piece of writing
Assignments
For each class, a student will be assigned to lead the discussion. Those assignments will be made in the first meeting according to personal interest and schedule. The student is expected to go through the required readings and study additional texts that are useful to get a broad overview on the respective topic and enable the discussion leader to form a personal opinion and critical approach to the topic that he or she will be able to present at the beginning of the discussion and thus stimulate a lively debate.
Each student will be assigned a paper topic in the second part of the course. These research topics will be based on personal interest, themes explored during the first part of the course and/or an important site that contributed to the development of the field. These topics will be presented by each student in class in the last two weeks of the semester using Powerpoint or Keynote. The class presentations should be about 30 minutes long and will be followed by 10 minutes discussion. Discussion points and results need to be incorporated into the final paper.
Field Trips
One or two field trips to a museum and/or unique building/house will be organized during the course. They will provide the students with hands-on experience of a specific group of objects in a museum’s collection that is essential for the analysis of the archaeological context of ancient households (e.g., pottery) and/or will familiarize the students with the interaction of the built environment and its inhabitants.
Grading
Participation and attendance: 15%
Leading a discussion with pre-circulation of questions and critical approaches to the respective topic: 15%
Class presentation (30 minutes presentation with bibliography): 25%
Final paper (25-30 pages with bibliography): 45%
There is no mid-term or final exam.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|