ARCH 0420 ARCHAEOLOGIES OF THE GREEK PAST Fall 2010

Instructor: Kevin D. Fisher

Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World
email: Kevin_Fisher@brown.edu / tel. 401-863-6935
Office Hours: M 2:00-3:00pm / W 11:00am-12:00pm (or by appointment)
Rhode Island Hall 214

Course Meetings: M/W/F 1:00-1:50pm Rhode Island Hall 108

Course Wiki: http://proteus.brown.edu/greekpast2010/12474

TA: Katherine Harrington (Katherine_Harrington@brown.edu)

Office Hours: M 12-1pm and Th 3-4pm (or by appointment) Rhode Island Hall 016

Introduction: This course will explore the Greek world from the first farmers of the
Neolithic and the legendary palaces of the Bronze Age through to the rise of the Athenian
democracy and the conquests of Alexander the Great. In tracing these developments we'll look
at the material remains left behind by the ancient Greeks— from the great monuments to the
more mundane objects of domestic life—and how these are recovered and studied through
archaeology. In particular, we’re interested in what the buildings, pottery, sculpture, frescoes,
tools, coins and other remains can tell us about how people lived (and died) and how their
society changed through time. Highlights include:
 the rise and collapse of the Minoan civilization on Crete and the Mycenaean civilization on
mainland Greece during the Bronze Age;
 the “renaissance” of Greek civilization in the Geometric and Archaic periods;
 the rise of Athens and Sparta in the 5th century BCE;
 the wars with Persia and the spread of Greek culture eastward during the conquests of
Alexander the Great; and
 the influence of Greek culture on their Roman conquerors
We'll also consider the Greek legacy in the modern world, as well as issues and controversies
surrounding the recovery, curation, ownership and interpretation of particular artifacts,
buildings and sites.

This material will be presented in the form of illustrated lectures by the instructor and occasional
guest lecturers, group discussions on particular issues, assigned readings in the text books and from
other sources, a museum visit to examine real objects from the cultures we’re studying, and
through a student research project.

Course Aim: The aim of the course is two-fold; first, to familiarize you with the material
culture and society of the Greeks from Neolithic through Hellenistic periods, and secondly, to
introduce you to the methods and challenges of archaeological inquiry and interpretation in the
context of the Greek world.
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Evaluation Scheme:

Research Project 30%

Mid-term Test 20%
Discussion Participation 15%
Discussion Section Written Assignments (5) 5%
Final Examination 30%
100%

Group Discussions: There will be five group discussions, held on Fridays, during which we’ll
divide the class into two smaller groups. These discussions are intended to provide students
with the opportunity to discuss current issues or controversies in Greek archaeology that are
not fully explored (or only briefly mentioned) in the textbook or lecture materials. In some
cases the assigned readings present ideas and information that conflict with those expressed in
the textbook or lectures (or with each other). As well, these readings will expose students to
semi-popular and academic writing styles and approaches in archaeology. Through group
discussion and the completion of short written assignments, students will build skills in looking
critically at a writers’ thesis or arguments and learn how to extract pertinent information and
ideas from an article and convey them to the rest of the class in a more informal environment.
Finally, the discussion readings will also provide some students with ideas and leads on potential
sources and avenues of research for their projects. While each article could be discussed in
greater depth, for the purposes of our discussions we are more concerned with trying to
understand the major theses/themes and then apply them within the broader context of the
course (and life in general). Given that performance in seminar is worth 20% of the
final grade (15% for participation + 5% for written assignments), active and
thoughtful participation is essential to success in the course. Attendance will be
taken and student participation will be assessed for each meeting—just showing up
won’t get you more than 3 out of 10; you need to come to the discussion having
read the assigned readings and prepared to discuss! You should bring a copy
(electronic or otherwise) of the reading(s) to the meeting so that you can refer to
them.
Over the course of the term, you will have to submit five one-page written assignments
based on the discussion readings (these are indicated in the course syllabus below). For each
assigned article, do the following:
1. Provide a full bibliographic citation for the article (including author, year, journal volume,
article/chapter title, book title, editor(s), publisher + city, page numbers, as applicable).
2. Write a short précis of the article (1 paragraph; 4-5 sentences maximum), emphasizing the
main points argued and the evidence used to support those arguments.
3. Choose a 1-3 sentence quotation from the article that you think best sums up the central
point of the article or addresses a significant or stimulating idea/concept. The quotation
should not come from the introductory précis/summary or abstract (if the article has one).
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Indicate the page(s) from where the quotation is found. Briefly state (in 1-2 sentences) why
you chose that particular quotation.

Written assignments must be typed and submitted to the instructor/TA by the end of your
group discussion meeting.

Course Wiki: We will make use of a course wiki administered through the Joukowsky Institute’s
website to post course materials and readings: http://proteus.brown.edu/greekpast2010/12474.
PowerPoint slides used in lecture, as well as the course syllabus, assignments, and some readings
will be uploaded to the site on a regular basis. The professor and TA may also use the site to post
announcements, so it should be checked regularly. Note that although the slides will be available
on the website, they are not a substitute for attending the lectures. Most of the materials posted
will be in the form of pdf files. You will need Adobe Acrobat or a similar program to read these
files. Acrobat Reader is available as a free download at www.adobe.com.

Readings: Most of the lecture readings are from the required text book (available at the
Brown Bookstore):
Biers, William R. The Archaeology of Greece: an Introduction, 2nd ed. Cornell
University Press, 1996. ISBN: 0801482801

Other assigned readings will be available electronically through the Brown Library or on the
course wiki as downloadable pdf files.

Statement on Academic Integrity: Each student in this course is expected to abide by the
Brown University Academic Code (see
http://brown.edu/Administration/Dean_of_the_College/curriculum/documents/principles.pdf
for details). Any work submitted by a student in this course for academic credit (including
tests, papers and exams) must be the student’s own work. All outside assistance should be
acknowledged, and the student's academic position truthfully reported at all times. The use of a
computer in no way modifies the standards for academic integrity expected under the
University’s Code.

COURSE SYLLABUS AND READING ASSIGNMENTS:

(**Note this is preliminary and subject to change**)

WEEK 1
W Sept. 1: Course Introduction; The Geography of Greece

F Sept. 3: Archaeology: Myth and Reality

Readings: Biers Chapter 1; Snodgrass, A. 2007. What is Classical Archaeology?: Greek
Archaeology. In R. Osborne and S. Alcock (eds.). Classical Archaeology. Malden, MA: Blackwell.
Pp. 13-39.
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WEEK 2
M Sept. 6: **Labor Day Holiday—no class**

W Sept. 8: Archaeology: approaches to Greek material culture

(discussions based on artifacts from the Joukowsky Institute collections)

F Sept. 10: Archaeology in the Athenian Agora

Readings: Camp, J. 2003. The Athenian Agora: A Short Guide; Lang, M. 2004. The Athenian Citizen:
Democracy in the Athenian Agora; Rotroff, S. and R. Lamberton. 2005. Women in the Athenian
Agora.

WEEK 3
M Sept. 13: From Hunter to Farmer: the Neolithic
Reading: Talalay, L. Archaeological Ms.conceptions: Contemplating Gender and Power in the
Greek Neolithic. In M. Donald and L. Hurcombe (eds.), Representations of Gender from Prehistory
to the Present. New York: St. Martin’s Press. Pp. 3-16.

W Sept. 15: From Hunter to Farmer: the Neolithic (con’d.); More than just Figurines and
“Frying Pans”—The Early Cycladic Period

F Sept. 17: Group Discussion #1—Early Cycladic Figurines in the Past and Present
 Chippindale, C. and D. Gill. 1995. Cycladic figures: art versus archaeology? In Antiquities
Trade or Betrayed: Legal, Ethical and Conservation Issues. K.W. Tubb (ed.). Pp. 131-142.
 Hoffman, G.I. 2002. Painted ladies: EC II mourning figures? American Journal of Archaeology
106: 525-550. **submit a written assignment for this reading**

WEEK 4
M Sept. 20: The Early Cycladic Period (con’d.); Feasting: the Power of Food & Drink
Reading: Van der Veen, M. 2003. When is food a luxury? World Archaeology 34(3): 405-427.

W Sept. 22: Feasting: the Power of Food & Drink (con’d.); Ways of Looking at Ancient
Architecture
Readings: Letesson, Q. and K. Vansteenhuyse. 2006. Toward an archaeology of perception:
‘Looking’ at Minoan palaces. Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology 19.1: 91-119.

F Sept. 24: The Beginnings of Minoan Civilization—Prepalatial and Protopalatial Crete;

The “Golden Age” of Minoan Civilization—Neopalatial Crete
Reading: Manning, S.W. 2008. Formation of the palaces. In The Cambridge Companion to the
Aegean Bronze Age. Pp. 105-120.
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WEEK 5
M Sept. 27: Neopalatial Crete (con’d.)
Reading: Biers Chapter 2

W Sept. 29: Mainland Greece before the Palaces: the Early Bronze Age;
The “Heroic Age”—Mycenaean Civilization
Reading: Pullen, D. 2008. The Early Bronze Age in Greece. In C. Shelmerdine (ed.), The
Cambridge Companion to the Aegean Bronze Age. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Pp. 19-
46.

F Oct. 1: Group Discussion #2—Re-thinking Bronze Age Palaces

 Hitchcock, L. and P. Koudounaris. 2002. Virtual discourse: Arthur Evans and the
reconstructions of the Minoan Palace at Knossos. In Labyrinth Revisited: Re-thinking ‘Minoan’
Archaeology. Y. Hamilakis (ed.). Oxbow Books, Oxford. Pp. 40-58. **submit a written
assignment for this reading**
 Dreissen, J. 2001. ‘The king must die.’ Some observations on the use of Minoan court
compounds. Aegaeum 23: 1-15.

WEEK 6
M Oct. 4: Mycenaean Civilization (con’d.)
Reading: Biers, Chapter 3

W Oct. 6: The Trojan War and Late Bronze Age Interconnections

Reading: Cline, E.H. 1995. Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor: Minoans and Mycenaeans abroad.
Aegaeum 12: 265-283.

F Oct. 8: The so-called “Dark Age”—Geometric Greece (c. 1100-700 BCE)

Reading: Biers Chapters 4 & 5
**must choose Research Project Topic by this date**

WEEK 7
M Oct. 11: **Fall Weekend Holiday—no class**

W Oct. 13: Gods and Heroes—Greek Religion

Readings: Harris, S.L. and G. Platzner. 2001. Introduction to Greek Myth. Excerpt from Classical
Mythology: Images and Insights (3rd ed.). Pp. 3-22.

F Oct. 15: Group Discussion #3: Homeric Epic—Iron Age Stories about Bronze Age
Heroes
 Homer, The Iliad Book 1
 Homer, The Odyssey Book 22
 Sherratt, E.S. 1990. ‘Reading the texts:’ archaeology and the Homeric question. Antiquity 64:
807-824. **submit a written assignment for this reading**
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WEEK 8
M Oct. 18: Influences from the East—The Orientalizing Period (c. 700-600 BCE)
Reading: Biers Chapter 6

W Oct. 20: Archaic Greek Society (c. 600-480 BCE)

Reading: Murray, O. 2009. The culture of the Symposion. In A Companion to Archaic Greece.
Blackwell. Pp. 508-23.

F Oct. 22: Archaic Art and Architecture: a Cultural Revolution

Reading: Biers Chapter 7

WEEK 9
M Oct. 25: **Midterm Test** (covers to end of Archaic Period)

W Oct. 27: Archaic Greece (con’d.); The Rise of Athens and Sparta and the Wars with Persia
Reading: Herodotus. The Histories, Book VII, Chapters 201-228 (“The Battle at Thermopylae”).

F Oct. 29: Athenian Glory—the Periklean Building Program and the Akropolis
Readings: Hurwit, J. 1999. The Parthenon Frieze, Nike, and thematic unity on the Classical
Acropolis (Chapter 9) and Plutarch on the Periklean Building Program (Appendix B) in The
Athenian Acropolis: History, Mythology, and Archaeology from the Neolithic Era to the Present.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Pp. 222-34 and 310-12;
Thucydides. The Peloponnesian War. Book 2, Chapters 34-46 (“Perikles’ Funeral Oration”)

WEEK 10
M Nov. 1: The Classical Period—Architecture and Planning Beyond Athens
Reading: Biers Chapter 8 (pp. 196-214)

W Nov. 3: The Classical Period—Sculpture

Reading: Biers Chapter 8 (pp. 194-196 and 214-236)

F Nov. 5: Group Discussion # 4: Debate—Who Owns the Past? The Case of the
Parthenon (“Elgin”) Marbles
Warren, K. 1999. A philosophical perspective on the ethics and resolution of cultural
properties issues. In P.M. Messenger (ed.), The Ethics of Collecting Cultural Property: Whose
Culture? Whose Property? Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. Pp. 1-25.

Hamilakis, Y. 1999. Stories from Exile: Fragments from the Cultural Biography of the Parthenon
(or 'Elgin') Marbles. World Archaeology 31: 303-320. **submit a written assignment for this
reading**

General Background: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/parthenon_debate_01.shtml

and
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http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/elgin-marbles-question-renewed-as-athens-
museum-opens-1689481.html
British Museum’s Perspective:
http://www.britishmuseum.org/the_museum/news_and_press_releases/statements/the_parthen
on_sculptures.aspx and
http://www.britishmuseum.org/the_museum/news_and_press_releases/statements/the_parthen
on_sculptures/parthenon_-_trustees_statement.aspx
Greek Government position: http://www.greece.org/parthenon/marbles/greece.htm
A group supporting return of the sculptures: http://www.parthenonuk.com/

WEEK 11
M Nov. 8: The Classical Period—Painting and Numismatics
Reading: Biers Chapter 8 (pp. 236-246); Beard, M. 1991. Adopting an approach II. In T.
Rasmussen and N. Spivey, eds., Looking at Greek Vases. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Pp. 12-35.

W Nov. 10: Peloponnesian War and Its Aftermath; The Rise of Macedon—Philip and
Alexander the Great
Reading: Biers Chapter 9

F Nov. 12: Group Discussion #5: The (In)visibility of the Ancient Greek Woman
Lewis, S. 2002. Excerpts from The Athenian Woman: An Iconographic Handbook. New York:
Routledge. Pp. 1-13 and Chapter 3 “Working Women” (pp. 91-129). **submit a written
assignment for Chapter 3 of this reading**
Stieber, M. 2004. Chapter 5 “Phrasikleia” in The Poetics of Appearance in the Attic Kore. Pp. 141-
178.

WEEK 12
M Nov. 15: Hellenistic Art and Architecture
Reading: Bosworth, A.B. 2006. Alexander and the creation of the Hellenistic Age. In G.R. Bugh
(ed.), The Cambridge Companion to the Hellenistic World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Pp. 9-27.

W Nov. 17: House and Household in Classical Greece (guest lecture by Katherine
Harrington)
Reading: Ault, B. and L. Nevett. 1999. Digging houses: Archaeologies of Classical and Hellenistic
Greek domestic assemblages. In P. Allison (ed.), The Archaeology of Household Activities. London
and New York: Routledge. Pp. 43-56.

F Nov. 19: Visit to the new Greek and Roman Gallery of the RISD Museum (Rhode
Island School of Design)

WEEK 13
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M Nov. 22: Hellenistic Art and Architecture (con’d.??)

Reading: Biers Chapter 10
**Research Paper due in class**

W/F Nov. 24/26: **Thanksgiving Recess—no classes**

WEEK 14
M Nov. 29: Hellenistic Art and Architecture (con’d.); The Greeks under the Romans
Reading: Alcock, S. 1993. The Problem of Roman Greece. Chapter 1In Graecia Capta: The Landscape
of Roman Greece. Pp. 1-32.

W Dec. 1: The Greek Past in the Present

Reading: Richard, C.H. 1994. Symbolism. Chapter 2 of The Founders and the Classics: Greece,
Rome, and the American Enlightenment. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Pp. 39-52.

F Dec. 3: Finish course/Review??

**Final Exam: Dec. 14, 2pm**