2024-2025 Edition

Academic Catalog

Archaeology (ARCP)

ARCP150F Myths, Martians, and Monsters: Archaeology and Pseudoscience (FYS)

This FYS will explore fantastic claims about the human past by critically examining pseudoarchaeological claims and comparing them with the actual archaeological record. Emphasis will be placed on the scientific method, critical thinking, and media literacy. We will discuss well known myths, frauds, and misinformation, both past and present, including Atlantis, Ancient Aliens, Piltdown Man, Ancient Apocalypse, the Moundbuilder Myth, and their use and misuse. By the end of the course, students will be able to differentiate reproducible scientific data from the fictitious and fabricated. Additionally, we will discuss the motivations, ethics, and consequences of sensationalized accounts of the human past.
Offering: Host
Grading: OPT
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: SBS-ARCP
Prereq: None

ARCP153F Single Combat in the Ancient World (FYS)

This course celebrates the clash of warriors in warfare, sport, and spectacle in the classical world. Using primary sources and archaeological evidence, the class will survey traditions of combat in ancient art, literature, and society, beginning with Greek and Near Eastern epic; the modes of warfare in Greek society; ancient Olympic combat sports; and, finally, Roman gladiator spectacle. We will examine the role of violent sport in Greek and Roman society, the reception of the competitors, and the use of these events for political or nationalistic ends. Throughout the course we will explore the flexibility of concepts such as military ethics, "western" warfare, violence, honor, and excellence, both in the classical world and in our modern lives.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: OPT
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-CLAS
Identical With: CLST153F
Prereq: None

ARCP201 Art and Archaeology of the Bronze Age Mediterranean

This course is an introduction to the history, art, and archaeology of the Bronze Age Mediterranean. Throughout the semester we will explore the development of civilization and high society in the Aegean world (mainland Greece, the islands, Cyprus, and Crete), the rise of Minoan and Mycenaean palace power, the origin of the biblical Philistines, and, of course, the historical evidence for the Trojan War. We also look at the contemporary Near Eastern cultures with which these societies interacted, exploring the reciprocal exchange between the Aegean world and Egypt, Syria, and the Hittite kingdoms. For each period we will survey the major archaeological sites (civic and cultic), examine archaeological questions, and study the development of sculpture, painting, ceramics, and architectural trends in light of political and social changes.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-CLAS, SBS-CLAS
Identical With: CLST201, ARHA202
Prereq: None

ARCP203 The Secrets of Ancient Bones: Discovering Ancient DNA and Archaeology

New analyses of ancient DNA preserved for millennia in bones and soils have revolutionized the field of archaeology. Suddenly, archaeologists have gained new insight into human origins, past population migrations, ancient diseases, plant and animal domestication, and even the factors that contributed to the extinctions of megafauna such as woolly mammoths. Recent genetic case studies will provide a lens for learning about the archaeology of diverse world regions and time periods, from Oceania to Mesoamerica and from the Paleolithic through recent history. Topics will include: human evolution and genetic relationships between humans, Neanderthals, and Denisovans; the peopling of the globe; extinction and de-extinction; domestication and the origins of agriculture; paleodiseases and paleodiets; and ethics in genetic research.
Offering: Host
Grading: OPT
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: SBS-ARCP
Identical With: ENVS203, ANTH212, STS203, IDEA203
Prereq: None

ARCP204 Introduction to Archaeology

What can fragments of pottery, stones, and bones reveal about the lives of people who lived thousands or even millions of years ago? What does the archaeological record reveal about human evolution, past human diets and health, ancient socioeconomic systems, and the emergence of early cities? And how can we preserve archaeological sites and artifacts for future generations? This course will introduce students to the interdisciplinary field of archaeology. We will discuss key methods and principles that archaeologists use to study the human past while covering a survey of world prehistory from the earliest stone tools to the archaeology of contemporary material culture. Students will have the opportunity to examine real archaeological artifacts--including artifacts excavated from historic Middletown--and will be encouraged to think critically about the ways that archaeology informs our understanding of both the past and the present.
Offering: Host
Grading: OPT
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: SBS-ARCP
Identical With: ANTH214, ENVS207, IDEA204
Prereq: None

ARCP209 Tradition & Testimony: Protecting Native American Sacred Lands, Ancestral Remains, & Cultural Items

This course will explore the historic genesis of present-day U.S. and international policies toward Native American peoples and other indigenous communities. In addition, studies will include traditional indigenous and tribal perspectives, investigate indigenous-specific origin stories and the connections these stories have with historic events and places, and take a hard look at repatriation policies. Students will investigate several case studies involving current issues Native American communities are facing in repatriation and protecting sacred places, both local and national.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: SBS-ANTH
Identical With: ANTH209
Prereq: None

ARCP210 The Technological Primate: Archaeological Approaches to Ancient Technology

Humans are reliant on technology, in one form or another, for our survival. This obligate use of technology has been a characteristic of our evolutionary history for over 2.5 million years. This course will explore how technology became central to the human way of life. We will discuss both how and why our use of technology has changed through time. This includes considerations of the adaptive roles that technology plays in our evolution, how technology is shared between individuals and cultures, and the role of technology beyond the purely utilitarian. Students will learn about the ways archaeologists analyze and think about ancient technologies. This includes a wide variety of material types, including stone, ceramic, botanicals, bone, metal, and more. In this course students will have an opportunity to handle both actual archaeological materials and replicas.
Offering: Host
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: SBS-ARCP
Identical With: IDEA205, STS211, ANTH210
Prereq: None

ARCP214 Survey of Greek Archaeology and Art

This course introduces the art and archaeology of Greek civilization from Mycenaean palaces of the Bronze Age, to tombs of warriors and battlefields of Marathon, through the theatrical and political centers of democratic Athens. Throughout the semester we will survey the major archaeological sites (civic and cultic) for each period and study development of sculpture, painting, ceramics, and architectural trends in light of political (propaganda!) and social changes. More than a tour of monuments and mosaics, however, this course will show students how to interpret and apply literature, material science, anthropology, and art history to address archaeological questions, and to consider the relationship (ancient and modern) between social trends and material evidence.



This course counts toward the archaeology/archaeology science track.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-CLAS
Identical With: CLST214, ARHA203
Prereq: None

ARCP223 Survey of Roman Archaeology and Art

This course begins with the art, archaeology, and culture of the Etruscans and their important contributions to the early history of Rome. After a brief examination of the influences of Hellenistic culture on Rome, the course surveys the archaeological evidence illustrating the principal architectural and artistic achievements of the Romans down to the reign of Constantine the Great.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-ART
Identical With: CLST223, ARHA207
Prereq: None

ARCP234 Art and Society in Ancient Pompeii

This seminar surveys the art, architecture, and material remains of the cities buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE. Through readings, class discussions, and student research presentations, we will explore the ways in which this material can be used to study the social and political life of a small Roman city and examine the unique evidence for reconstructing the private life of Roman citizens, from their participation in local politics and government, to their religious beliefs and lives, to the interior decoration of their homes and their burial customs.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-CLAS
Identical With: CLST234, ARHA206
Prereq: None

ARCP242 Tablets, Temples, and Cities: Near Eastern Art and Archaeology

History starts in the Near East with many firsts in human culture: domestication, writing, cities... Throughout its long history, the ancient Near East has produced a unique corpus of material culture, architecture, and textual records. In this course, we will survey the art and archaeology of the ancient Near Eastern civilizations with contextual information about the cultures that created them.



Every week we will progress chronologically and will explore broader socioeconomic, political, and cultural changes by discussing art historical, archaeological, and textual evidence. We will look at examples from Anatolia, Mesopotamia, and the Levant, and compare these to one another. Students will gain a larger understanding of commonalities and differences in the cultural expressions of these cultures. The last section of this course will be dedicated to current issues concerning the archaeology and cultural heritage of the Middle East.



This course will also have various hands-on components: We will learn about textile production by using spindle whorls, learn about cuneiform writing by making clay tablets, and create our own seals based on ancient Near Eastern imagery and mythology.
Offering: Host
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: SBS-ARCP
Prereq: None

ARCP244 Pyramids and Funeral Pyres: Death and the Afterlife in Greece and Egypt

This course explores the archaeology of death and burial in Egypt and Greece, from the royal burials in the pyramids at Giza, to the cremated remains of warriors in Lefkandi, Greece, to the humble burials of infants under house floors. Drawing upon a blend of archaeological, art historical, and mythological evidence, we will examine how the funerary practices and the very notions of the soul, the body, and the afterlife compare in these two societies. We will also explore how social class, gender, and ethnicity influenced those ideas. The course will also provide an introduction to archaeological theory and the interpretive strategies employed by archaeologists, art historians, and historians in the reconstruction of ancient societies.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-CLAS
Identical With: CLST244, ARHA201
Prereq: None

ARCP248 Who Owns the Past? Cultural Heritage, Archaeology, and Politics

"Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past." - George Orwell, 1984



When Orwell wrote these words, there was no ISIS destroying non-Islamic monuments, no Saddam Hussein claiming to be a Babylonian king, and no cultural heritage news appearing on our Facebook feeds every day. Yet this statement is still as relevant as it was in Orwell's dystopia. Cultural heritage is an important part of state ideologies, national identities, and politics in the Middle East. The idea of controlling or owning the past is not new however; even ancient Near Eastern kings and rulers used their heritage or their conquests over older temples and monuments as a tool to claim political power.



In this course students will become familiar with the concept of cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible; learn about cultural heritage institutions and laws; and understand how these institutions protect heritage in different situations. By looking at past and modern case studies from Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Palestine, Israel, Syria, the U.S., and examples from other parts of the world, students will learn about the role of archaeology, colonialism, international politics, and indigenous cultures in creating, identifying, and protecting (or destroying) cultural heritage.
Offering: Host
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: SBS-ARCP
Prereq: None

ARCP255 The Archaeology of Identities in the Ancient Mediterranean and Beyond

Human beings all hold a wide range of socially constructed and physically lived identities, expressed and experienced sometimes continuously and simultaneously, and sometimes only occasionally under specific circumstances. These identities might include, but are not limited to, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, social status, occupation, and health. Many of these identities, expressed and experienced in various tangible and intangible ways in our lived reality, can only be accessed indirectly through the physical proxy of the archaeological record when it comes to people living in the past. This course will explore a variety of archaeological methodologies for accessing the social identities of past lives, as well as the sometimes problematic role that archaeology has played in this type of research over the course of the 20th and 21st centuries (is ancient DNA bringing us back full circle to scientific racism?). The primary focus of the course will be on the ancient Mediterranean, with additional case studies drawn from other parts of the world serving to illustrate the cross-regional applicability of approaches to past identities.
Offering: Host
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: SBS-ARCP
Identical With: CLST260
Prereq: None

ARCP257 Environmental Archaeology

Archaeological materials provide long-term records of how humans have modified past environments and how human societies respond to environmental change. In this course, students will learn how data from ancient plants, animals, and soils can be analyzed in order to draw interpretations about past human-environmental interactions. We will also discuss key topics in environmental archaeology, including the long-term environmental impacts of plant and animal domestication and debates over environmental causes for the "collapse" of civilizations such as the ancient Maya. The course will involve hands-on preparation and cataloging of plant and animal specimens to add to the Wesleyan Environmental Archaeology Laboratory comparative collections. Students must be available for one weekend class meeting to complete the first stage of animal skeleton preparation.
Offering: Host
Grading: OPT
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: NSM-ARCP, SBS-ARCP
Identical With: ENVS257, ANTH257, E&ES257
Prereq: None

ARCP260 Art and Archaeology of Ancient India

This course is an introduction to the art and material culture of ancient India, from prehistory through the formation of the classical tradition in the fourth century CE. The broad swath of human experience covered necessitates a thematic approach, focusing on key moments, cultures, object types, and methodological approaches, arranged in a roughly chronological fashion. Thematic units may vary somewhat from year to year, but are likely to include: the meaning and use of the carved stone seals of the Indus Valley civilization; the impact of the Vedic Aryas on the development of Indian ritual and imagery; how to read the iconographic language of the "plant and animal style" in decorative sculpture; the meaning and significance of the Asokan pillars; and the architecture and ritual of Buddhist monastic life in the cave monasteries of western India.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: OPT
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-ART
Identical With: ARHA285, GSAS284
Prereq: None

ARCP265 Who Owns the Past? Laws, Ethics, and Responsibility in Cultural Heritage and Resource Management

Cultural heritage is defined by UNESCO as the tangible and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, which should be preserved and maintained for future generations. In practice, this is maintained through the archaeological, historical, and legal practice of cultural resource management (CRM). While many think of archaeology as a purely academic field, archaeologists are largely employed outside of the "Ivory Tower" in this rapidly growing industry. This course will explore how this industry is practiced in the United States and abroad, and its role in preserving heritage. This course will also introduce students to the wider world of cultural heritage studies. Along with the practice of protecting cultural resources, we will explore the ethics of managing the past and the legal frameworks that govern cultural heritage. Students will also consider the effects of colonialism, nationalism, armed conflict, climate change, uncontrolled development, and illicit trade on cultural heritage and group identity. Further, students will engage with current debates about ownership of cultural heritage and responsibility around its management.
Offering: Host
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: SBS-ARCP
Prereq: None

ARCP267 Museum Collections: Ethical Considerations and Practical Applications

Serving as a broad overview of museology, this course introduces students to the principles underlying the foundations of museum work and collections stewardship. Topics covered will include the origins of museums and collecting, the rationale behind museum policies, and the legal frameworks and professional standards that guide collections management. Ethical considerations surrounding issues such as NAGPRA/repatriation, decolonization, accessibility, looted artifacts, and cultural patrimony will also be covered. Finally, students will explore the practical aspects of preventive conservation, museum documentation, and exhibition development. Although topics covered in this course will apply to a variety of museums, the primary focus will be on cultural heritage collections. Readings and class discussions will be supplemented with hands-on exercises using the Wesleyan University Archaeology & Anthropology Collection.
Offering: Host
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: SBS-ARCP
Identical With: ANTH276
Prereq: None

ARCP275 Introduction to Archaeological Science: Natural Science Approaches to the Human Past

While archaeology is considered by many to be a social science, natural science approaches are increasingly utilized by archaeologists to explore past environments and behaviors. Archaeological science is defined as the application of scientific techniques from biology, chemistry, geology, and other natural sciences to archaeological materials. This course will survey the different scientific techniques employed by archaeologists and highlight their utility for exploring the human past through archaeological case studies. Students will consider how the integration of natural and social science approaches produces a more complete understanding of the archaeological record. This includes the reconstruction of climates, landscapes, diets, migrations, population interactions, production behaviors, chronologies, and more. Students will learn the basics of the archaeological applications of ancient DNA, stable isotopes, sedimentology, geochemistry, chronometric dating, 3D scanning, morphometrics, botany, zoology, and other scientific methods.
Offering: Host
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: NSM-ARCP
Prereq: None

ARCP285 Off with its Pedestal! The Greek Vase as Art and Artifact

This course explores the dual role of the Greek vase--as objét d'art and as material culture. The first half of the course will trace the origins and development of Greek vase painting from Mycenaean pictorial vases to the masters of Attic Red Figure, examining the painters, the themes, and (often titillating!) subject matter in its social and historical context. The second half will focus on the vase as an artifact and tool for reconstructing social values and economic trends throughout the Mediterranean. We will look at rip-offs, knock-offs, and how much Attic pottery was really worth, and evaluate the use of pottery as an indicator of immigration or cultural imitation. The course will include work with 3D scanning and digital optimization, as well as the construction of a virtual museum exhibit.



The course falls under the Archaeology/Archaeological Science track of the Classics/CCIV Major requirements.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-CLAS
Identical With: CLST283, ARHA204
Prereq: None

ARCP290 Unearthing Early China: Art and Archaeology

This course introduces early China by examining major archaeological discoveries from prehistory through the second century CE. We will analyze the formal and material features of early Chinese artifacts from important archaeological excavations at sites such as Liangzhu, Anyang, Zhouyuan, and Mancheng. We will discuss the ways in which these artifacts and archaeological sites demonstrate early Chinese cosmological beliefs and ritual practices, especially notions related to heaven, afterlife, and the transition from ancestor worship to the pursuit of personal welfare in immortality. In addition, we will study the iconography and symbolism of objects found in these archaeological discoveries, which would serve as a foundation for the inception of visual arts in the later periods of Chinese history.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-CEAS
Identical With: CEAS290
Prereq: None

ARCP291 East Asian Archaeology

This course will introduce students to remarkable archaeological discoveries from East Asia, focusing on the archaeology of ancient China, but also including finds from Japan, Korea, and Mongolia. Beginning with "Peking Man" and Asia's earliest hominin inhabitants, we will explore the lives of Paleolithic hunter gatherers, the origins of domestic rice and pigs, the emergence of early villages and cities, the origins of writing, ancient ritual systems, long-distance interactions through land and maritime Silk Roads, and the archaeology of Chinese diaspora populations living in the 19th-century United States. We will also consider the current state of archaeological research in East Asia, focusing on site preservation, cultural heritage management, and the political roles of archaeology.
Offering: Host
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: SBS-ARCP
Identical With: ANTH291, CEAS291, ENVS291, IDEA291
Prereq: None

ARCP292 Archaeology of Food, Trade, and Power in South India

This course examines patterns of life in premodern South India, focusing on the millennium from about AD 600 to 1600. It explores the persistent practices and institutions that structured social life--agricultural regimes of food production, patterns of local and long-distance trade, and elite discourses of power and authority--as well as historical events and processes that brought change to those patterns. The course capitalizes on South India's rich array of archaeological evidence, from surface remains and excavated finds to standing architectural monuments, donative inscriptions on stone and copper plates, and various forms of coinage and coin hoards informing on economic life. Specific topics investigated include the articulation of cultural space and landscapes; food, subsistence, and modes of agricultural production; domestic architecture and habitation; trade, markets, and monetary systems; and the roles of religion and ritual in legitimating political power. There is an explicit emphasis on methods and their application, including those of epigraphy (the analysis of inscriptions), numismatics (the materially based study of coinage and monetary systems), surface archaeology (survey, documentation, and analysis of exposed surface remains), and the archaeology of buildings. Many class sessions will be devoted to active discussion and analysis of data.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-ART, SBS-ART
Identical With: ARHA292, ENVS262
Prereq: None

ARCP293 Numismatics and the Archaeology of Money

In many parts of the world, lost coins numbering in the millions lie buried in the ground. Periodically, some of these coins come to light in the course of plowing, digging to repair a water main, or prospecting with metal detectors. These "treasure-trove" finds--also known as coin hoards--provide the archaeologist of money with rich evidence of how money was actually used in pre-modern times. Which coins occur together in a hoard, the numbers in which they occur, and the spatial patterning of their findspots: all speak volumes about pre-modern economies, circulation patterns, and beliefs about money and value.



In this hands-on course, we explore the evidence of coins and coin hoards, studying them from numismatic perspectives (the images and legends on a given coin type, metals used, weights, fabric), metrological and denominational perspectives (what coins reveal about systems of weights and denominational structures), and statistical approaches (for example, studying patterns of weight loss as indicators of the velocity of circulation and degree of monetization in a given society).
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-ART
Identical With: ARHA293
Prereq: None

ARCP310 Archaeological Theory in Action: Research Design and Analytical Frameworks

Archaeologists draw upon diverse data sets and approaches to reconstruct rich pictures of ancient ecologies, build environments, economies, cultural and cognitive practices. This 0.5 credit seminar explores, challenges, and evaluates the theoretical frameworks employed by archaeologists in research design and analyses of past societies. Topics will rotate depending upon student interests and current research projects but will be chosen from among anti-racist archaeology, gender and ethnicity studies, object and entanglement theory, frameworks for experimental archaeology, funerary analyses, typology and data management, landscape archaeology, conservation, or ethical approaches to archaeological science, among others. Foundational theoretical texts will be discussed alongside current publications in each topic area. The seminar is designed to prepare students for independent research in archaeology and related fields. This seminar is required for all Archaeology majors and strongly recommended for Archaeology minors, in addition to being open to all students in related disciplines
Offering: Host
Grading: Cr/U
Credits: 0.50
Gen Ed Area: SBS-ARCP
Prereq: None

ARCP329 Roman Villa Life

This seminar will explore life in the Roman countryside, from the luxurious suburban villas near major urban centers to working estates in Italy and the Roman provinces. The course will begin with a general survey of Roman villa life and then move to a more focused inquiry into specific topics including art and architecture, production, slave life, and transportation. Readings will be drawn from ancient literary sources, inscriptions, and modern social and archaeological studies. The course is intended for students from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds, but some knowledge of the Roman world is recommended.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-CLAS
Identical With: CLST329
Prereq: None

ARCP335 Art and Society in Ancient Pompeii

This seminar surveys the art, architecture, and material remains of the cities buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE. Through readings, class discussions, and student research presentations, we will explore the ways in which this material can be used to study the social and political life of a small Roman city and examine the unique evidence for reconstructing the private life of Roman citizens, from their participation in local politics and government, to their religious beliefs and lives, to the interior decoration of their homes and their burial customs.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-CLAS
Identical With: CLST335
Prereq: None

ARCP341 Visualizing the Classical

This project-based learning course integrates archaeology, classical texts, and the technologies of virtual construction to rebuild the material remains of the ancient world. Student teams will draw upon theories of urban design, engineering, and performance theory to create a material or virtual reconstruction of a classical built environment or object. Through the reconstruction of such spaces, we will explore how the ancient builders and craftsmen--through landscape, sound, light, functionality/monumentality, and spatial relationships--shaped the experience of the ancient viewer.



The course is divided into three modules. The first module will use case studies to survey the principles of archaeological reconstruction and explore the concepts and language of design and planning used by archaeologists and design specialists. These case studies will range from Greek and Roman temples, to city blocks and houses, to public spaces for entertainment or governance. In the second module, a series of technology workshops and in-class projects will give students hands-on training in the analytical mapping, modeling, interpretive, and reconstructive approaches such as ArcGIS, CAD, Sketchup and 3D printing. This practical training will form the foundation for the third module, during which student teams will apply these technologies to collaborate on the reconstruction of an ancient built environment or object. During this section of the course, students will discuss and collectively troubleshoot the problems of design and reconstruction they encounter as they go. Students will present their work at the end of the course, and discussion will focus on the insight that the process of reconstruction has offered into principles of ancient design and the values of ancient communities.



This seminar will be of interest to students with experience in classical studies, archaeology, studio arts, and digital design.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-CLAS
Identical With: CLST341, ARHA205
Prereq: None

ARCP350 Animals in Archaeology

This laboratory course will explore how zooarchaeological methods for analyzing animal bones and teeth excavated from archaeological sites allow us to reconstruct ancient human-animal-environmental interactions. We will cover a range of topics and techniques, including hands-on sessions for the identification and quantification of faunal remains. By the end of the course, students will be able to identify every bone in the mammalian skeleton and distinguish between the bones of common non-mammalian taxa. Additional topics will include ancient DNA in zooarchaeology, bone stable isotope analyses, human-caused extinctions, animal domestication, bone artifact production, and animal sacrifice.
Offering: Host
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: NSM-ARCP, SBS-ARCP
Identical With: E&ES350, ENVS348
Prereq: None

ARCP352 Ancient Medicine: Potions, Poisons, and Phytochemistry in the Ancient Mediterranean

This course brings a blend of ethnographic, environmental, philological, and scientific frameworks to the study of ancient medicine. For the first half of the class, students will explore the theories and concepts of medicine and the body in classical antiquity from Hippocrates to Galen. Students will tackle case studies (e.g., treatment of war wounds, epilepsy, gynecological ailments) and suggest appropriate treatments. The second half of the course will focus on medicinal plants as discussed in Dioscorides, considering their ecology, archaeology, and phytochemistry, with hands-on lab modules in which students will learn how to extract and analyze bioactive compounds of medicinal plant species. In final group-based projects, students will present a "plant biography," tracking the arc of the medicinal and cultural uses of a particular species from the ancient Mediterranean to the present day.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-CLAS
Identical With: CLST352
Prereq: None

ARCP360 Experimental Archaeology: Linking Modern Observations to Past Behaviors

The field of archaeology requires practical ways to move beyond modern observations of materials to the invisible behaviors that produced them in the past. Experimental archaeology generates analogical models for archaeological processes by manipulating modern materials under controlled conditions. The principles established during experiments are applied to archaeological data to reconstruct the behaviors that produced the material record. This course will consider experimental design and practice to address issues relevant at different stages of the archaeological process. This is inclusive of replication of past technologies, experimenting with natural and cultural formation processes, and addressing biases inherent in the methods used by archaeologists. The course includes hands on experimental labs with different types of material culture and critical discussions of published experiments. Students will also be tasked with designing, executing, and reporting on an archaeological experiment.
Offering: Host
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: NSM-ARCP
Prereq: None

ARCP380 Relic and Image: The Archaeology and Social History of Indian Buddhism

This course investigates the social history and material culture of Indian Buddhism from the fifth century BCE through the period of the Kushan empire (first to third century CE). The course begins with the examination of the basic teachings of Buddhism as presented in canonical texts, then turns to consideration of the organization and functioning of the early Buddhist community, or sangha. The focus then shifts to the popular practice of Buddhism in early India and the varied forms of interaction between lay and monastic populations. Although canonical texts will be examined, primary emphasis in this segment of the course is given to the archaeology and material culture of Buddhist sites and their associated historical inscriptions. Specific topics to be covered include the cult of the Buddha's relics, the rise and spread of image worship, and the Buddhist appropriation and reinterpretation of folk religious practices. Key archaeological sites to be studied include the monastic complex at Sanchi, the pilgrimage center at Bodh Gaya (site of the Buddha's enlightenment), the city of Taxila (capital of the Indo-Greek kings and a major educational center), and the rock-cut cave monasteries along the trade routes of western India.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-ART
Identical With: ARHA381, CEAS381, RELI375, GSAS381, ARHA381, CEAS381, RELI375
Prereq: None

ARCP382 Numismatics and the Archaeology of Money

In many parts of the world, lost coins numbering in the millions lie buried in the ground. Periodically, some of these coins come to light in the course of plowing, digging to repair a water main, or prospecting with metal detectors. These "treasure-trove" finds-also known as coin hoards-provide the archaeologist of money with rich evidence of how money was actually used in pre-modern times. Which coins occur together in a hoard; the numbers in which they occur, and the spatial patterning of their findspots all speak volumes about pre-modern economies, circulation patterns, and beliefs about money and value. In this seminar, we explore the evidence of coins and coin hoards, studying them from numismatic perspectives (the images and legends on a given coin type, metals used, weights, fabric), metrological and denominational perspectives (what coins reveal about systems of weights and denominational structures), and statistical approaches (for example, studying patterns of weight loss as indicators of the velocity of circulation and degree of monetization in a given society).
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-ART, SBS-ART
Identical With: ARHA382, GSAS382
Prereq: None

ARCP385 The Indian Temple

The temple (devalaya, "house of god") was the unparalleled building type in South Asia from the fourth through fourteenth centuries, and it is still of great importance today. This seminar examines the type from an interdisciplinary perspective, considering theological and ritual dimensions, matters of design and style, programs of decorative sculpture and painting, and the economic and political functions these buildings and institutions carried. Sessions will be arranged thematically, but we will also be concerned with processes of temporal change. No prior knowledge of temple architecture or Indian history and religion is assumed.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-ART
Identical With: ARHA385
Prereq: None

ARCP390 Making Rome: Monuments of Life in Ancient Rome

The Colosseum, the Circus Maximus, and the Forum are just the most famous monuments to adorn the ancient city of Rome: its streets and temples were cluttered with honorific statues, dedications, and inscriptions; monumental fountains marked the terminus of the great aqueducts supplying the city and its public baths; shops and markets jostled with shrines and workshops in the public plazas; and public works like harbors and warehouses ensured a steady flow of food, wine, and materials into the city. Through in-depth research into the literary and archaeological record of Rome students will examine these monuments in the context of their original urban spaces and reconstruct them digitally or through other visual and written media.
Offering: Crosslisting
Grading: A-F
Credits: 1.00
Gen Ed Area: HA-CLAS, SBS-CLAS
Identical With: CLST390, ARHA301
Prereq: None

ARCP401 Individual Tutorial, Undergraduate

Topic to be arranged in consultation with the tutor.
Offering: Host
Grading: OPT

ARCP402 Individual Tutorial, Undergraduate

Topic to be arranged in consultation with the tutor.
Offering: Host
Grading: OPT

ARCP403 Department/Program Project or Essay

Project to be arranged in consultation with the tutor.
Offering: Host
Grading: A-F

ARCP404 Department/Program Project or Essay

Project to be arranged in consultation with the tutor.
Offering: Host
Grading: A-F

ARCP407 Senior Tutorial (downgraded thesis)

Downgraded Senior Thesis Tutorial - Project to be arranged in consultation with the tutor. Only enrolled in through the Honors Coordinator.
Offering: Host
Grading: A-F

ARCP408 Senior Tutorial (downgraded thesis)

Downgraded Senior Thesis Tutorial - Project to be arranged in consultation with the tutor. Only enrolled in through the Honors Coordinator.
Offering: Host
Grading: A-F

ARCP409 Senior Thesis Tutorial

Offering: Host
Grading: OPT

ARCP410 Senior Thesis Tutorial

Topic to be arranged in consultation with the tutor.
Offering: Host
Grading: OPT

ARCP411 Group Tutorial, Undergraduate

Topic to be arranged in consultation with the tutor.
Offering: Host
Grading: OPT

ARCP412 Group Tutorial, Undergraduate

Topic to be arranged in consultation with the tutor.
Offering: Host
Grading: OPT

ARCP421 Undergraduate Research, Science

Advanced students in archaeology have an opportunity to work intensively with departmental faculty to contribute to a variety of ongoing faculty research projects. These collaborations offer the chance for students to refine their research skills, gain exposure to conservation and research methods outside the basic curriculum, and work towards tangible research outcomes. Such outcomes may include research posters, creation of online databases, contributions to published works, contributions to or solo exhibit designs, or senior essay/thesis projects. Faculty projects vary from year to year but currently include studies in Mediterranean palaeoclimate, lab-based scientific study and digital modeling of archaeological artifacts, organic residue or ceramic studies (Dr. Birney, the OpenARCHEM project), or museum research projects in the Wesleyan Collections (which comprise approximately 35,000 objects), cataloging and researching artifacts (Dr. Murray, Wesleyan Collections). Participation is POI only. Contact the Archaeology Program Chair for more information.
Offering: Host
Grading: OPT

ARCP422 Undergraduate Research, Science

Advanced students in archaeology have an opportunity to work intensively with departmental faculty to contribute to a variety of ongoing faculty research projects. These collaborations offer the chance for students to refine their research skills, gain exposure to conservation and research methods outside the basic curriculum, and work towards tangible research outcomes. Such outcomes may include research posters, creation of online databases, contributions to published works, contributions to or solo exhibit designs, or senior essay/thesis projects. Faculty projects vary from year to year but currently include studies in Mediterranean palaeoclimate, lab-based scientific study and digital modeling of archaeological artifacts, organic residue or ceramic studies (Dr. Birney, the OpenARCHEM project), or museum research projects in the Wesleyan Collections (which comprise approximately 35,000 objects), cataloging and researching artifacts (Dr. Murray, Wesleyan Collections). Participation is POI only. Contact the Archaeology Program Chair for more information.
Offering: Host
Grading: OPT

ARCP424 Advanced Research Seminar, Undergraduate

Advanced research tutorial; project to be arranged in consultation with the tutor.
Offering: Host
Grading: OPT

ARCP466 Education in the Field, Undergraduate

Students must consult with the department and class dean in advance of undertaking education in the field for approval of the nature of the responsibilities and method of evaluation.
Offering: Host
Grading: Cr/U

ARCP491 Teaching Apprentice Tutorial

The teaching apprentice program offers undergraduate students the opportunity to assist in teaching a faculty member's course for academic credit.
Offering: Host
Grading: OPT

ARCP492 Teaching Apprentice Tutorial

The teaching apprentice program offers undergraduate students the opportunity to assist in teaching a faculty member's course for academic credit.
Offering: Host
Grading: OPT