Course Description
Exploration and examination of the archaeological evidence for mankind's prehistoric experience in Central and Western Europe and the development of Celtic culture based on the archaeological support for these ideas. Paleoecological, climatological, and geo-biological models will also be used to examine the spread of humans across the European continent in the Pleistocene.
Athena Title
CELTIC PREHISTORY
Semester Course Offered
Offered summer semester every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Old world, specifically European prehistory, is a salient factor in the historical context of North America. America was colonized by Europeans, many from historically Celtic lands, bringing cultural values rooted in the history, and prehistory, of that continent. Students are introduced to this "historical" context. Modern archaeology places a significant emphasis on the "context" - cultural, political,historical - of modern cultures in explaining the "past". Indeed, many modern theorists posit a reflexive relationship between the interpretation of the past and a perception of the "present" of a modern culture. One important, if not the most important learning objective, for Celtic and Pre-Celtic Prehistory, is to make the student aware of this interplay of the present and the past by defining the past more concretely and expressly "real". To do this the student is asked to read the past in "ruins" and artifacts. These tangible remnants of the past encode the intangible, e.g., they are symbols of power, gender, belief and other human structures which define the limits or boundaries of past and present life in and of a culture. After a fashion, the learning is interactive - the student is placed in "history" and asked to construct a version of the past in real time. Their "constructions" of the past are queried by oral and written instruments to gauge the depth of the learning experience. The understanding gained by the student must be richer and better articulated with their current time or the effort cannot be judged a successful outcome. Successful learning is reflected in the success of the student's engagement with the past and as such is a "moving target" so-to-speak. The course outcomes change with the present leading to a real learning dynamic. Our learning benchmark is to make the student aware of the past and its role in their present. The student is placed in a virtual and physical past, e.g., museums, artefacts, and determines its present relevance and importance.
Topical Outline
1. Celtic Prehistory and History - Real or "Fad." Modern trends in Celtic studies. Relevance to modern Europe and U.S. 2. What is "Old World Prehistory." 3. Archaeology: methods and practice. Concepts and methodology used in the study of prehistory; Chronology (e.g., Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages); and Processes. 4. The Neolithic - plant and animal domestication. 5. The Chalcolithic/Early Bronze Age - metallurgy. New burial practices. 6. Hallstatt - contacts with the Mediterranean world. The "fibula" seriationa nd chronology. 7. Celtic Europe - Celtic expansion; Iron Age Gaul, Spain, Britain, and Ireland. 8. Celtic Life - settlements, society and gender roles. 9. Celtic Warfare, Technology and Art. 10. Celtic Gods and Goddesses - Priests, Rites, Places and Sacrifice. 11. The Celts and Rome.
Syllabus