Course Description
The origins, causes, and consequences of warfare in human societies from the Paleolithic to the twenty-first century. Ethnographic, ethnohistoric, and archaeological data will be employed to evaluate the relationship between conflict and cultural change.
Athena Title
ARCH OF WARFARE
Prerequisite
ANTH 1102 or ANTH 2120H
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
1. To use an anthropological and archaeological approach to understand the nature of warfare in past human societies. 2. To address the causes and consequences of warfare in ancient cultures, including the relationship between warfare and social complexity. 3. To evaluate the use of ethnographic, ethnohistoric, and archaeological data sources in the interpretation of the nature of conflict in past human societies. 4. To understand the effects of past conflicts in contemporary society.
Topical Outline
In this course we will explore the origins, causes and consequences of warfare and violent conflict in human societies. What role did conflict play in the evolution of human cultures? What was the nature of warfare in societies with varying degrees of social complexity? Our overall aim will be to gain a broad understanding of the range of variation in which warfare and human societies have influenced one another. The bulk of human history falls outside the scope of written records. For this reason, archaeology is a critical means of understanding our past. Through an examination of case studies drawn from a broad cross-section of human history, students will gain an understanding of the various forms and levels of violence and warfare carried out between human populations - from small-scale “blood feuds” among foraging and early agricultural societies to the large-scale warfare and territorial expansion undertaken by states and empires. Particular attention will be focused on the role of warfare and violent conflict in social and cultural change. We will also explore common themes in the archaeology of warfare, including sacrifice and ritual violence, slavery, gender, and the depiction and commemoration of warfare in art, iconography and monumental architecture. Finally, we will consider how perceptions of past conflicts affect us in the present day by examining the role that they continue to play in the present. Throughout the course we will remain respectful and mindful of our ethical responsibilities to descendant communities and the contemporary context for studying violence in the human past.
Syllabus