Course Description

An overview of Late Antiquity archaeology in the Eastern Mediterranean between the third and the eighth century CE, with an emphasis on important sites, problems, and types of evidence.

Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will complete an independent research project on a topic of their own choosing. This project will require (1) extensive research beyond the readings assigned for undergraduates, (2) analysis of trends in contemporary scholarship, and (3) an original argument based on integration and synthesis of a wide range of primary and secondary material. Graduate students will also prepare an in-class presentation of their research and lead the rest of the class in discussion.

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Athena Title

Archaeology of Late Antiquity

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Prerequisite

CLAS 1000 or CLAS 1000E or CLAS 1000H or CLAS 1010 or CLAS 1010E or CLAS 1010H or CLAS 1020 or CLAS 1020E or CLAS 1020H or CLAS 3000 or CLAS 3010 or CLAS(ANTH) 3015 or CLAS(ANTH) 3015E or CLAS 3030 or CLAS 3040 or CLAS3050 or permission of department

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Grading System

A - F (Traditional)

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Student Learning Outcomes

• Students will identify and analyze major archaeological sites and artifacts relevant to Late Antiquity (third to eighth centuries AD).
• Students will evaluate methods and challenges faced by archaeologists studying the Late Antique Mediterranean.
• Students will assess transformations in urban landscapes and state structures during Late Antiquity.
• Students will create evidence-based research and communicate findings effectively in oral and written form.

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Topical Outline

• I. The third-century crisis
• II. The tetrarchy
• III. Constantine and Constantinople
• IV. The fifth century: Sites, trends, and problems
• V. The sixth century: Sites, trends, and problems
• VI. Goths, Slavs, and Sasanians
• VII. The Late Antiquity environment
• VIII. The Late Antiquity economy
• IX. The Late Antiquity city
• X. The seventh and eighth centuries: Sites, trends, and problems

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General Education Core

CORE V: Social Sciences

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Institutional Competencies

Social Awareness & Responsibility

The capacity to understand the interdependence of people, communities, and self in a global society.

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