Anthropology 207 Spring 2014
Instructor: Dr. Jason E. Lewis
Email: jason.lewis@rutgers.edu
Phone: 732.932-9886
Classroom: Bio Sciences Rm 206
Hours: Mon-Thurs, 10:55am - 12:15pm
Course Web Site: On Rutgers Sakai
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course explores the prehistory of Europe from the arrival of the first humans until the end of the Viking
Age. Europe is a relatively small landmass, but people and cultures from Europe have had a vastly disproportionate influence on recent world history and modern society. In this class, we will seek to understand the foundations of European culture before the advent of written sources. We will study
Neanderthal and modern human interactions, the ritual systems of Palaeolithic cave painters, the Atlantic societies that built megalithic monuments, the beginnings of agriculture, the Mycenaean culture that became
Europe’s first civilization, and the Northern European “barbarians” who terrorized Rome and inherited post‐classical Europe. The purpose of the course is to critically examine a number of themes and topics, such as subsistence adaptations, island settlement, trade, metallurgy and other technologies, rise of complex societies, early states, writing, religion and mortuary practices, women in ancient society, etc, emphasizing the similarities and differences within areas of Europe. 3 Credit Hours.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Students will gain a detailed understanding of the prehistoric cultures of Europe and learn to interpret the archaeological data that informs the current state of research. The course will teach students the methods of archaeological reasoning and show how the applications of new interdisciplinary and scientific techniques are helping to illuminate the societies of early Europe.
Core learning goals of the School of Arts and Sciences
This course fulfills the following goals:
Cognitive Skills and Processes s-1. Communicate complex ideas effectively, in standard written English, to a general audience. s-2. [WCr] Respond effectively to editorial feedback from peers, instructors, and/or supervisors through successive drafts and revisions. t. [WCd] Communicate effectively in modes appropriate to a discipline or area of inquiry. u. Evaluate and critically assess sources and use the conventions of attribution and citation correctly. v. Analyze and synthesize information and ideas from multiple sources to generate new insights. z. Analyze and critically assess information from traditional and emergent technologies.
REQUIRED TEXTS
Gamble, C. 1999.
The Paleolithic Societies of Europe. Cambridge.
Cunliffe, B. 2008. Europe Between the Oceans. 9000 BC-AD 1000.
Yale.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Your grade will be based on 100 points divided among the following assignments:
Class Participation = 5 points

Class participation will be evaluated based on your attendance and your participation in group discussions.
Students who are not present receive minus points for that class session.
Paper and Presentation = 35 points
Students will be required to a detailed report (~10 pages double spaced plus references and figures) on an archaeological site or topic, to be turned in the last day of class for evaluation. Throughout the semester, students will work together in pairs and with the professor to evaluate, critique, and revise their writing.
In-class presentations of the papers will be held on the next-to-last days of class so students can incorporate feedback from the presentations in their paper. Students should include figures, maps, stratigraphic sections, other material discussed in lectures and in readings, and have at least 10 bibliographic references from the primary academic literature. Time in class will be devoted to exposing students to ways in which scholars assesses the credibility, timeliness, relevance, completeness, and significance of archaeological information and/or its source (author and publisher), accessed through traditional [books and journal articles] and emergent [websites/social media] technologies.
Paper proposal and initial references - 5 pts
Improvement in writing assignment - 10 pts
Final paper -
In-class presentation -
10 pts
10 pts
Mid-term exam = 30 points
A mid-term exam that consists of multiple choice, short answer and essay questions is required. A review of material that will be on the exam will be provided.
Final Exam = 30 points
A final exam that consists of multiple choice, short answer and essay questions is required. A review of material that will be on the exam will be provided.
COURSE RESOURCES
The articles and readings for this course will be posted on Sakai.
COURSE POLICES
Classroom etiquette:
While students are in class, they are expected to give their full attention to the lecture. Reading, talking, eating, texting or browsing on cell phones, leaving or packing up to leave before the professor has dismissed the class are inappropriate classroom behaviors and disruptive to other students. If for some reason you know that you will need to leave lecture early, let me know before class begins, sit near a door, and leave quietly and unobtrusively. If you come to class late, be sure to enter quietly and take care not to disturb the class in progress. Also, please make sure that your watch alarms, pagers, and cell phones do not go off during class.
Attendance and preparation of assignments:
Students are expected to attend all classes; if you expect to miss one or two classes, please use the University absence reporting website https://sims.rutgers.edu/ssra to indicate the date and reason for your absence. An email will be automatically sent to me. Unexcused absences will lower your grade. Computer glitches (such as computers that die, hard disks that crash, flash drives that are lost, etc) will not be accepted as excuses for failure to do assignments on time, to study for exams, etc. Handouts produced for the in-class presentations should be typed and in sufficient numbers for the entire class.
Policy Regarding Missed Exams:

Generally, makeup examinations are not given (and the score for the missed exam is entered as zero “0”). If you would like to be considered for a makeup examination, the following three conditions must be met:
1. You should have a legitimate excuse for having missed the original exam, e.g., Illness, family emergency.
2. You must inform me within 48 hrs before or after the scheduled exam date that you cannot take the exam.
3. Within a week of the missed examination, you must provide me with a Dean's Letter of Absence (from the
Dean of your school) confirming that you had a legitimate reason to miss the examination.
If all three of the above conditions apply, then you will be allowed to do a makeup exam.
Academic Integrity:
There will be no tolerance for plagiarism. Students are encouraged to review the university polices on this.
Research papers will be examined for plagiarism and proper citation.
Course Schedule and assigned readings
(G indicates the Gamble text, C the Cunliffe text)
Week Topic Readings
1 23 Jan
2 27 Jan
30 Jan
3 3 Feb
6 Feb
4
10 Feb
13 Feb
Introduction, Course Requirements and Arriving Modern Humans
Upper Paleolithic Societies
Late Pleistocene Neandertals, Other Species(?),
The Geography of and Environmental Zones of Europe
Archaeological Method, Theory, and Frameworks
The First Human Inhabitants of Europe (1.2 Ma-500 Ka)
The First Human Inhabitants of Europe (500 Ka-300 Ka)
Neandertals and their Societies
G- Ch. 2 & 3; C- Ch. 1
G- Ch. 1
C- Ch. 2
TBA
G- Ch. 4
G- Ch. 5
G- Ch. 6
G- Ch. 7
5 17 Feb
20 Feb
6 24 Feb
27 Feb
7 3 Mar
6 Mar
8 10 Mar
Upper Paleolithic Societies cont’d
After the Ice: Hunter-Gatherers and the Holocene
The Mesolithic Age (8,000-5,000 BC)
Review for Midterm Exam
Mid-Term Exam
Plant Domestication, Agriculture,
Zooarchaeology & Domesticated Animals
Neolithic Farmers and the Agrarian
Transformation of Europe (11,000-8,000 BP)
TBA
C- Ch. 3
TBA
TBA
C- Ch. 4

13 Mar
9 17 Mar
20 Mar
10 24 Mar
27 Mar
3 Apr
11 31 Mar
Assimilation in the Maritime Regions (6000 - 3800 BC)
NO CLASS
NO CLASS
– Spring Break!!
– Spring Break!!
C- Ch. 5
Europe in Her Infinite Variety (4500-2800 BC)
The Emergence of Elites in Bronze Age
Northern Europe (2500-1300 BC)
C- Ch. 6
The Minoan and Mycenaean Palace Civilizations (2000-1200 BC) C- Ch. 7
Trade and Exchange, Ancient Technologies, Religion & Mortuary Practices TBA
12 7 Apr
10 Apr
13 14 Apr
17 Apr
14 21 Apr
24 Apr
Ch. 13
15 28 Apr
1 May
16 5 May
Final Exam, TBA
The Late Bronze Age: the Collapse of Aegean Civilization and the Reformation of Barbarian Europe (1300-800 BC)
Early Iron Age Europe (800-500 BC)
States in Collision (500-200 BC)
C- Ch. 8
C- Ch. 9
C- Ch. 10
Barbarians at the Gates: Rome and the Barbarians (200 BC-300 AD) C- Ch. 11
The Migration Period: the Barbarians Inherit Europe (300-800 AD)
Vikings: The Twilight of Prehistoric Europe (800-1000 AD)
In-class Presentations
In-class Presentations
Summary and Review for Final
C- Ch. 12
C-
C- Ch. 14