1 Anthropology 410, Fall 2010 AFRICAN ARCHAEOLOGY Tuesday-Thursday, 12:00-1:50pm, Gerlinger 248 Dr. Stephen Dueppen Office: 254 Condon Hall Office Hours: Tuesdays 2-4, or by appointment Email: [email protected] Course Description Modern Africa is home to an extraordinary diversity of peoples and cultures. In this class, we explore the foundations, development and fluorescence of African societies over the last 12,000 years. We will cover topics including the adoption of agricultural lifeways; the origins of village communities; Saharan and Indian Ocean trading networks; the unique political structures of African states and empires; the development of prehistoric democracies; and the impacts of the slave trade on African society. Requirements: Your final grade for this course will be based on the following: - Midterm Exam (30%) - Final Exam (30%) - Research Paper Outline and Bibliography (10%) - Research Paper (30%) Late assignments or exams will NOT be accepted without prior permission. If you have a documented disability and may need accommodation in this class, please contact me in advance. Please also request the Counselor for Students with Disabilities to provide a letter verifying your disability. I take academic integrity very seriously; please review the University’s Academic Honesty Policy posted on the blackboard website and contact me if you have any questions. Readings: All course readings are available as PDF files on the course blackboard site. Important Dates to Remember October 12: Deadline for choosing paper topic October 26: Midterm Exam November 4: Paper outline and bibliography due in class December 2: Research paper due in class December 9: Final ExamAnthropology 410: African Archaeology 2 Lecture Topics and Readings September 28: Introductions and Course Overview, Geography of Africa Readings: McCann 1999, excerpt from Green Land, Brown Land, Black Land September 30: Sahara- Holocene Foragers and Pastoralists Readings: Holl and Dueppen 1999, “Iheren-I: Research on Tassilian Pastoral Iconography” Sereno et al. 2008, “Lakeside cemeteries in the Sahara: 5000 years of Holocene population and environmental change” Smith 1995, excerpt from The Emergence of Agriculture October 5: Sahara- Sedentary Communities Readings: Holl 2009, “Coping with uncertainty: Neolithic life in the Dhar Tichett- Walata, Mauritania, (ca. 4000-2300 BP)” MacDonald et al. 2009, “Dhar Néma: From early agriculture to metallurgy in southeastern Mauritania” October 7: Sahara- Egypt and Nubia Readings: Wengrow 2006, excerpt from The Archaeology of Early Egypt: Social Transformations in North-East Africa, 10,000 to 2650 BC October 12: West Africa- Mixed Economies and Early Villages ***FINAL DEADLINE FOR CHOOSING PAPER TOPIC*** Readings: Watson 2005, “Under the rocks: Reconsidering the origin of the Kintampo Tradition and the development of food production in the savanna-forest/forest of West Africa” October 14: West Africa- Savanna Urbanism, States and Empires Readings: McIntosh and McIntosh 1993, “Cities without citadels: understanding urban origins along the Middle Niger” Skinner 1989, excerpt from The Mossi of Burkina Faso October 19: West Africa- Forest Urbanism, States and Empires Readings: Connah 2001, excerpt from African Civilizations Usman et al. 2005, “Sociopolitical formation on the Yoruba northern frontier: A report of recent work at Ila-Iyara, north central Nigeria” October 21: Trans-Saharan Trade- Linking the Sahara to West Africa Readings: Insoll 2003, excerpt from The Archaeology of Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa Insoll and Shaw 1997, “Gao and Igbo-Ukwu: Beads, interregional trade, and beyond” October 26: MIDTERM EXAM October 28: Central Africa- Copper and Iron Elites Readings: de Maret 2005, “From Pottery Groups to Ethnic Groups in Central Africa”Anthropology 410: African Archaeology 3 November 2: East Africa- Holocene Fishers/Foragers; Early Agriculture and Pastoralism Readings: Harrower et al. 2010, “General/specific, local/global: comparing the beginnings of agriculture in the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia/Eritrea) and southwest Arabia (Yemen)” Kusimba and Kusimba 2005. “Mosaics and interactions: East Africa, 2000 bp to the present” Lane et al. 2007, “The transition to farming in eastern Africa: New faunal and dating evidence from Wadh Lang’o and Usenge, Kenya” November 4: East Africa- Swahili States and Indian Ocean Trade ***PAPER OUTLINE AND BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE IN CLASS*** Readings: Connah 2001, excerpt from African Civilizations LaViolette and Fleischer 2005, “The archaeology of sub-Saharan urbanism: cities and their countrysides” Kusimba 1999, excerpt from The Rise and Fall of Swahili States November 9: East Africa- Ethiopian States Readings: Connah 2001, excerpt from African Civilizations November 11: South Africa- Foragers, Villages, and the Central Cattle Pattern Readings: Huffman 1982, “Archaeology and Ethnohistory of the African Iron Age” Reid 2005, “Interaction, marginalization, and the archaeology of the Kalahari” November 16: South Africa- Shona States, Historical Period Readings: Huffman 2008, “Mapungubwe and Great Zimbabwe: The origin and spread of social complexity”” November 18: Madagascar Debates I: Iron in Africa Readings: Zangato and Holl 2010, “On the iron front: new evidence from north- central Africa” Chirikure 2010, “On evidence, ideas, and fantasy: the origins of iron in Sub-Saharan Africa. Thoughts on É. Zangato and A.F.C. Holl’s ‘On the iron front’” MacEachern 2010, “Thoughts on É. Zangato and A.F.C. Holl’s ‘On the iron front’” November 23: Debates II: Slave Trades from the African Perspective Readings: Lovejoy 2000, excerpt from Transformations in Slavery November 25: NO CLASS- Thanksgiving November 30: Debates III: African Political Systems Readings: Fortes and Evans-Pritchard 1940, excerpt from African Political Systems December 2: Modeling African Societies ***RESEARCH PAPER DUE IN CLASS*** FINAL EXAM current scheduled for December 9 (Thursday), 8:00