Dr. Anne Chapin 226 Sims Art Building
Office: 216 Sims Art Building TTh 10:00-11:15
Email: chapin@brevard.edu
Office Hours: TTh 11:15-12:00, TTh 2:30-4 pm; and by appointment
Prerequisites: None.
Description
This course offers an introduction to the archaeological remains
of ancient Greece from the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods through the
Bronze Age, c. 20,000-1000 BC, with special emphasis given to the Minoan
and Mycenaean cultures of Crete and the Greek mainland.
Goals and Objectives
Major monuments of Greek Bronze Age art and archaeology are presented
in class as representative of the cultures that produced them while being
placed within the context of contemporary ancient Egyptian and Ancient
Near Eastern cultures of the eastern Mediterranean. Special attention
is given to problems of interpretation, but this course assumes no previous
knowledge of archaeology.
Implementation
AH 222 is primarily a lecture course with a question-and-answer/discussion
component. Individual sites and objects are presented to the class
in a lecture setting, but students are frequently asked questions that
promote group discussions about the monuments. In addition,
each student presents a short (10-15 minute) oral report to the class on
a subject/problem in Aegean archaeology.
The students practice many skills in these lectures and discussions.
Visual analysis—the process of analyzing what is seen in a work of art—is
the foundation of art history and is developed with both the spoken and
written word. Regular quizzes test knowledge and understanding of
the monuments. Learning to recognize the monuments provides a working
visual “vocabulary” while memorizing their dates provides the students
with a lasting grasp of archaeological periods. Testing develops
skills to think and analyze quickly, and the essays allow students to synthesize
the material. Finally, the oral report offers students the opportunity
to practice public speaking and communication skills.
Course Requirements
1. Class attendance (100 pts.).
Class attendance is mandatory, and as such, it will be calculated
into your final grade. Perfect attendance yields the equivalent of
a 100 on a midterm exam. Each class attended counts as 4 points,
for a total of 100.
2. Reading assignments.
There is one textbook assigned to this course:
Aegean Art and Architecture, by Donald Preziosi and Louise A.
Hitchcock. Oxford University Press, 1999.
Additional readings.
Additional readings on special topics are placed on reserve
in the Jones Library.
3. Oral Report (50 points)
Each student is to give one oral report of 10-15 minutes on a
topic in Aegean art and archaeology, and is to submit an annotated bibiliography
worth 25% of the report grade describing in detail the sources drawn upon
for the report.
5. Quizzes and Exams.
There are 3 quizzes (30 points each), each designed to test students
on identifications and terms.
Additionally, there are two midterms and a final exam. Each exam consists of slide identifications, testing on factual information, and one essay. The monuments for slide identifications will be drawn from those available to the students as photographs in the texts, reserve readings, and class handouts. A list of images that could appear on exams is given to the students before the exams.
The final exam has two parts: Part I tests only the final third of the course and Part II consists of cumulative essays covering the entire course. The format of the Part I is similar to that of the previous midterms, with slide identifications, etc. The cumulative essays comprising Part II are drawn from a list of possible essays which are distributed to the class during the last week of class.
The exam schedule is as follows:
Exam 1 (100 pts.): FEB. 8.
Exam 2 (100 pts.): MAR. 22.
Final Exam (150 pts.): APR. 26 at 1:30 p.m.
Grading Summary.
Attendance 100 pts.
Quizzes 90
Oral Report 50
Midterm I 100
Midterm II 100
Final Exam 150
Total 590 pts
Grading Scale.
The grades are determined on a curve before extra credit points are
added to the individual totals.
POLICIES:
Missed exams and quizzes will be counted “0”. No make-up exams or quizzes are given without compelling reason and without documented proof.
Written papers may not substitute for a missed exam.
Exams not picked up in class on the day that they are handed back can be picked up during the professor’s office hours.
Students with diagnosed or undiagnosed learning disabilities or special needs (including emergency medical information) should speak with the professor during the first week of class about any special arrangements that are necessary. The student with a learning disability should go to the Learning Enhancement Center to obtain an accommodation letter.
All students will follow the Honor Code and adhere to its guidelines. Any student who has not signed the Honor Code pledge may get a form at the office of the Registrar.
The professor will attempt to adhere as closely as possible to this
syllabus but details are subject to change.
Course Outline and Reading Assignments
Jan. 9 General Introduction: Geography, Chronology,
and Mythology
Read: Text pp. 1-31.
Jan. 11-16 Paleolithic and Neolithic Greece
Read: Text pp. 33-44; Jacobsen (on reserve).
Jan. 18-30 Early Bronze Age: Early Helladic Greece, Early Minoan Crete,
Early Cycladic, and Troy II. Read: Text pp. 44-61.
QUIZ 1.
Feb. 1-6 Middle Bronze Age: The Old Palace Period of Crete.
Read: Text pp. 63-87; Sakellarakis (on reserve).
Feb. 8 MIDTERM 1.
Feb. 13-20 Late Bronze Age Crete: The New Palace Period.
Art and Architecture of Palaces, Villas, and Towns.
Read: Text pp. 89-122; Archaeology magazine selections (on reserve).
Feb. 22-27 Late Bronze Age Crete: The New Palace Period.
The Archaeology of Minoan Ritual and Cult
Read: Text pp. 140-148; Niemeier (on reserve) and Hughes (on
reserve).
QUIZ 2.
Mar. 1-6 The Minoan and Mycenaean Spheres of Influence: Late Cycladic
I and the Eruption of
Thera. Read: Text pp. 122-140; reserve readings TBA.
Mar. 6-20 Middle Helladic Greece; Late Helladic I-II: Grave Circles
B and A, and the Rise of
Mycenaean Culture.
Read: Text pp. 148-152; M. Wood (on reserve); Mylonas (on reserve)
Mar. 13-15 SPRING BREAK
Mar. 22 MIDTERM 2.
Mar. 27 Late Minoan II-IIIA1 Crete and the Fall of Knossos.
Text pp. 165-174.
Mar. 29- Late Helladic III A-B Greece: Pylos, Mycenae, and Tiryns
Apr. 3 Text pp. 155-165; 174-190.
Apr. 5 Late Helladic III A-B Greece: Athens and Boeotia.
Late Minoan IIIB Crete and the Late Cycladic III Islands.
Apr. 10 Archaeology of Mycenaean Cult and Ritual.
Read: Taylor (on reserve)
QUIZ 3.
Apr. 12 The Trojan War?
Read: Michael Wood, pp. 19-32, 156 ff. (on reserve)
Apr. 17 Mycenaeans Abroad
Read: Text pp. 193-210; Bass (on reserve)
Apr. 19 The Collapse of Mycenaean Civilization
Read: Michael Wood (on reserve)
Apr. 24 After the Fall: Sub-Mycenaean, Sub-Minoan, and the Greek
Dark Age.
Read: Text pp. 210-219.
Apr. 26 FINAL EXAM
1:30 p.m.