This is an introductory class for undergraduate students which focuses on crafting technology that shaped social and cultural forms in ancient times. It presents how crafting activities involved human labor, skills, and knowledge to transform organic and non-organic materials into working objects and how craft products and the organization of labor in the crafting industry significantly shaped ways of human life and political and economic structures in ancient societies. The course involves the introduction of theoretical frameworks and methodologies of archaeological studies in ancient crafting technologies, and a deep dive into six most popular crafting activities: pottery and ceramic, lithic, osseous, metal, textile and leather, as well as food production. The main sources would be the published archaeological studies in different types of craft technology and the research projects conducted by the two instructors. The lab session would involve modern materials and processing tools for replicating experiments. The archaeological materials and case studies introduced in this class will primarily cover but not be limited to ancient East Asia. Inclusivity and diversity in regions and eras will be promised to present the general pattern of technological development and their affect in worldwide.
5 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit
This is an introductory class for undergraduate students which focuses on crafting technology that shaped social and cultural forms in ancient times. It presents how crafting activities involved human labor, skills, and knowledge to transform organic and non-organic materials into working objects and how craft products and the organization of labor in the crafting industry significantly shaped ways of human life and political and economic structures in ancient societies. The course involves the introduction of theoretical frameworks and methodologies of archaeological studies in ancient crafting technologies, and a deep dive into six most popular crafting activities: pottery and ceramic, lithic, osseous, metal, textile and leather, as well as food production. The main sources would be the published archaeological studies in different types of craft technology and the research projects conducted by the two instructors. The lab session would involve modern materials and processing tools for replicating experiments. The archaeological materials and case studies introduced in this class will primarily cover but not be limited to ancient East Asia. Inclusivity and diversity in regions and eras will be promised to present the general pattern of technological development and their affect in worldwide.