The time frame this course will look into will be from the beginnings of urbanism to the end of the Bronze Age in different geographic settings. While the major river valley sites in the Fertile Crescent, Indus river valley, and China's river valleys will be focused on, other examples will be investigated as a comparison. Beginning with an introduction to Archaeology the course will continue with a look at the impact that urban life had on complex societies. Important to this will be the influence of non-settled peoples on these earlier settled societies. To be able to discover the history of these places the course will focus on what material culture can tell us about the formations of these societies. Students in the course will read chapters from important archaeological studies, "pop history," and look at the physical materials from the sites.

Prerequisite: Open to students in fourth, fifth, and sixth form with departmental approval