ANT 4068H5 F -
ARCHAEOLOGY of
TECHNOLOGY
Fall 2004, Anthropology, Univ. of Toronto
Course Web Page:
http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/~w3hmlmil/4068F2004.htm
Office: 208 North Building, UTM (or
1028 Sid Smith, St. George)
Phone, UTM:
905-828-3741
Email: hmiller "at" utm.utoronto.ca
Class
meeting at UTM:
217 North
Tuesdays 10-12
Open
Lab Time at UTM:
221 North
By appointment
Office
Hour at St. George:
1028 Sid Smith
Fridays by appointment
Course Description
This course approaches past technologies
from a variety of perspectives: through readings
and discussion of major theoretical topics; through analysis of archaeological
data; through ethnographic videos and accounts; and through hands-on techniques
of reconstruction, experimentation and analysis.
Technology and production will be studied
alternatively from the perspective of the archaeologist, focusing on the
major methods archaeologists and others have used to study ancient technology,
and from the perspective of the ancient craftsperson, focusing on basic
production technologies for a number of crafts.
Intertwined with this, a number of
archaeological themes in the study of technology will be examined, such as
organization & control of production, style of technology, and the value
of objects. Throughout, social and cultural as
well as economic and functional reasons for the development and adoption
of new technologies will be discussed.
Readings
REQUIRED
(1) Steven Lubar & W. D. Kingery
(eds), 1993. History From Things: Essays
on Material Culture. Washington DC:
Smithsonian Institution Press.
We will read 1 chapter for the 4th
class, & 5 chapters of this book for one of the last classes. There are
multiple copies at various U of T libraries, or you can order it through
Chapters if you'd like to own it. Don't wait
to order, it can take a while if it is coming from the States.
(2) The reading selections will be
available in the photocopy room at St. George, and in room 221 at UTM. If you take anything to copy, please leave a note
indicating when you will return it.
RECOMMENDED
The bibliography
includes full references for a number of books that are key background references
for this class, your research, and future teaching.
If you can buy them now, do so. Otherwise,
plan for the future. Rye & Sinopoli also
have several sections assigned for class reading; these are in the readings
for those who don't have the books.
Rice, Prudence M. 1987. Pottery Analysis: A Sourcebook. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press.
Rye, Owen S. 1981.
Pottery Technology: Principles and Reconstruction. Manuals on Archaeology vol. 4. Washington
DC: Taraxacum Press.
Sinopoli, Carla M. 1991. Approaches
to Archaeological Ceramics. New York:
Plenum Press.
Inizan, M.-L., H. Roche, J. Tixier. 1992. Technology of
Knapped Stone. English edition. PrŽhistoire
de la Pierre TaillŽe, Tome 3. Meudon: C.R.E.P. (CNRS).
Odell, George H.
2004. Lithic Analysis. New York:
Klewer Academic/Plenum Publishers
Whittaker, John C. 1994 Flintknapping: Making
and Understanding Stone Tools. Austin:
Univ. of Texas Press.
David, Nicholas & Carol Kramer. 2001. Ethnoarchaeology
in Action. Cambridge World Archaeology series. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Franklin, Ursula.
1992 [1990]. The Real World of Technology. CBC Massey
Lectures Series. Concord, Ontario: House of Anansi Press.
You really
must have Rice (1987) and Rye (1981) if you intend to work with ceramics;
Sinopoli (1991) is also strongly recommended for examples of the use of
ceramics to answer social questions. There are several good flintknapping
books besides Whittaker - ask if you want other references. See me for references for other craft industries. David & Kramer is a must-have for ethnoarchaeology. Franklin is an excellent, intelligible, inexpensive
book (only $10) that shows why people should care about the study of past
technologies. Most other key theoretical references
are articles - see the bibliography.
Note:
If you are having trouble finding some of these recommended books, the UTM
bookstore will order the book at cost if you pay at the time of ordering. It might be best to order as a group.
Course Requirements and Grading
The course
mark will depend on participation and on a final project.
[1] 10% of
the course mark will be based on participation in class.
This includes class attendance, critical discussion of readings, and
involvement in labs. Students may be assigned
as discussion leaders for particular classes/articles.
[2] 20% of the course mark will be
based on 'position papers' that you write for each class.
These are short statements (1 page single-spaced, 12 pt. font) summarizing
the main point of each of the readings for that class, and indicating how
they fit with each other and/or with the theme(s) for the day.
[3] Each student will do an individual
project examining the role of technology in a past society, based on the
experimental or replicative investigation of an ancient object or manufacturing
technique. This project with be presented orally
to the class, and also as a written document in the form of either a formal
paper/article or the design for a museum display. Various
steps will be submitted so the instructor can provide the maximum feedback
on your project. Past papers have gone on to
become conference presentations, published papers, or even the foundation
for dissertation research.
Topic Statement (1-2 paragraphs at least)
(no mark, but I will tell you how I
would have marked it)
Annotated Bibliography
10%
20-30 minute Class Presentation
25%
Written Paper
35%
70%
Lab
Work for Individual Projects
We are only able to do a few demonstrations/hands-on
sessions in class to illustrate particular topics or crafts. However, depending on the topics chosen and the number
of students in the class, labs related to individual projects are sometimes
incorporated into the class labs. In addition,
I often schedule optional weekly lab times when I meet with students outside
of class to do further lab work related to their individual topics. Other students are welcome to attend any sessions
of interest, whether related to their own projects or not.