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Academic Year 2002/2003

Ancient Indian Cities: The Historical Archaelogy of Urbanism in South Asia
ARHA 200 SP
Crosslistings:
ARCP 200
Clusters:

Southern Asia and Indian Ocean

This course surveys the archaeology and history of urbanism in South Asia from the time of the Indus Valley Civilization (2500-1750 BC) through the time of the south Indian empire of Vijayanagara (1346-1565). During this time span, the level of urbanization did not remain constant, but fluctuated between periods of heightened urbanism (the so-called First, Second, and Third urbanizations) and intervening eras of urban decay characterized by a return to more rural forms of social and economic organization. Through in-depth examination of the archaeological record and historical data pertaining to major cities in each of these periods, the course attempts to assess the changing nature and cultural functions of cities in premodern South Asia. Many different dimensions of these urban phenomena will be considered, ranging from settlement patterns and urban morphology to the economic, social, political, and military functions of cities. We will also be concerned with theoretical and methodological issues relating to archaeology and language, archaeology and ethnicity, and cognitive archaeology.

MAJOR READINGS

Jonathan Mark Kenoyer, ANCIENT CITIES OF THE INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION
Gregory Possehl, HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION: A RECENT PERSPECTIVE
Rajesh Kochhar, THE VEDIC PEOPLE: THEIR HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY
Colin Renfrew, ARCHAEOLOGY AND LANGUAGE: THE PUZZLE OF INDO-EUROPEAN ORIGINS
F.R. Alllchin et al, THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF EARLY HISTORIC SOUTH ASIA: THE EMERGENCE OF CITIES AND STATES
R.S. Sharma, URBAN DECAY IN INDIA (C.300-C.1000)
Howard Spodek and Doris Srinivasan, eds. URBAN FORM AND MEANIN G IN SOUTH ASIA: THE SHAPING OF CITIES FROM PREHISTORIC TO PRECOLONIAL TIMES
John M. Fritz and George Michell, eds. NEW LIGHT ON HAMPI: RECENT RESEARCH AT VIJAYANAGARA
Alan Mayne et al., THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF URBAN LANDSCAPES

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Quizzes, midterm and final. Two short papers.

Unless preregistered students attend the first class meeting or communicate directly with the instructor prior to the first class, they will be dropped from the class list. NOTE: Students must still submit a completed Drop/Add form to the Registrar's Office.

The instructor of this course will not be using the on-line wait list. If you are interested in this course, please contact the instructor directly.

COURSE FORMAT: Lecture/Discussion

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD    Credit: 1    Gen Ed Area Dept: HA ART    Grading Mode: Graded   

Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-18-2003

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