ANTH 3340 - Exploring the Ancient Civilizations of Peru

Goals: To directly familiarize students on site in Peru with the prehistory, history, and present day conditions of the peoples of Andes, their diverse ecosystems ranging from the arid coastal deserts to the high mountains. Ancient civilizations in the Andes attained a high degree of sophistication, producing large architectural complexes, a wide range of artistic and craft forms, and complex political organizations, culminating in the Inca Empire. This course will provide comparative archaeological and ethnohistorical information, theories, and controversies related to the various cultures and civilizations that flourished there (Chavin, Cupisnique, Chimu, through that of the Quechua-speaking Inca) from the earliest human colonization during Pleistocene times through the sixteenth century arrival of Francisco Pizarro to current times.

Content: Using on-site visits to archaeological and historical sites, museums, and to modern rural through urban communities, students will become aware of, be able to synthesize, and be able to evaluate how archaeological anthropologists have employed analytical techniques and systemic perspectives to understand prehistoric cultural dynamics that contributed to the rise of the various complex societies of ancient Peru. In addition to archaeological concerns, students become acquainted with the diverse ecologies and the rural-to-urban ethnographic spectrum of the cultures of contemporary Peruvian Andean life. Students are confronted by a variety of alternative explanations and issue oriented perspectives that deal specifically with the Andean region.

Taught: Alternate years, winter term in Peru

Prerequisite: None; ANTH 3470 is recommended

Credits: 4