Problems in Greek Prehistory

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2016:

170 hours

Admission to fourth-year Honours or Graduate Diploma (Advanced) in Ancient World Studies, or Classics; or admission to Graduate Diploma, Graduate Certificate, or Graduate Certificate (Advanced) in Classical Studies and Archaeology; or, permission of the subject coordinator.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

This subject takes an in-depth look at the latest debates and discoveries in the study of the Bronze Age Aegean (Minoan Crete, Mycenaean Greece, and Cycladic Islands) from 3000-1000 BCE. In addition, it considers the role of Prehistoric Greece in the broader field of archaeology. The focus may vary from year to year, but areas of analysis include the history of archaeological practice in Greece, prehistoric production and exchange, ceramics and prestige goods, the interpretation of iconography and architecture, the identification and analysis of Aegean religion, the emergence and collapse of complex societies in Crete and in Greece, and current controversies in the interpretation of archaeological remains with regard to gender, kingship, ethnicity, and feasting.

Students who successfully complete this subject should:

• acquire an understanding of the latest debates in Greek archaeology;
• understand how archaeologists use theory and texts to interpret material culture and to reconstruct cultural continuity and change;
• be able to evaluate the interpretive constructs (theory) used by archaeologists in Greece to address specific empirical problems and issues.

• 8 x 300 word essays based on the readings, one due each week, commencing in week 4 (40%),
• a 2600 word research essay, due 2 weeks after semester (50%)
• class discussion based on weekly reading (10%)

Hurdle Requirement:

• Students are required to attend a minimum of 75% of classes in order to pass this subject.
• All pieces of written work must be submitted to pass this subject.

Note: Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at 2% per working day. In-class tasks missed without approval will not be marked.

Preziosi, D. and Hitchcock, L.A. Aegean Art and Architecture, Oxford 1999.

Other subject readings will be available on line

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.