Topic	Things to Ponder
Week 1 Introduction, transition from Bronze to Iron Age in Europe	Who were the "Celts"? Is there such a thing? What relationship is there between the European Bronze Age and the Bronze Ages elsewhere?
Week 2 Transition from Bronze to Iron Age. Looking at objects and art	What are the salient characteristics of Urnfield, "Hallstatt C and D"? What are we to make of imports?
Week 3 Aspects of Hallstatt C-D. Interpretation of funerary assemblages. Funerary rite. Tombs and identity. Gender issues.	What can we say about localization?  What are the differences and similarities between male and female graves? Is personal identity expressed in  a tomb? Social identity? Economic?  or is identity destroyed by the burial? What is the purpose of burial? What is the purpose of burial of object assemblages? What roles did women play in late BA and early Iron Age society? How can we tell?
Week 4 Major sites of the late Hallstatt D and early La Tène. Gender issues. Cattle-raising/raiding, conquest, warfare. Warfare, arms and armor.	Social structure, livelihood. Women in the classical sources. Women in the archaeological record. Men in the classical sources. Men in the archaeological record.
Week 5 Hallstatt to early La Tène Daily life -- livelihood during "migration"/post- "princely" era. Agriculture, transhumance, livestock. Manufacture; craftsmanship; interpretation of art, objects. "Celts" as mercenaries. DESCRIPTIVE essay Due	The early Iron Age transition; what are the salient characteristics of La Tène A? Who made these works, for whom, for what purpose?   Questions of influence, transformation, reuse. How did the "Celts" fight? How do we know? What role did warfare play in the "culture"? The immediacy of warfare, and use of the weapons ... The "warlike Celts" of literature -- why and how?
Week 6 The Classical sources, "Celts" in Greek and Roman eyes. "Celts" invade Greece and Rome. First Quiz - Map, Terms & Concepts	What is the nature of our written sources? How do we approach them? How are they to be used? Historiography vs. Archaeology
Week 7 Synthesis: burial, gender, warfare, sources.	How do we put it all together?
3/6 -- 11 to 4:40 Explore UT	"The biggest open house in Texas
Week 8 "Celtic" drinking, guest-friendship, wine.  Massalia, emporia.	Social, political and other aspects of the "Celtic" feast. How does the burial context of the finds affect our interpretation? Did the "Celts" practice the symposium? Were the "Celts" colonized?
SPRING BREAK	what a fabulous time to catch up on all the reading and really synthesize what we have learned!
Week 9	Synthesis. Really.
Week 10 Internal interactions, structures. Economics, trade, industry. Coinage.	What is the social structure?  Is there just one?  "Tribe" and "State" What did the "Celts" live on?  What do we mean by "trade" and "economy" in a pre-capitalist society? The "Celtic" monetary economy - when, where, why and to what effect?
Week 11 Sanctuaries,  architecture Viereckschanzen Religion	Interpretation of extant architecture. How do we define what is "ritual" and why? Headhunting. Sacrifice. Religion, belief, cult, Druids -- what is the evidence?
Week 11 "Celts" elsewhere -- "Celts" in Italy "Celts" in the East and Galatians Celtiberians Works-in-Progress DUE	How "Celtic" were these "peripheral" peoples? What criteria should we use to make such a determination? What roles did these peripheries play in the history of the "Celtic" peoples
Week 12 The Celtic Languages Map Quiz 2	Introduction to the Celtic language group
Week 13 Later La Tène/Romanization The Continental Celts and the Roman conquest of Gaul The Insular Celts in pre- and early Roman times - introduction Guest Speaker: Andrew Riggsby (Caesar)	How was the Roman conquest accomplished? How did the Romans view the "Celts"? How did the "Celts" respond to Roman conquest? Cultural break or continuity? Define: acculturation, Romanization. What is "Romanization"? Were there "Celts" in the British Isles? What continuity was there with the continental "Celts"? How were the islands Christianized?
Week 14 The Insular "Celts" The Celtic Revival -- Celtic languages and arts today FINAL PAPER DUE -- see Paper Guidelines	What attracts modern populations to claim "Celts" as ancestors, and to invent new kinds of Celt? Why is "Celtic" descent so powerful a force today? What is a "Celt"? Is there such a thing? Was there such a thing in the ancient world? Does it matter & if so, why?
Date & time TBA	FINAL EXAM -- in-class portion; hand-in take-home portion

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Last updated,Wednesday, 18-Nov-2009 15:29:31 CST