Spring 2002

Rick Davis

Office Hours: Wed 10-11; Thur 1-2

Bryn Mawr College

Readings

This year readings are on reserve in a packet in Dalton 104 and in Canaday. In addition the readings will be posted on the courese web page:

Requirements

Completion of all Lab excercises, Midterm (Take home due March 8), Project (Due April 30th), Final. Details on your Project alternatives will be distributed later in the term.

Course Description

Human adaptation and survival for millennia have depended on a number of basic technologies. In many parts of the world today these technologies persist. This course will examine several traditional technologies: chipped and ground stone, ceramics, textiles, metallurgy (bronze), simple machines, and energy production and use. The course will focus on the physical properties of various materials, production processes, and cultural contexts both ancient and modern. A weekly laboratory session will be devoted to the production of finished artifacts in the various technologies covered.

Schedule and Readings

Jan 22 Introduction: Traditional Technology and Culture Process

           Readings: Sharp; Susskind

           Lab 1 - Materials and Technology

Jan 29 Flint Knapping I - Simple Chipped Stone Tools

           Readings: Andrefsky chapters 1 - 3; Davis

           Lab 2 - Hard Hammer Percussion

Feb 5 Flint Knapping II - More Stone tools

           Readings: Adrefsky chapters 4,7,8.

           Lab 3 - Lithic Classification and analysis

Feb 12 Ground Stone Tools: Axes and metates

           Readings: Hayden; Carneiro

           Lab 4 - Making a Ground Stone Ulu

Feb 19 Simple Machines and Energy - The Energetics of
        Hunting and Gathering

           Readings: Cotterell & Kamminga, Chap 2

Feb 26 Pyrotechnology - Fire by Friction; Human Relation
        Area Files Cross Cultural Survey

           Lab 5 - HRAF Report on Pyrotechnoloy

Mar 5 Ceramics I - Properties of Clay, Modeling Techniques

           Readings: Rye Chapters 1 - 5 Lab 6 - Making a clay bowl

Mar 19 Ceramics II - Firing, Kiln Design, and Ethnographic Context

           Readings: Rye 6; Litshira; Papousek

           Demonstration - Open Hearth Firing

Mar 26 Intro to textiles, Production, Conservation

           Exhibition of Peruvian Textiles

           Readings: Barber chapters 1 - 4

April 2 Textiles II - Fibers, Hand Spinning, Weaving with
                       a Backstrap Loom

            Readings: Barber; chapters 9 - 10

            Lab 7 - Construction and Use of a Backstrap Loom

April 9 Textiles III - The spinning wheel, Fibers and Textiles in the
        Past,Ethnographic examples and meanings.

            Readings: Barber; chapters 11,13,14

April 16 Metallurgy - Copper and Bronze

            Readings: Hodges 4, 5, & 6; Muhly;

            Film: "Out of the Fiery Furnace"

            Lab/Demonstration - Bronze Casting in open
                                face molds.

April 23 Culture and Technology Processes

            Readings: Bernard and Pelto; Heilbroner

April 30 Technology and You

          Project Reports