last revised 11/26/01--subject to change weekly

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS

PAPER 1  DUE Wednesday, October 17, 5:00 p.m.  (2 choices)

• Write a paper of no more than seven typewritten pages exploring the issues of feminism and gender that archaeologists must contend with when interpreting the evidence they find.  You might wish to consider examples in several realms, from religion to work.  Draw on the bibliography for Session 4, which you may supplement with other readings, such as

 Joan M. Gero and Margaret W. Conkey, eds. Engendering archaeology : women and prehistory.
    Cambridge, MA: B. Blackwell, 1991.

Margaret W. Conkey and Ruth E. Tringham. "Archaeology and the Goddess: Exploring the Contours
    of Feminist Archaeology",  in Domna C. Stanton and Abigail J. Stewart, eds.
  Feminisms in the academy. Ann Arbor : University of Michigan Press, 1995.

Kelley Hays-Gilpin and David S. Whitley, eds. Reader in gender archaeology. New York:
    Routledge, 1998.

Lucy Goodison and Christine Morris, eds. Ancient goddesses: the myths and the evidence.
    Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 1998.

OR

• "ORIGINS OF THE MINOAN PALACE"

There are three views of the origins of the Minoan palaces.  One is that they were borrowed from the Near East; another suggests that they emerged directly from the settlement forms of the Early Bronze Age, and the last argues that they emerged suddenly and without much reference to either the Near East and Egypt or previous settlement on the island.  Briefly outline the evidence for these opinions and choose one (or suggest a new one of your own) to support.  No more than seven typewritten pages.  In addition to the reading for Oct 1, 3, 5, 8 consult the following sources (available on Carpenter Reserve):

Graham, J.W. 1964 "The Relation of the Minoan Palaces to the Near Eastern Palaces
    of the Second Millennium," in E.L. Bennett, Jr., ed., Mycenaean Studies (Madison) 195-215.

Watrous, L.V. 1987 "The role of the Near East in the rise of the Cretan Palaces," in Function 65-70.

Warren, P. 1988 The Aegean Civilizations (New York 1988). Pp.  33-46, 69-71.

Warren, P. 1985 "Minoan Palaces," in Scientific American 253(1) 74-81.

Whitelaw, T. 1983 "The settlement at Fournou Korifi Myrtos and aspects of Early Minoan
    social organization," in  Minoan Society 323-45.

Cherry, J. F. 1983 "Evolution, revolution, and the origins of complex society in Minoan Crete,"
    in Minoan Society 33-45.

Cherry, J. F. 1986 "Polities and palaces: some problems in the Minoan state formation,"
    in C. Renfrew and J.F. Cherry, eds., Peer Polity Interaction and Socio-Political Change
    (Cambridge)  19-45.
 
 

Write an essay on the Minoan villa as an artifact of the palaces.  Consider it in terms of a product of specialized craftsmen and as an extension of the the palace in administrative, economic and ideological terms. No more than seven pages typewritten. In addition to the reading assigned for Oct 10, 12, 22, 24, consult the following sources (available on Carpenter Reserve):

 Betts, J. 1967 "New Light on Minoan Bureaucracy," Kadmos 6: 15-40.

Hood, S. 1983 "The 'country house' and Minoan Society," in Minoan Society 129-135.

Watrous, L.V. 1984 "Ayia Triada: A New Perspective on the Minoan Villa," AJA 88: 123-134.

Marinatos, N. and R. Hägg, 1986 "On the Ceremonial Function of the Minoan Polythyron," OpAth 16: 57-73.

Chadwick, J. 1990 Linear B and Related Scripts (Texas).
 

PAPER 3  Due Monday, December 3, 5:00 p.m.

Choose one of the following topics:

Write a short paper summarizing the cruxof the problem of coordinating the chronology of the Theran eruption and of the first phase of the Late Bronze Age.  This means you have to consider the discrepancy between the absolute dates determined scientifically by radiocarbon dating and those determined historically through relative associations with the Egyptian historical sequence.  Take into account the coordination of Late Minoan, Late Helladic and  the Cyclades.

Here are some sources:

• Aitken, M.J., H.N. Michael, P.P. Betancourt, and P.M. Warren 1988 (x) "The Thera Eruption: Continuing Discussion of the Dating,"Archaeometry 30: 165-182.

• Betancourt, P.P. 1987 "Dating the Aegean Late Bronze Age with radiocarbon," Archaeometry 29: 45-49.

• Betancourt, P.P. and H.N. Michael 1987 "Dating the Aegean Late Bronze Age with radiocarbon: addendum," Archaeometry 29: 212-213.

• Cadogan, G. 1978 "Dating the Aegean Bronze Age without radiocarbon," Archaeometry 20: 209-214.

• Hammer, C. U. et al. 1990. Greenland ice sheet evidence of post-glacial volcanism and its climatic impact. Nature 288, 230-35.

• Hammer, C. U. et al. 1990. The Minoan eruption of Santorini in Greece dated to 1645 BC? Nature 328, 517-19.

• Manning, S.W. 1990 "The Thera Eruption: The Third Congress and the Problem of the Date," Archaeometry 32: 91-100.

• Warren, P. 1987 "The Absolute Dating of the Aegean Late Bronze Age," Archaeometry 29: 205-211.

OR

Write an essay about the evidence for administrative and economic activity of the Mycenaean palaces.  Consider the evidence of control of the palaces of their territories.  Consult reading for week 11 and sources listed below.

Here are some sources:

•      Killen, J.T. 1964 "The Wool Industry of Crete in the Late Bronze Age," BSA 59: 1-15.

•      Killen, J.T. 1984 "The Textile Industries at Pylos and Knossos," in Pylos Comes Alive 49-63.

•      Killen, J.T. 1985 "The Linear B Tablets and the Mycenaean Economy,' in Linear B 241-305.

•      Palaima, T.G. 1984 "Scribal Organization and Palatial Activity," in C.W. Shelmerdine and T.G.              Palaima, eds., Pylos Comes Alive 31-39.

•      Palaima, T.G. and J.C. Wright 1985 "Ins and Outs of the Archives Rooms at Pylos," AJA 89: 251-262.

•      Palaima, T.G., ed. 1990 Aegean Seals, Sealings and Administration. Aegaeum 5.

•      Shelmerdine, C.W. 1973 "The Pylos Ma Tablets Reconsidered," AJA 77: 261-278.

•      Shelmerdine, C.W. 1984 "The Perfumed Oil Industry at Pylos," in Pylos Comes Alive 81-95.