Archaeology of Religion syllabus

CLAS/ARTH 4169/5169:听The Archaeology of Religion

Spring 2017听
TR 3:30-4:45 pm
ENVD 120

Professor Dimitri Nakassis
Office: 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听HUMN 1B25
Office hours: 听听听 Tuesday Wednesday Thursday 11 am 鈥 12 pm and by appointment
Phone:听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听(303) 492-8184
E-mail: 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听dimitri.nakassis@colorado.edu

This course is an introduction to the archaeological study of religion, with a focus on the ancient Greek world. We鈥檒l begin with a general introduction to Greek religion and its major archaeological correlates, then transition to more general archaeological and anthropological studies of religion. With these two areas covered, we鈥檒l explore a series of case studies that will hopefully enrich our understanding of the ways to do an archaeology of religion.

Textbooks

Price = Simon Price, Religions of the Ancient Greeks (Cambridge 1999)
Pedley = John Pedley, Sanctuaries and the Sacred in the Ancient Greek World (Cambridge 2005)

Evaluation:

41695169
Class participation20%20%
Midterm exam (Week 6: 2/23)20%20%
Take-home final exam (5/11, 1:30鈥4:00 p.m)20%20%
Short reading responses (5)15%15%
Paper abstract5%5%
鈥淢otel鈥 paper (or research paper)20%
Research paper20%

  • Class participation: you will be evaluated not only based on your attendance but also on whether you contribute to class discussion and the quality of your contribution. Students in the 5169 section will also give one short presentation to the class (on April 4th).
  • Five reading responses: over the course of the semester, you must write five short (about one page, single-spaced, 12 pt) responses to the readings. You must turn in your response at the start of class (I prefer a hard copy) to the readings assigned for that class. The reading responses aren鈥檛 pass/fail assignments; I鈥檒l be evaluating them based on their quality. That is to say, I expect you to engage seriously with the readings; relate what you鈥檝e read to what we鈥檝e already learned, evaluate the arguments that the author is making, etc.
  • The midterm will be composed of short identifications and essays. There will be choice involved with each.
  • Everyone will write a paper, due on the last day of class.
    • Students in the 5169 section must write a research paper, about 15-20 pages double-spaced, on a topic related to the subject matter covered by the class.
    • Students in the 4169 section can write a research paper OR what I鈥檓 calling the 鈥渕otel鈥 paper, about 12-15 pages double-spaced. The 鈥渕otel鈥 paper is less structured and formal than a research paper. 听It will imagine, sort of like the Motel of the Mysteries does, how future archaeologists might interpret a modern 鈥渟ecular鈥 building (like a mall), activity (like bowling), artifact (like a decorative piece of coral) or artwork (like the Mona Lisa) religiously, but using a method (or methods) that you鈥檝e been exposed to in this class.
    • The length of the papers are guidelines to indicate how involved I expect the papers to be. They are not requirements.
  • The final exam is scheduled for May 11, 1:30-4:30 pm; I鈥檒l give you a take-home final that will ask you to answer two essays. I鈥檒l distribute the final exam 鈥渟cript鈥 (i.e., the questions) via e-mail and D2L 48 hours before the exam period. You鈥檒l return your answers to me electronically (e-mail) by 4:30 pm on May 11th.

Academic Policies

Disability services

If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit to your professor a letter from Disability Services in a timely manner (for exam accommodations provide your letter at least one week prior to the exam) so that your needs can be addressed. Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities. Contact Disability Services at 303-492-8671 or by email at听dsinfo@colorado.edu. If you have a temporary medical condition or injury, see听under the Quick Links at the听听and discuss your needs with your professor.

Religious observances

Campus policy regarding religious observances requires that faculty make every effort to deal reasonably and fairly with all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments or required attendance. In this class, (insert your procedures here).听See the听听for full details.

Classroom behavior

Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning environment. Those who fail to adhere to such behavioral standards may be subject to discipline. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with respect to individuals and topics dealing with differences of race, color, culture, religion, creed, politics, veteran's status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and gender expression, age, disability, and nationalities. Class rosters are provided to the instructor with the student's legal name. I will gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name or gender pronoun. Please advise me of this preference early in the semester so that I may make appropriate changes to my records. For more information, see the policies on classroom behavior and the student code.

Discrimination and harassment

The 精品SM在线影片 (精品SM在线影片) is committed to maintaining a positive learning, working, and living environment. 精品SM在线影片 will not tolerate acts of sexual misconduct, discrimination, harassment or related retaliation against or by any employee or student. CU's Sexual Misconduct Policy prohibits sexual assault, sexual exploitation, sexual harassment, intimate partner abuse (dating or domestic violence), stalking or related retaliation. 精品SM在线影片's Discrimination and Harassment Policy prohibits discrimination, harassment or related retaliation based on race, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, political affiliation or political philosophy. Individuals who believe they have been subject to misconduct under either policy should contact the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC) at 303-492-2127. Information about the OIEC, the above referenced policies, and the campus resources available to assist individuals regarding sexual misconduct, discrimination, harassment or related retaliation can be found at the .听

Academic honesty

All students enrolled in a 精品SM在线影片 course are responsible for knowing and adhering to the听of the institution. Violations of the policy may include: plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, lying, bribery, threat, unauthorized access, clicker fraud, resubmission, and aiding academic dishonesty. All incidents of academic misconduct will be reported to the Honor Code Council (honor@colorado.edu; 303-735-2273). Students who are found responsible for violating the academic integrity policy will be subject to nonacademic sanctions from the Honor Code Council as well as academic sanctions from the faculty member. Additional information regarding the academic integrity policy can be found at听.听

Communication

I will make announcements verbally in class and electronically via D2L and e-mail. It is your responsibility to check D2L and your University e-mail address on a regular basis.

Schedule (Subject to update)

Week 1

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Tuesday, 17 January听听听听听听听 Course introduction

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Thursday, 19 January听听听听 Introduction to Religion

  • JD Eller, Introducing Anthropology of Religion (2007) 1-28 [all]

Week 2

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Tuesday, 24 January听听听听听听听 Greek Religion

  • Price 1-10; Pedley 1-16 [all]
  • C Sourvinou-Inwood, 鈥淲hat is Polis Religion?鈥 in The Greek City from Homer to Alexander, edited by O Murray and S Price (Oxford 1990), pp. 295-322 and 鈥淔urther Aspects of Polis Religion,鈥 Annali dell鈥橧stituto Universitario Orientale di Napoli, Sezione di Archeologia e Storia Antica 10 (1988) 259-274 , reprinted in Oxford Readings in Greek Religion, edited by R. Buxton (Oxford 2000), pp. 13-55 [5169]

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Thursday, 26 January听听听听 Gods and festivals I

  • Price 11-46 [all]
  • R. Parker, On Greek Religion, ch 3 [5169]

Week 3

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Tuesday, 31 January听听听听听听听 Gods and festivals II

  • Pedley 17-28 [all]
  • F Graf, "Pompai听in Greece. Some Considerations about Space and Ritual in the Greek听Polis" in R H盲gg ed.,听The Role of Religion in the Early Greek Polis. Proceedings of the Third International Seminar on Ancient Greek Cult, organized by the Swedish Institute at Athens, 16-18 October 1992. (Stockholm 1996), pp. 55-65. [5169]

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Thursday, 2 February听听听听 Sanctuaries I

  • Price 47-66, Pedley 29-38 [all]

Week 4

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Tuesday, 7 February听听听听听听听 Sanctuaries II: places

  • Pedley 39-56 [all]
  • F de Polignac, 鈥淢ediation, Competition, and Sovereignty: The Evolution of Rural Sacntuaries in Geometric Greece,鈥 in Placing the Gods: Sanctuaries and Sacred Space in Ancient Greece, ed. S. E. Alcock and R. Osborne (Oxford 1994), pp. 3-18 [5169]

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Thursday, 9 February听听听听 Sanctuaries III: buildings

  • Pedley 57-77 [all]
  • C Morgan, 鈥淭he Evolution of a Sacral 鈥楲andscape鈥: Isthmia, Perachora, and the Early Corinthian State,鈥 in Placing the Gods: Sanctuaries and Sacred Space in Ancient Greece, ed. S. E. Alcock and R. Osborne (Oxford 1994), pp. 105-142 [5169]

Week 5

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Tuesday, 14 February听听听听 Sanctuaries IV: practices

  • Price 89-125, Pedley 78-99 [all]
  • R. Parker, On Greek Religion, ch. 5 [5169]

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Thursday, 16 February听 Dedications

  • Price 67-88, Pedley 100-118 [all]
  • R Parker, On Greek Religion, ch. 2 [5169]

Week 6

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Tuesday, 21 February听听听听 Specific sanctuary histories

  • Pedley 119-204 [all, in groups]
  • Price 126-171 [5169]

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Thursday, 23 February

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Midterm exam

Week 7

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Tuesday 28 February听听听听听 Motel of the Mysteries

  • D Macaulay, Motel of the Mysteries [all]

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Thursday 2 March听听听听听听听听听听 Archaeology of Religion

  • L Fogelin, 鈥淭he Archaeology of Religious Ritual,鈥 Annual Review of Anthropology 36 (2007) 55-71 [all]
  • C Barrett, 鈥淎rchaeology of Ancient Religions,鈥 Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion (2016) [5169]

Week 8

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Tuesday 7 March听听听听听听听听听听听听 No class

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Thursday 9 March听听听听听听听听听听 Renfrew鈥檚 approach

  • C Renfrew, The Archaeology of Cult (1985) 1-26 [all]
  • C Renfrew, 鈥淭he archaeology of religion,鈥 in The Ancient Mind: Elements of Cognitive Archaeology (1994) 47-54 [all]
  • C Renfrew, The Archaeology of Cult (1985) 361-391 [5169]

听Week 9

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Tuesday 14 March听听听听听听听听听听 The direct historical approach

  • J Marcus and K Flannery, 鈥淎ncient Zapotec ritual and religion: an application of the direct historical approach,鈥 in The Ancient Mind: Elements of Cognitive Archaeology (1994) 55-74 [all]
  • G Hoffman, 鈥淧ainted Ladies: Early Cycladic II Mourning Figures?鈥 American Journal of Archaeology 106.4 (2002) 525-550 [all]

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Thursday 16 March听听听听听听听 The ritual practice approach

  • JZ Smith, To Take Place (1987) 103-112 [all]
  • R Bradley, Ritual and Domestic Life in Prehistoric Europe (2005) 3-40 [all]
  • R Joyce, 鈥淲hat should an archaeology of religion look like to a blind archaeologist?鈥 Archaeological Papers of the American Anthropological Association 21 (2012) 180-188 [5169]

Week 10

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Tuesday 21 March听听听听听听听听听听 No class

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Thursday 23 March听听听听听听听 Material classes of evidence

  • M Gaifman, 鈥淰isual Evidence,鈥 in The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Greek Religion (2015) 51-66 [all]
  • CE Barrett, 鈥淢aterial Evidence,鈥 in The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Greek Religion (2015) 113-130 [all]
  • MD Stansbury-O鈥橠onnell, Looking at Greek Art (2011) 154-163 [all]

Week 11

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 SPRING BREAK

Week 12

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Tuesday 4 April听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Early prehistory

  • Readings TBD

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Thursday 6 April听听听听听听听听听听听听 Mycenaean religion: the Cult Center

  • [all]
  • EB. French, 鈥淐ult Places at Mycenae,鈥 in Sanctuaries and Cults in the Aegean Bronze Age (1981) 41-48 [all]
  • L Morgan, 鈥淭he Cult Centre at Mycenae and the duality of life and death,鈥 in Aegean Wall Painting: A Tribute to Mark Cameron (2005), 159-171 [all]
  • SR Stocker and JL Davis, 鈥淎nimal Sacrifice, Archives, and Feasting at the Palace of Nestor,鈥 in The Mycenaean Feast (Princeton 2004), 179-195 [5169]
  • L Bendall, 鈥淔it for a King? Hierarchy, Exclusion, and Aspiration and Desire in the Social Structure of Mycenaean Banqueting,鈥 in Food, Cuisine and Society in Prehistoric Greece (Oxford 2004) 105-135 [5169]

Week 13

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Tuesday 11 April听听听听听听听听听听听听 Continuity

  • C Morgan, 鈥淔rom Palace to Polis? Religious Developments on the Greek Mainland during the Bronze Age/Iron Age Transition,鈥 in Religion and Power in the Ancient Greek World (1996) 27-57 [all]
  • C Sourvinou-Inwood, Review of B.C. Dietrich, Tradition in Greek Religion (New York 1986), Classical Review 39 (1989) 51-58 [all]
  • B Eder, 鈥淐ontinuity of Bronze Age Cult at Olympia? The Evidence of the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age Pottery,鈥 in Potnia (Aegaeum 22) (2001) 201-209 [5169]

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听Thursday 13 April听听听听听听听听听听 Identifying religious buildings

  • J Shaw, Kommos: A Minoan Harbor Town and Greek Sanctuary in Southern Crete (2006) 40-50 [all]
  • J Hurwit, The Athenian Acropolis: History, Mythology, and Archaeology from the Neolithic Era to the Present (1999) 161-165 [all]
  • J Shaw, KommosIV.1: The Greek Sanctuary, Part I (2000) 669-731 [5169]
  • A Mazerakis-Ainian, 鈥淓arly Greek Temples,鈥 in A Companion to Greek Architecture (2016) 15-30 [5169]

Week 14

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Tuesday 18 April听听听听听听听听听听听听 Cult statues

  • T Scheer, 鈥淎rt and Imagery,鈥 The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Greek Religion (2015) 165-178 [all]
  • R Neer, The Emergence of the Classical Style in Greek Sculpture (2010) 71-103 [all]
  • J. Elsner, 鈥淚mage and Ritual: reflections on the religious appreciation of classical art,鈥 Classical Quarterly 46 (1996) 515-531 [all]
  • P Themelis, 鈥淒amophon,鈥 in Personal Styles in Greek Sculpture (1996) 154-185 [5169]
  • K Lapatin, 鈥淣ew statues for old gods,鈥 in The Gods of Ancient Greece: Identities and Transformations, (2010) 126-151 [5169]

Thursday 20 April听听听听听听听听听听 Votives

  • J Barringer, 鈥淶eus at Olympia,鈥 in The Gods of Ancient Greece: Identities and Transformations, (2010) 155-177 [all]
  • B Bergquist, 鈥淔easting of worshippers or temple and sacrifice? The case of the Herakleion on Thasos,鈥 in Ancient Greek Cult Practices from the Archaeological Evidence (1998) 57-72 [all]
  • C Morgan, 鈥淩itual and Society in the Early Iron Age Corinthia,鈥 in Ancient Greek Cult Practices from the Archaeological Evidence (1998) 73-90 [5169]
  • G Ekroth, 鈥淎ltars in Greek Hero-Cults: A Review of the Archaeological Evidence,鈥 in Ancient Greek Cult Practices from the Archaeological Evidence (1998) 117-130 [5169]

Week 15

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Tuesday 25 April听听听听听听听听听听听听 Art, myth, and ritual

  • K Junker, Interpreting the Images of Greek Myths (2012) 1-18 [all]
  • JB Connelly, Portrait of a Priestess: Women and Ritual in Ancient Greece (2007) 165-195 [all]
  • A Kl枚ckner, 鈥淕etting in contact: Concepts of human-divine encounter in Classical Greek art,鈥 in The Gods of Ancient Greece: Identities and Transformations, (2010) 106-125 [5169]

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Thursday 27 April听听听听听听听听听听 Sculptural programs and religion

  • JM Barringer, Art, Myth, and Ritual in Classical Greece (2008) 1-7 [all]
  • R Osborne, Archaic and Classical Greek Art (1998) 69-75 [all]
  • J Hurwit, The Athenian Acropolis: History, Mythology, and Archaeology from the Neolithic Era to the Present (1999) 161-188 [all]
  • T. H枚lscher, 鈥淎rchitectural Sculpture: Messages? Programs? Towards Rehabilitating the Notion of 鈥楧ecoration,鈥欌 in Structure, Image, Ornament: Architectural Sculpture in the Greek World (2009) 54鈥67 [all]
  • JM Barringer, Art, Myth, and Ritual in Classical Greece (2008) 8-58 [5169]

Week 16

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Tuesday 2 May听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 No class

听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Thursday 4 May听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Christianity in Greece

  • No reading; papers due

Finals week

Thursday 11 May听听听听听听听听听听听

  • Take-home final exam due (4:00 p.m)