ARCHKRA027 The end of hunter-gatherers and the beginnings of the Neolithic in the Near East

Faculty of Philosophy and Science in Opava
Winter 2022
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Vratislav Janák, CSc.
Institute of Archaeology – Faculty of Philosophy and Science in Opava
Prerequisites
For undergraduate students
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course is intended to provide a basic overview of the end of the Ice Age and the beginning of the Neolithic in the Near East. It offers students basic orientation in the issue, knowledge of terminology and chronology, knowledge of the most important locations and their significance for further development. During the semester, they will learn about the milestones that led to a new direction for humanity. In individual lectures, they will be introduced to the material culture, lifestyle and burial of late hunter-gatherers and early farmers. The most interesting locations and hypotheses will be presented in more detail. At the end of the lecture course, students should: 1) have a basic overview of the literature and the main topics discussed by researchers for the given period and 2) be able to understand the main stages of development towards the beginning of the Neolithic.
Learning outcomes
Students will have an overview of the end of the Ice Age and the beginning of the Neolithic in the Near East.
Syllabus
  • 1. Chronological and geographical definition of the area of ​​the Near East. Natural environment and climate. 2. Neolithic revolution? Conditions for the emergence of the Neolithic. 3. Hunters and gatherers in the Near East and their way of life. 4. Thousands of grains in Ohal II. The first experimenters 20 thousand years ago flights. 5. Life in Paradise? Natufien hunters and gatherers. 6. Return of the Ice Age. Survivor? Hunter-gatherer innovations at the end of the Paleolithic. 7. Domestication of plants and animals in the Near East. Bread or beer? 8. Pre-ceramic Neolithic. Main characteristic. 9. Expulsion from Paradise. Way of life in the pre-ceramic Neolithic. 10. Monumental buildings from SE Anatolia to the southern Levant. Göbekli Tepe, Jerf al-Ahmar and Jericho. 11. Burial. Skull cult in the pre-ceramic Neolithic. 12. The Bull and the Great Goddess on the Middle Euphrates? Çatal Höyük. 13. From the Near East to Europe. Neolithic spread hypotheses.
Literature
    required literature
  • Mithen, S. 2006: Konec doby ledové: Dějiny lidstva od r. 20 000 do r. 5000 př. Kr. BB/art s.r.o.
  • Akkermans, P. M. M. G. & Schwartz, G. 2003: The Archaeology of Syria – From complex hunter-gatherers to early urban societies [c. 16,000-300 BC], Cambridge.
    recommended literature
  • Prosecký, J. a kol. 1999. Encyklopedie starověkého Předního Východu, Praha.
  • Charvát, P. 2002. Mesopotamia Before History, London and New York.
Teaching methods
Lecture, seminar
Assessment methods
Credit, a written test Additional student requirements: Attendance at seminars: 70%
Language of instruction
Czech
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