ANTH 324: Warfare, Violence, and Sacrifice in Antiquity

ANTH 324-001: Warfare/Violence/Sacrifice in Antiquity
(Fall 2022)

04:30 PM to 07:10 PM W

David J. King Hall 2084

Section Information for Fall 2022

Human beings are deeply paradoxical creatures.  In many ways, we are capable of extraordinary acts of kindness, compassion, and justice. In other ways, we seem equally capable of visiting unspeakable acts of violence, cruelty, and malice upon one another. This reading- and writing-intensive seminar explores the nature of human violence on a global scale over the span of human history, and from the level of the experiences of single individuals to the rise of fall of entire civilizations. The class draws primarily upon a synthesis of archaeological data and ethnographic insights. Principle focus falls upon a cross-cultural comparison of the forms and expressions of violence over the last 10,000 years.  Key areas of emphasis involve the origins and evolution of warfare and the development of ritual killing.  Case studies explore organized warfare in terms of specific ecological, political, and social strategies in different times and places.  Examples of ritual violence and human sacrifice are scrutinized in terms of religion, ideology, power, personhood, body mutilation, ritualized hunting, religious sport, and ritualized landscapes. In the process, students think through interpretive paradigms such as structuralism, materialism, practice theory, performance theory, and more. The course ends with examinations of settings where human beings, perfectly capable of violence, chose non-violent courses of action. We ultimately question the very essence of “human nature” itself. The class ponders the likelihood that humans are neither inherently violent nor inherently peaceful beings, and that the logics of violence are part of a broader, nuanced spectrum of possible human behaviors, choices, and responses to the worlds around us. Cross Listed with ANTH 599-002.

Course Information from the University Catalog