Program Objectives
- Overview of the Trypillian culture and
other early European agricultural civilizations.
- Archeological methods to study ancient
civilizations, specifically Neolithic cultures of Ukraine.
- Historiography, archeological data, research
methods, and bibliography of agricultural civilizations
of ancient Europe.
- Hands-on field experience of archeological
searches and independent scientific work.
Expected Learning Outcomes
- Knowledge of the development of early
agriculture and farming in Ukraine.
- Knowledge of the development of the Trypillian
proto-civilization.
- Ability to identify and place chronologically
different types of Neolithic cultures in relation to the
Trypillian culture.
- Familiarity with principal archaeological
sources used to study early farmers and the Trypillian proto-civilization.
- Knowledge about "on-site" archeological
searches and places of settlements of Trypillians in the
different regions of Ukraine.
Course 1: Trypillian Proto-Civilization
Between
the long eras of proto-historical hunter societies and the
epoch of the first civilizations (such as those in Egypt and
Mesopotamia) lies a long period. This period is associated
with the formation of the bases of these civilizations, such
as the creation of reproductive economies, handicrafts, first
bridges, and written language. These historical-cultural periods
of human development are called "proto-civilizations". Among
the agricultural proto-civilizations of ancient Europe, the
Trypillian proto-civilization existed from the 6th
until the end of 4th millennium BC. This was a
contemporary to proto-civilizations in Egypt, Mesopotamia,
Hindus valley, and China. During this period these proto-civilizations
were at approximately the same level of development. During
the 5th millennium BC, when agricultural
proto-civilizations in the Balkans and Central Europe were
gradually disappearing, the Trypillian culture (in Ukraine, on
the boundaries of the European "civilized world" of that time)
continued to flourish for another millennium. Proto-cities,
monumental architecture, first foundations, handicrafts
(metallurgies, weaving, ceramics), denotation systems as
written language, all continued to develop and are reasons to
consider Trypillia as one of the most interesting and
developed proto-civilizations.
This
course will have 26 academic hours of instruction (1.5 credits),
including 14 lectures, 10 hours of practical studies including
visits to museums and participation in archaeological expeditions,
and 2 hours for the final exam. Archaeological expeditions
include participation in excavations of Trypillian settlements,
study of some elements of archaeological searches, and visits
to places of existing remarkable archaeological discoveries.
Students from both courses will participate in a short academic
conference, presenting scientific abstracts. There will be
a final exam at the end of the program, to receive credit
from Kyiv Mohyla Academy.
Course 2: Ancient
Farmers of Ukraine
This
course is devoted to questions about the formation and development
of early farming cultures on the territory of present Ukraine
(7th - 4th millennium BC). Present-day
Ukraine is a territory where at least twelve Neolithic archaeological
cultures flourished. Some of them survived until the Copper
Age and even until the beginning of the Bronze Age. During
the Copper Age several qualitative changes took place in the
agricultural economies. They spread over wider territories
and achieve high level of development. The ancient agricultural
formations of Ukraine became a part of the civilization of
Ancient Europe. Therefore, an important part of this course
will be the chronologies, the synchronization of Neolithic
cultures of central and southeast Europe.
This course will have 26 academic hours of instruction (1.5 credits),
including 14-hours of lectures, 10 hours of practical studies
including visits to museums and participation in archaeological
expeditions, and 2 hours for the final exam. Students from
both courses will participate in a short academic conference,
presenting scientific abstracts. There will be a final exam
at the end of the program, to receive credit from Kyiv Mohyla
Academy.
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