ATS1248 Introducing archaeology and ancient history 2

This unit examines how archaeological and historical evidence can be used to study territorial and cultural expansion in the past. We focus on the development of the first empires in the Mediterranean including Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Athens, Macedonia of Alexander the Great, and Rome as well as the original spread of settlements in Australia and the Pacific. We explore how archaeological remains and historical texts can be used to study the movement of people and ideas and to identify the tactics states use to expand, strengthen, and celebrate their power, including military conquest, colonisation, trade, art, and literature. We examine the military ideology of the Assyrians, the internationalism of the Persians, the culture of classical Athens that built the Parthenon, the sweeping conquests of Alexander the Great, the hybrid culture of Kleopatra's Egypt, and the economic-military power of Rome under Caesar and Augustus. Hands-on tutorials explore the archaeological and historical methods used to reconstruct complex ancient societies.