The Pyramids of Giza: Technology, Archaeology, History

ANTHRO 1250 Subject & Catalog Number

Description

The Pyramids, Sphinx, tombs, and temples at Giza (ca. 2500 BCE) are arguably the most famous archaeological site in the world. Yet Giza still poses major questions about ancient Egyptian history, society, art, architecture, religion, and language. The Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition excavated much of the site (1905 to 1947), and Harvard is home to the Giza Project (and website: http://giza.fas.harvard.edu). Open to undergraduates and graduate students, this class examines Giza in the context of ancient Egyptian history, art, and (digital) archaeology and modern visualization technologies, along with ethical issues about cultural heritage and repatriation. After a series of introductory lectures, student presentations and discussions will explore topics from pyramid construction theories, tomb and temple architecture, to settlement archaeology, portraiture in Egyptian art, and the technological and ethical challenges facing archaeologists today in processing excavation records both old and new. We will touch on issues of ownership, archaeological racism, and cultural nationalism. The class will also visit the unparalleled Giza galleries at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and exhibits at the HMANE (Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East), plus the archives in Pusey Library, depending on class size. For final projects, students may choose to prepare a standard research paper, an iMovie, or investigate the special features of a Giza object or tomb. No technological or Egyptological prerequisites are required to take the course.