The Human Past: Introduction to Archaeology
Archaeology gets introduced here as both a theoretical and a practical discipline, taught through MIT OpenCourseWare's lecture and lab structure. Lectures compare the origins of agriculture and the rise of early civilizations in the ancient Near East and Mesoamerica, setting up a side by side look at how complex societies emerged in two different parts of the world. Lab sessions give hands-on experience with archaeological field methods and analytical techniques, including examining stone, ceramic, and metal artifacts along with bone materials, and come with occasional problem sets to complete outside class. The course materials cover method and theory together rather than treating archaeology as pure lecture content, with the lab work meant to build real skill in artifact analysis. Free to access through MIT OpenCourseWare, with no certificate attached.