Here is a video instructional series on on archaeology for
college and high school classrooms and adult learners. It is comprised of 8 one-hour video
programs
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Acknowledgements
Video for Out of the Past and the individual program
descriptions are provided courtesy of Annenberg/CPB.
This site is not affiliated with nor endorsed by
Annenberg/CPB |
Topics
(Select One)
1.  New Worlds
The Age of Discovery 500 years ago revealed a broad range
of cultures, from the vast empires of the Aztecs and the Incas to roving bands of
hunter-gatherers. This provided irrefutable evidence that cultures, like biological
species, have evolved independently and on a global scale.
2. The Hearth
Examines how enculturation and economic cooperation have
shaped the homes and families of people, past and present. Remains of houses at
archaeological sites and footage of family life in traditional cultures provide a glimpse
into what family life must have been like.
3. Artisans and Traders
Explores the link between economic and cultural evolution.
Hunter-gatherers and early agriculturalists had simple divisions of labor, but today
people make a living in many ways. The proliferation of occupations and the extreme
economic interdependence of today are the result of increasing job specialization, causing
society to continually undergo restructuring.
4. Signs and Symbols
Unearthing and interpreting the signs and symbols that
define us as a species can be challenging yet revealing. From deciphering ancient scripts
to understanding status symbols, archaeologists use ancient and modern examples to
reconstruct the meaning of the symbols they find.
5. Power, Prestige, and
Wealth
Postulates how and why powerful groups or individuals have
managed to control vast holdings from ancient times to the present day. The different
methods archaeologists use to study how rulers gain and keep power are examined.
6. Realms
Reconstructing actual borders of ancient kingdoms is often
impossible, but archaeologists can reveal much of the internal workings of societies and
their external relations by looking at marriage alliances, trade, and warfare.
7. The Spirit World
Archaeologists look at ritual behavior and sacred spaces
and objects in archaeological and ethnographic settings to attribute religious meanings.
Examples from present-day, traditional societies show the complexity of spiritual life and
the limits and possibilities of archaeological reconstruction.
8. Collapse
The decline and fall of civilizations captures our
interest. Could we be next, going the way of the Sumerians, the Romans, the Maya? The
collapse of Copan, brought on by overpopulation and overexploitation of resources, is
explored along with other ancient cultures that have faced the problems we confront today.
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