Undergraduate - UnitATS3347 - Minoans, Mycenaeans and Egypt

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2014 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered, or view unit timetables.

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Arts
Organisational Unit	Archaeology and Ancient History
Offered	Not offered in 2014
Coordinator(s)	Dr Gillian Bowen

Notes

Previously coded AAH3570

Synopsis

This unit entails a study of the two major cultures of the pre-classical Aegean based primarily upon the archaeological record. The major Aegean sites will be examined, and the evidence for religious beliefs, economy and society in general will be reviewed. The interaction of the two groups will be examined and their contribution to later Greek culture assessed. As no contemporary historical documents are known from either culture the accounts in later literary tradition such as Homer will be examined in an effort to determine the reliability of their portrayal of each. A range of complementary data from ancient Egypt will be explored to examine the extent of Minoan and Mycenaean interaction with the Eastern Mediterranean.

Outcomes

Students successfully completing this unit will have:

Acquired knowledge of two Bronze Age Aegean societies that had no written records other than basic inventories
Acquired an understanding of the methods of archaeological interpretation used to reconstruct the nature of these societies and the difficulties inherent in such an endeavour
Developed the ability to appraise critically archaeological reports and interpretations
Developed the ability to understand how interpretation can be affected by the conditioning of the excavator/historian
Developed an understanding of the major features of Minoan and Mycenaean societies and their interaction with each other
Appraised the validity of using myth to aid the reconstruction on Minoan and Mycenaean societies and to recognise the ways in which later literary tradition was influenced by perceptions of these cultures and the achievements attributed to them
Displayed enhanced skills in the formulation and development of an independent research project that includes the application of diverse methodologies.

Assessment

Written work: 70%
Tests: 30%

Chief examiner(s)

Dr Gillian Bowen

Workload requirements

12 x 1.5 hr lectures for 12 weeks and 12 x 1 hr tutorials

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Ancient cultures

Prerequisites

Two gateway units in Ancient Cultures or by permission

Prohibitions

ATS2347