How did art and technology develop in the course of human evolution?  What led to the development of agriculture and settled village life?  How did social inequality and urbanism emerge?  This course takes a global perspective to explore the archaeological evidence that sheds light on these questions and other aspects of prehistory and early history.  Students will engage with the challenges posed by new discoveries and also with recent developments in archaeological method and theory.  The goal of the course is to involve students with the current state of archaeological research and some of the major issues archaeologists work to address.