A comprehensive survey class on the archaeology of Mesopotamia during prehistoric periods (10,000 – 2300 BC), covering the rise of villages, the Agricultural Revolution, the development of cities, cultic centers, and complex bureaucracy, and the rise of state entities during the Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Ages. This class will focus on the area of modern-day Iraq but will also consult materials from western Iran, eastern Syria, and southeastern Turkey.