The domestic unit or the household has been recognized as a primary component in the make-up of communities. We define the household here as a social unit whose members cooperate in various subsistence, economic, and ideological spheres and contributing to acts of production, consumption, transmission, and social reproduction. As conditions around the household change, so do the structures and dynamics of the household, making them an ideal microcosm and building-block for understanding greater transformations that took place in society at large.

Relying primarily on examples from across the ancient Near East, in this course the student will develop: a critical understanding of household actions and their contribution to political, economic, and social developments in the region; a technical understanding of how to interpret household behavior from archaeological remains.