HUM 413 - Secrets of Ancient Technology: How did they do it?

Course Description

Have you wondered how they built the pyramids, Stonehenge, the giant heads on Easter Island, the megalithic walls of the Inca, Roman aqueducts over 100 kilometres long, or fashioned King Tutankhamun’s gold face mask? Do you think extraterrestrials visited earth and did it for them? The ancient world is full of wonders waiting to be revealed. This course takes a global approach to unravelling the mysteries and controversies surrounding some of the greatest feats in human history. But we cannot fully grasp these accomplishments in isolation, for each is the product of a place and time, and can only be understood within the context of the societies that produced them. Our inquiry is as much about people as things, and the economies, religions, and ingenuity that drove them to create these wonders of the ancient world.

Course Details

By completion of this course, successful students will be able to:

• Explain the scientific evidence and theories on the origins of prominent ancient wonders from Easter Island to Egypt
• Describe the ingenuity and technical capabilities of pre-industrial peoples
• Apply the principles of examining a phenomenon within its social context
• Identify the role of technology in shaping the past and the future