Excavation-Conservation-Display

This special Mellon seminar will introduce students to the practice of archaeology, the science of archaeological conservation, and techniques of display. The course will examine the way an archaeological site is chosen and how it is dug, how the site is preserved, how artifacts are conserved after their excavation, and what the objects undergo on their way to display. The role of funding will be considered, as well as regulations imposed by source countries governing the excavation process. Case studies on the sites of Gordion and Çatalhöyük as well as the Pratt ivories from Acemhöyük in Turkey will address issues relating to methods of excavation, complemented by visiting the Andean objects we are studying in local museums. Field trips are scheduled to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and other local museums offering the opportunity for close study of actual objects and to engage with conservators and curators about the technology, conservation, and presentation of these objects. As part of the course students will have the opportunity to create digital conservation projects through a virtual exhibit of Andean objects. 3 credits. Satisfies the non-Western requirement.