The goal of this course is to provide students with a well-rounded introduction to anthropological archaeology by surveying world prehistory from the emergence of humans to the development of ancient states and empires.  We begin by looking at the techniques and methods that archaeology uses to reconstruct the past.  We then move chronologically through human prehistory, focusing on the evolution of modern humans, the development of agriculture and the emergence of social complexity.  Some of the topics we will cover in the course include relations between humans and Neanderthals, the Neolithic transition, social complexity at important sites such as Cahokia and Chaco Canyon, ancient states such as Egypt, Teotihuacan, and ancient empires such as the Aztec and the Inca.