ARC 118 — Art and Archaeology of Persia
Quarter: Fall
Instructor(s): Patrick Hunt
Date(s): Oct 6—Dec 1
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Tuesdays
Class Meeting Time: 7:00—8:50 pm (PT)
Please Note: No class on November 24
Tuition: $495
Refund Deadline: Oct 8
Unit(s): 1
Status: Registration opens Aug 17, 8:30 am (PT)
Quarter: Fall
Day: Tuesdays
Duration: 8 weeks
Time: 7:00—8:50 pm (PT)
Date(s): Oct 6—Dec 1
Unit(s): 1
Tuition: $495
Refund Deadline: Oct 8
Instructor(s): Patrick Hunt
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Registration opens Aug 17, 8:30 am (PT)
Please Note: No class on November 24
Persia has one of the world’s longest and most fascinating histories. Too often overlooked in the West, Persia’s rich and complex culture was admired by the ancient Greeks and later by the Byzantines. Its monumental sites include Achaemenid Persepolis, Safavid Isfahan, and the garden city of Shiraz.
In this course, we examine millennia of Persian art and archaeology, from rich textiles and gemstone seals to metalworking and engineering marvels such as desert qanat aqueducts. Each week, we encounter treasures familiar to archaeologists and art historians but less known to Western audiences. Highlights include the famed Oxus Treasure hoard discovered in the 19th century, with its gold griffins and silver simurghs, and some of the world’s earliest metallurgical objects from Proto-Elamite culture, dating to 3100 BCE. We also explore Sasanian silk, Persian rugs, and the deciphering of cuneiform at Behistun Rock. Readings include Herodotus on Cyrus the Great and selections from the medieval epic Shahnameh, illustrated with Safavid miniature paintings.
In this course, we examine millennia of Persian art and archaeology, from rich textiles and gemstone seals to metalworking and engineering marvels such as desert qanat aqueducts. Each week, we encounter treasures familiar to archaeologists and art historians but less known to Western audiences. Highlights include the famed Oxus Treasure hoard discovered in the 19th century, with its gold griffins and silver simurghs, and some of the world’s earliest metallurgical objects from Proto-Elamite culture, dating to 3100 BCE. We also explore Sasanian silk, Persian rugs, and the deciphering of cuneiform at Behistun Rock. Readings include Herodotus on Cyrus the Great and selections from the medieval epic Shahnameh, illustrated with Safavid miniature paintings.
PATRICK HUNT
Former Director, Stanford Alpine Archaeology Project and Research Associate, Archeoethnobotany, Institute of EthnoMedicine
Patrick Hunt is the author of 26 books and a lecturer for the Archaeological Institute of America. He received a PhD from the Institute of Archaeology, University College London. Hunt is an elected Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the Explorers Club, and he has been a National Geographic Explorer since 2007. His Alps research has been sponsored by the National Geographic Expeditions Council. Textbooks for this course:
(Required) Michael Axworthy, A History of Iran: Empire of the Mind (ISBN 978-0465098767)