Explores the artistic and architectural achievements of the early civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Aegean prior to the rise of Greco-Roman culture (3500-500 BCE). Particular focus will be given to the role of intercultural exchange in the region. Students will be introduced to a variety of art historical and archaeological methods including traditional formal (stylistic, iconographic, structural) analysis of monuments as well as contextual (social, economic, gendered) approaches to material culture. [AH]