Ancient Practices: An Interdisciplinary Minor

FAIN: AKB-265638-19

Southern Illinois University (Carbondale, IL 62901-4302)
Mont Allen (Project Director: October 2018 to present)
Ken Anderson (Co Project Director: March 2019 to present)

Creation of a new interdisciplinary minor, Ancient Practices.

The proposers, an interdisciplinary team of humanists and STEM faculty, will create a new interdisciplinary minor called Ancient Practices designed to attract and engage STEM and other non-humanities undergraduates. This unique degree opportunity is built around the concept of integrating both humanities and STEM content into studies of the ancient world. The combination of these disciplines allows content dealing with classical and other ancient civilizations to be presented in the context of the core interests of other-than-humanities majors. This has been found to be an effective strategy for attracting these students into classes dealing with content that has been at foundation of studies of the humanities for centuries. This allows facility to engage students that might not otherwise be drawn to these classes and to instill in them the skills and habits of mind associated with humanistic studies.

Associated Products

Ancient Artistic Practices (AD 350) (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Ancient Artistic Practices (AD 350)
Author: Mont Allen
Abstract: The grandeur of ancient objects is stunning. But there is so much more to them than just their beauty. Have you ever wondered how these astonishing things were created in the first place? Just consider, for example….. ➤ Greek clay vessels: How on earth did ancient Greeks construct pottery kilns capable of reaching 950º Celsius (1740º Fahrenheit)?! What did they burn for fuel? How were clay vessels thrown, glazed, and fired? ➤ The quarrying and transport of marble and other stones in the ancient world: How were these massive blocks weighing many tons (!) extracted from the ground, hauled over land, rafted up and down rivers, loaded onto ships, shipped hundreds of miles across the Mediterranean, and transported to workshops and construction sites? How were these logistics of transport socially and culturally embedded? What role did slavery and the military play? ➤ Tools: Ancient sculptors used pickaxes and marble saws, chisels and drills, abrasives and waxes. How did they even manage to carve marble — let alone granite (!) — without steel tools or modern power? What were the fundamental differences between Greek, Roman, and Egyptian approaches to the carving process? ➤ And what about Greek bronze statues? What about Roman mosaics, glass vessels, and wall paintings? How were these made? This course explores the materials, tools, techniques, and other physical components of Greco-Roman artistic practice, with an eye to the cultural values that Greeks and Romans attached to these physical components.
Year: 2019
Audience: Undergraduate

Ancient Technologies & the Greek Philosophers (PHIL 304B/470B) (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Ancient Technologies & the Greek Philosophers (PHIL 304B/470B)
Author: Robert Hahn
Abstract: How can we explain the origins of Greek philosophy? If we look at how the early philosophers thought and wrote, we find evidence of technologies and technical analogies to describe the origins of the world, the formation of the heavens, the fundamental structure out of which the cosmos is built. This evidence includes: orienting pyramids and temples to cardinal directions, measuring the height of pyramids by their shadows, measuring the distance of a ship at sea, ancient surveying and engineering techniques that led to geometry, making a map of the Earth, a seasonal sundial, a model of the cosmos, the invention of coinage, and even the production of industrial textiles. This course will uncover these ancient technologies and then apply them to the surviving evidence about the Greek philosophers to see what new insights we can discover about the how, when, where, what, and why of its beginnings. From this exploration, can students become more philosophical?
Year: 2019
Audience: Undergraduate

Archaeo-Engineering (ENGR 305) (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Archaeo-Engineering (ENGR 305)
Author: Frances Harackiewicz
Abstract: Archaeologists have discovered marvelous inventions from the ancient world, long before engineering was considered to have been founded as a modern profession. How did ancient people measure time and location, travel, communicate, shelter, obtain food and water, or wage war? What propelled their inventiveness? Some canonical discoveries have much to teach in terms of humanities and history as well as science and engineering. Using modern tools, feats of ancient engineering will be studied and modeled digitally or physically. Important engineering projects or inventions of the past covered such as sun dials, Stonehenge, the Antikythera mechanism, Roman roads, siege machines and aqueducts.
Year: 2019
Audience: Undergraduate

Archaeology of Ancient Egypt (ANTH 340E/430E) (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Archaeology of Ancient Egypt (ANTH 340E/430E)
Author: Gretchen Dabbs
Abstract: What if I told you no one knew King Tut existed before his tomb was discovered and opened in 1922? Most people are aware of ancient Egypt in a very specific way, their knowledge guided by the fantastic and highly publicized discoveries of the last century of archaeological research: Pyramids! Mummies! Previously unknown tombs! Heart disease in the mummy of a lesser princess! However, the texts written inside temples and tombs of Egypt during the time of the Pharaohs were highly restricted and written by and for specific audiences. Only the elites and royals would have been able to read them. Only royals and elites would have even had a large-scale rock cut tomb to provide texts. Only about 1% of ancient Egyptians were literate. What then of the other 99%, those that would have largely driven the Egyptian economy as the productive manufacturers and farmers? This course focuses on understanding the broader scope of ancient Egypt beyond the monumental structures left behind by royals and elites to focus on the daily lives and lived experiences of the non-elite (those like you and me!) through analysis of archaeological remains of houses, non-elite burial grounds, and other records. The Pyramids, mummies, and statuary of ancient Egypt focus on what life was like among the highest elite. This course will use the archaeological site of Tell el-Amarna as the primary lens for discussions on the lives of the non-elites that would have comprised the bulk of the population. Amarna represents what remains of a single lens (15-20 year) occupation of an ancient capital city occupied by an estimated 50,000 individuals.
Year: 2019
Audience: Undergraduate

Wining & Dining in the Ancient World (HND/FERM 300) (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Wining & Dining in the Ancient World (HND/FERM 300)
Author: Matthew McCarroll
Author: Lynn Gill
Abstract: Ask any college student what they like to do in their spare time and most will mention either eating, drinking, or socializing. These activities, while enjoyable, actually have historical significance. Since the beginning of time, food and drink have been basic needs for every human being. However, the meaning behind these practices varied from culture to culture. For example, the ancient Greeks began their morning with barely bread dipped in wine. While this may be frowned upon in today’s culture, this combination was thought to have healing powers. Also, the focus of a meal was to spend time socializing and please the palate, not to fill the stomach. In today’s climate, the goal of eating changed to accommodate large portion sizes and busy schedules with less emphasis on the ancient philosophy of eating for wisdom, spirit, and nourishing the soul. This course will take you back in time to explore ancient dietary customs and symbolism, including how materials for food and drink were gathered, processed and prepared, and their influence on health. We will explore fermentation as a processing and preservation method and examine evidence of the impact of fermentation on the agricultural revolution and the dawn of civilization. Specifically, this course will focus on: Foods associated with different cultures in ancient times Symbolism behind common ancient foods Health status of ancient population compared to the health status of modern times How food and drink were gathered, processed and prepared Creating recipes from ancient food products Fermentation as a processing and preservation method and examine evidence of the impact of fermentation on the development of germ theory, human health, the agricultural revolution and arguably even the dawn of civilization.
Year: 2019
Audience: Undergraduate

Ancient Practices website (Web Resource)
Title: Ancient Practices website
Author: Ken Anderson
Author: Mont Allen
Abstract: The new website for the Ancient Practices Minor (https://ancientpractices.siu.edu) was built from scratch in Summer of 2020. It serves as a general lure/hook for students who have not yet enrolled in the Minor, while also providing specific resources (such as lists of acceptable courses and course descriptions, semester-by-semester course offerings, possible projects, external resources, etc.) for those students who have enrolled in the Minor.
Year: 2020
Primary URL: https://ancientpractices.siu.edu
Primary URL Description: Ancient Practices website

Media Coverage: "Grant will combine STEM, humanities in new minor at SIU" (Web Resource)
Title: Media Coverage: "Grant will combine STEM, humanities in new minor at SIU"
Author: Tim Crosby
Abstract: The Southern Illinoisan, a local newspaper, prominently featured a write-up of the project which explicitly and repeatedly highlights the NEH's support.
Year: 2019
Primary URL: https://thesouthern.com/news/local/siu/grant-will-combine-stem-humanities-in-new-minor-at-siu/article_c17c35f6-1fa9-57fb-95a2-b3ea6f7b5345.html
Primary URL Description: The Southern Illinoisan: Grant will combine STEM, humanities in new minor at SIU

Ancient Practices Facebook page (Web Resource)
Title: Ancient Practices Facebook page
Author: Mont Allen
Author: Ken Anderson
Abstract: Ancient Practices Facebook page
Year: 2021
Primary URL: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AncientPracticesAndTechnologies
Primary URL Description: Ancient Practices Facebook page

Promotional video celebrating Roman water-lifting and grain mill machines (first of two) (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Promotional video celebrating Roman water-lifting and grain mill machines (first of two)
Writer: Gregory Wendt
Director: Gregory Wendt
Abstract: (from the description on Facebook:) "This one-minute video features highlights of two pretty incredible reconstructions of ancient Roman water wheels. The first uses human power to lift water — useful, for example, for getting water out of mines, or up from rivers into irrigation canals. The second uses falling water to spin a shaft which, redirected through a gearbox, turns a millstone in order to grind grain — used to bake the bread shown here. These reconstructions were made by two teams of senior Engineering students at SIU (Southern Illinois University), and supported in part by SIU’s Ancient Practices program and the National Endowment for the Humanities."
Year: 2021
Primary URL: https://www.facebook.com/gregory.wendt1/videos/10221036910406356
Primary URL Description: (from the description on Facebook:) "This one-minute video features highlights of two pretty incredible reconstructions of ancient Roman water wheels. The first uses human power to lift water — useful, for example, for getting water out of mines, or up from rivers into irrigation canals. The second uses falling water to spin a shaft which, redirected through a gearbox, turns a millstone in order to grind grain — used to bake the bread shown here. These reconstructions were made by two teams of senior Engineering students at SIU (Southern Illinois University), and supported in part by SIU’s Ancient Practices program and the National Endowment for the Humanities."
Access Model: Open access
Format: Video
Format: Web

Promotional video celebrating Roman water-lifting and grain mill machines (second of two) (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Promotional video celebrating Roman water-lifting and grain mill machines (second of two)
Writer: SIU Communications
Director: SIU Communications
Abstract: (from the description on YouTube:) "Students in the unique, interdisciplinary Ancient Practices program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale built two machines based on ancient Roman water wheels. The machines – one a grain mill and the other a water-lifting “pump” – were recently on display in the courtyard at the Engineering Building. The ancient practices program grew out of a $100,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities in 2019. The program focuses on broadening the perspective of students studying objective disciplines – such as science, engineering, technology and mathematics – by demonstrating the relevance of the humanities to their own interests. The program leads to a minor in ancient practices."
Year: 2021
Primary URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6O4t4gkQlw4
Primary URL Description: (from the description on YouTube:) "Students in the unique, interdisciplinary Ancient Practices program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale built two machines based on ancient Roman water wheels. The machines – one a grain mill and the other a water-lifting “pump” – were recently on display in the courtyard at the Engineering Building. The ancient practices program grew out of a $100,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities in 2019. The program focuses on broadening the perspective of students studying objective disciplines – such as science, engineering, technology and mathematics – by demonstrating the relevance of the humanities to their own interests. The program leads to a minor in ancient practices."
Format: Video
Format: Web

Public TV broadcast (Southern Illinois Channel 3) celebrating reconstruction of an ancient Roman water-powered rock saw. (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Public TV broadcast (Southern Illinois Channel 3) celebrating reconstruction of an ancient Roman water-powered rock saw.
Writer: Southern Illinois Channel 3 News
Abstract: Public TV broadcast (Southern Illinois Channel 3) celebrating reconstruction of an ancient Roman water-powered rock saw.
Year: 2022
Primary URL: https://www.wsiltv.com/video/siu-students-show-off-recreated-rock-saw/video_51a02f4e-0815-5d41-a04b-014472ce7d81.html
Primary URL Description: Public TV broadcast (Southern Illinois Channel 3) celebrating reconstruction of an ancient Roman water-powered rock saw.
Access Model: Open access
Format: Video
Format: Web

Promotional video celebrating reconstruction of an ancient Roman water-powered rock saw. (Film/TV/Video Broadcast or Recording)
Title: Promotional video celebrating reconstruction of an ancient Roman water-powered rock saw.
Writer: Greg Wendt
Director: Greg Wendt
Abstract: Promotional video celebrating reconstruction of an ancient Roman water-powered rock saw.
Year: 2022
Primary URL: https://vimeo.com/702220038
Primary URL Description: Promotional video celebrating reconstruction of an ancient Roman water-powered rock saw.
Access Model: Open access
Format: Video
Format: Web

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