At the Origins of the Mediterranean Civilization: Archaeology of the City from the Levant to the West - 3rd-1st millennium BC

This archaeological course examines diverse influences that shaped the multifaceted 'Mediterranean Civilization.' It is offered by the Sapienza University of Rome through Coursera, an online education platform.

It elaborates on the roots of the ‘Mediterranean Civilization,' by exploring the elements that built the customs, ideas, and innovations which compelled to confrontation and hybridizations of different peoples for millennia. This course illustrates the journey from pottery to metallurgy; gastronomy to architecture; and art to religion, in the development of the civilization. With images taken on the field throughout the live experience of excavation, this course exposes participants to the many tesserae of the great mosaic of the 'Mediterranean Civilization.'

Some of the course contents are:

• Relate timing of Phoenician landing on Motya and other historical hallmarks in Mediterranean history
• Assess what goddess Astarte meant in ancient Mediterranean in the years of Phoenician colonization
• Estimate the role played by water related cult and religion