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The last 250,000 years have seen many moments that could be referred to as “revolutions” in art, technology, or other aspects of human society. The “Human Revolution” of the Upper Paleolithic saw the birth of artistic ability and symbolic thinking in hominids. We call the transition from hunting and gathering to settled agriculture the “Neolithic Revolution,” while the “Urban Revolution” gave us complex societies and urban life. Times of dynamic change gave rise to important aspects of our shared behavioral and societal identity. They have become the subject not only of much archaeological investigation, but also of popular discourse about the human past. This class will explore famous cultural “revolutions” by looking at the causes and consequences of these important changes. We will evaluate the archaeological evidence, and through it interrogate the term “revolution” itself. What do we mean when we speak of “revolutions?” Are there other ways to think of past social and technological change, and when, if ever, do we truly see “revolutions” in the human condition in the ancient past?