The collection of Aegean Bronze Age artifacts at the University of Pennsylvania Museum is considered to be the most unique assemblage of its kind in the United States. Harriet Boyd Hawes, Richard Seager, and Edith Hall Dohan, pioneers in the excavations on the island of Crete in the early 1900s, brought artifacts from their projects to the Museum with the agreement of the Greek government for their use as a teaching collection. In this class we will study these artifacts first-hand, from bronze and stone tools and weapons, to gold jewelry, pottery, and delicately carved stone seals. We will address questions and issues such as how the items were made, how they were used, and how they reflect the society of the Minoan people of Crete in the years from 3,000-1,100 BC. We will also take a field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to view their collection of Aegean Bronze Age artifacts. Students will write two research papers about specific artifacts or classes of artifacts in the collection, and present the papers to the class.