Welcome to Anthropology 318: Ancient Civilizations of the Americas, a senior-level course designed to provide you with an extensive overview of the archaeological record of prehistoric civilizations in the Americas, from the first origins of agriculture to European contact. As you proceed through the course, you will gain a comprehensive knowledge of the culture and way of life of these prehistoric social groups, as they are reconstructed from their material remains. In addition, the course will describe how archaeologists identify and investigate important research problems, and will discuss the major theories formulated by archaeologists to explain why and how complex cultures evolved into civilizations in both the so-called New and Old Worlds. After completion of the course, you should be able to explain how archaeologists investigate prehistoric civilizations, and describe and compare the culture history and culture process of early civilizations in Mesoamerica and South America.