A History of Europe: From Prehistory to the Baroque Period

This ongoing class will focus on a chronological history of Europe, from the earliest human presence to the Renaissance period.  The learners will be introduced to the highlights of the great periods of human history through the archaeological record, art, architecture and literature. I use photos to illustrate the topics in Power Point format, and I encourage questions and discussions as we go along. After the last lesson (Topic #7.3), the cycle will begin again with Topic #1.1.

Lessons:
•	Week of March 10, 2025, Topic 1.1: What is Prehistory?  Who were the early humans and where did they come from? We will look at early migrations and how archaeologists interpret the finds.
•	Week of March 17, 2025 , Topic 1.2: Who were the people who migrated to Europe? We will look at the archaeological record, cave paintings, and discuss the relationship between Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens. This is the Paleolithic Period.
•	Week of March 24, 2025, Topic 1.3: The Ice Age in northern Europe and the arrival of humans in the Americas. The world warms up during the Mesolithic period.
•	Week of March 31, 2025, Topic 1.4: The Neolithic Revolution, from hunter-gatherers to farmers.  In this lesson, we will examine the “proto-city” of Çatalhöyük and the first cities of Mesopotamia. The emergence of the written language is a crucial development. 
•	Week of April 7, 2025, Topic 1.5: Places of worship and rituals. The landscape of Europe is dotted with stone circles (Stonehenge), dolmens and menhirs.  We will also look at early temples and Goddess worship (Malta). Domestication of the horse and Indo-European languages spread to Europe.

•	Week of April 14, 2025, Topic 2.1: Egypt and the Age of the Pyramids. Who built the pyramids, how and why?
•	Week of  April 21, 2025, Topic 2.2: The Bronze Age in the Mediterranean:  The Minoans, Mycenaeans, and the volcanic eruption of Thera. 
•	Week of April 28, 2025, Topic 2.3: The Bronze Age in mainland Europe. The Beaker People, the Hallstatt culture.

•	Week of May 5, 2025, Topic 3.1: The Iron Age. The Etruscans and mainland Europe, the Gauls and Celts.
•	Week of May 12, 2025, Topic 3.2: The Greeks and the expansion of Greek culture.  Alexander the Great, Mesopotamia.
•	Week of May 19, 2025, Topic 3.3: The Roman Republic.
•	Week of May 26, 2025, Topic 3.4: Ptolemaic Egypt and Cleopatra.

•	Week of June 2, 2025, Topic 4.1: The Roman Empire, mainland Europe. The Gauls and Celts
•	Week of June 9, 2025, Topic 4.2: The Roman Empire, northern Europe and Britain.

•	Week of June 16, 2025, Topic 5.1: The Fall of the Roman Empire and The Early Medieval Period, the Age of King Arthur, the Saxons and the Vikings.
•	Week of June 23, 2025, Topic 5.2: The Medieval Period in Britain after William the Conqueror.
•	Week of June 30, 2025, Topic 5.3: The Medieval Period in Europe, the Gothic Style. This is a time of change and innovations.  Giotto and Dante Alighieri, Christopher Columbus; Notre-Dame cathedral. 

•	Week of July 7, 2025, Topic 6.1: The Renaissance in Italy. Brunelleschi, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, the impact of the Church and the Medici.
•	Week of July 14, 2025, Topic 6.2: The Renaissance, mainland Europe. Holbein, Copernicus. Columbus reaches America
•	Week of July 21, 2025, Topic 6.3: The Renaissance, Britain.  War of the Roses, the Tudors and Queen Elizabeth I. Works of Shakespeare and Chaucer.

•	Week of July 28, 2025, Topic 7.1: The Baroque period as a period of oppositions, clashes and expansion.  It was the Age of Reason when artists, architects and philosophers brought forth the new worlds of scientific knowledge and artistic creativity.  Spain became the wealthiest country in Europe. Bernini, Velásquez, Caravaggio, the Louvre in Paris.
•	Week of August 4, 2025, Topic 7.2: The northern Baroque style.  Works by Rembrandt, Vermeer.
•	Week of August 11, 2025, Topic 7.3: Chronological recap of the class.