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AY2010: PREHISTORIC BRITAIN: FROM BOXGROVE TO BEDE (2017-2018)

Last modified: 27 Feb 2018 18:00


Course Overview

Britain has been inhabited by humans for more than half a million years. This course provides an introduction to the peoples and societies that have occupied this Island from the first pioneer populations to the dawn of history. 

Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 2
Term First Term Credit Points 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits)
Campus Online Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Dr Gordon Noble

Qualification Prerequisites

None.

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

  • Any Undergraduate Programme
  • One of AY1503 Caves to Kingdoms: an Introduction to Prehistoric Archaeology (Passed) or AY1504 Caves to Kingdoms: an Introduction to Prehistoric Archaeology (Dl) (Passed) or Certificate in Science (Archaeology)
  • Either Distance Learning or Archaeology Iss
  • One of Programme Level 2 or Programme Level 3 or Programme Level 4 or Programme Level 5 or Certificate in Science (Archaeology)
  • One of AY1003 Archaeology in Action: an Introduction (Passed) or AY1004 Archaeology in Action: an Introduction (Dl) (Passed) or Certificate in Science (Archaeology)

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

None.

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

Through lectures and key case studies, we will chart the development of human societies in Britain from its deep prehistoric past as a western extension of the European landmass through to the development of early farming societies and culminating in the rise of political hierarchies and ultimately kingdoms in the first millennium AD. The course will take you on a fascinating journey, providing cutting-edge insights into the diverse peoples that have lived in Britain, from the Stone Age dwellers of Boxgrove, to the Neolithic communities who built Stonehenge, to the Roman invaders of AD 43 to the earliest historic societies such as the Anglo-Saxons, Picts and Vikings. Using the latest archaeological evidence the course will explore the changing landscape and environment through time, how we can use the limited historical sources we have for some of the later societies under consideration and the changing nature of society, subsistence, technology and worldview over the course of around 700,000 years of human habitation of Britain.

PLEASE NOTE this course incorporates a compulsory one-day study trip to the Scottish Crannog Centre at Loch Tay where we will visit a reconstructed Iron Age dwelling and take part in some experimental archaeology. A small cost will be associated, likely to be in the region of £15 - £25.


Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

Resit: Resit examination (60%); essay assignment in place of group work (40%)

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Feedback

None.

Course Learning Outcomes

    • Identify the key stages, processes of development and dates of the human occupation of Britain
    • Explore and discuss the diversity of peoples and lifestyles that have occurred in Britain
    • Articulate the range of social, ideological, technological and environmental factors that impacted on the lifeways of the communities who inhabited Britain from the Palaeolithic to the Viking Age
    • Demonstrate improved group working, knowledge retention and communication skills

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