ARCHAEOLOGY

Credit Points

20

Course Coordinator

Dr K Milek

Pre-requisites

None

Overview

Covering the first essentials of archaeological enquiry, the course includes three modules that will address:

The study of the past. Global history of archaeological enquiry in the context of developing ideas of artistic perspective, scientific reasoning and historical analysis. How the past has been conceptualised and how early antiquarian, poetic interest eventually became a discipline for scholarly research.

Material culture. Basic technologies, the principles of artefactual study, chronology, typology and other tools of an archaeological practice that works to understand the world of past people through the objects they have left behind.

Being human. Hominid evolution, the first humans and their ecology, early subsistence and social life, the origins of cognition and the human mind, development of abstract reasoning, symbolism, early evidence for 'art' and 'religion'.

Structure

3 one-hour lectures every week and 1 two-hour tutorial in weeks 14-21.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (67%) and in-course assessment (33%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (67%) plus original in-course assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

20

Course Coordinator

Dr P Jordan

Pre-requisites

None

Overview

Covering the deeper foundations of archaeological enquiry, the course includes three modules that will address:

Introduction to archaeological practice. First principles of archaeological study, including field survey, excavation, analysis and publication.

Transformations: the global development of human complexity. The global development of human society, including the transition to agriculture, the emergence of social complexity and urban life, the rise of polities and social elites.

Introduction to the Archaeology of the British Isles. A chronological overview of human habitation and settlement in what is now Britain and Ireland, from the Palaeolithic (early Stone Age) to the beginning of the Medieval Period.

Structure

3 one-hour lectures every week and 1 two-hour tutorial in weeks 33-37 and 41. On the Fridays of weeks 41-43 there are full-day assessed fieldtrips to archaeological sites in Aberdeenshire. Attendance is compulsory and students will be asked to make a contribution towards the costs of these trips.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (67%) and in-course assessment (33%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (67%) plus original in-course assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr G Noble

Pre-requisites

Either AY 1001 or AY 1501

Notes

This course provides students with a detailed introduction to how theory, ethics and politics all play an important role in the archaeological study of human (pre)history. Students completing the course will be able to use a range of theoretical approaches to interpret the material evidence of the past, and will gain understanding of the moral and political implications of archaeological research in a modern global setting.

Overview

As an advanced introduction to theoretical and ethical aspects of archaeological enquiry, the course includes two themes:

• Archaeological theory since 1950. World history of archaeological theory, starting with culture-historical approaches, adaptive and ecological perspectives, and moving on to recent post-processual and gender critiques. Concludes with an exploration of how archaeological theory might develop in the future.


• Archaeological ethics. Explores the political and moral implications of how archaeologists study and represent past societies. Considers issues of cultural heritage, artefact ownership and land-rights, and examines the politics of excavation, interpretation and repatriation.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week with two reading weeks and four two-hour tutorials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment (50%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J Oliver

Pre-requisites

Either AY 1001 or AY 1501

Notes

This course provides students with a detailed introduction to the colonisations and inter-community contacts that are central to the 'Archaeology of the North' (defined here as Scotland, Northern-Eurasia, the North Pacific high-latitude, North America and the North Atlantic). Lectures examine the first colonisations of the North and trace how these earlier populations established the cultural, ethnic and religious diversity that defined later periods. Attention is also directed towards understanding the changing nature of contacts between indigenous peoples and European settlers.

Overview

An introduction to the colonisations and inter-cultural contacts that are central to the 'Archaeology of the North', the course draws on a series of case-studies to examine:

• The earliest human colonisations


• Later migrations and more recent inter-cultural contacts across the northern world.


• The arrival of Vikings and other European settlers into the North.


• The changing interactions between colonists and indigenous peoples.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week with two reading weeks and four two-hour tutorials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment (50%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr G Noble

Pre-requisites

Either AY 1001 or AY 1501

Notes

This course provides students with a detailed introduction to how archaeologists go about interpreting the material evidence for past societies and long-term culture-change. We will investigate how asking different questions of material culture can generate detailed and often surprising insights into the richness and diversity of past social life.

Overview

As an advanced introduction to archaeological enquiry, the course focuses on the archaeology of social life and examines several inter-locking themes:

• Objects and people


• Social identity and material culture


• Word-views and beliefs


• Personhood and the body


• Community relations


• The preceptions of place

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week with two reading weeks and four two-hour tutorials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment (50%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr R Knecht

Pre-requisites

Either AY 1001 or AY 1501

Notes

This course provides students with a detailed introduction to the ecological, economic and spiritual and symbolic dimensions of the 'Archaeology of the North' (defined here as Scotland, Northern Eurasia, the North Pacific, high-latitude North America and the North Atlantic). We will examine the diverse ways in which communities have made the northern world their home. Lectures examine how human societies have responded to frequent periods of severe climate change, the role of technology in mobility, adaptation and social life, and the rich evidence for the spirituality and religious life and customs of northern peoples.

Overview

An introduction to the practical and socio-cultural aspects of the 'Archaeology of the North', the course draws on a series of case-studies to examine three inter-locking themes:

• Human ecology of northern landscapes. Examines the opportunities and constraints that characterise high-latitude environments.


• Living in the North. Investigates some of the creative ways in which northern people have adapted to, and transformed, these ecological settings.


• The Northern Mind. Critically explores the abundant archaeological evidence for ritual, worship and spirituality, cosmology and signification, focusing on rock art, burial practices, sacred places and other forms of evidence. A critical use of ethnographic sources informs the interpretation of these datasets.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week with two reading weeks and four two-hour tutorials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment (50%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr G Noble

Pre-requisites

None, although at least one Archaeology course at level 1 or 2 is recommended.

Overview

This course will provide an introduction to the archaeology of Scotland with a chronological focus on the period from the earliest settlers to the major social and political changes of the Medieval period. The course covers: prehistoric archaeology with a particular emphasis on the social archaeologies of these periods; the emergence of complex societies in Scotland in the Early Historic and Medieval periods; current research, debate and fieldwork projects in Scotland; the formation of the archaeological record in Scotland and the way it is recorded and managed.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures or tutorials a week (with two reading weeks) (20 hours in total) and two day-long fieldtrips (c.6 hours each). Students will be asked to make a contribution towards the cost of these trips.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment (50%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr R Knecht

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above or by permission of Head of School.

Overview

This course will explore the diversity of practices that characterise archaeology as a discipline. Through a combination of lectures, tutorials, practical workshops and field trips, students will gain an awareness of the wide range of techniques that may be used to recover and analyse archaeological data, including excavation, survey and sampling methods, ethnoarchaeological and experimental methods, and the use of databases, statistics and Geographical Information Systems. The course also surveys the range of methods used to present archaeological information to different audiences, and explores the ways that archaeological theory can be incorporated into archaeological practice.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture, tutorial or practical per week (with two reading weeks) (20 hours in total) and a day-long field trip (c. 6 hours). Students will be asked to make a contribution towards the cost of this trip.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment (100%), consisting of short practical exercises/reports and a practical project.

Resit: no resit is possible.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

T.B.A.

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above or by permission of Head of School.

Overview

This course provides an overview of the key scientific methods that allow field archaeologists to maximize the quantity and quality of the material they can recover from sites, and which enhance the understanding and interpretation or archaeological sites and materials. Using a combination of lectures and practical workshops, the course will cover scientific methods of dating, subsurface survey or archaeological sites, artefact provenancing, studying ancient technologies, studying the diet, health, and movements of ancient populations of humans and animals, artefact conservation, identifying ancient pollution and other environmental impacts of human activities, and determining the functions of artefacts and archaeological features.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture every second week, alternating with 1 two-hour practical or demonstration every second week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment (50%) consisting of practical exercises and lab reports.

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J Oliver

Pre-requisites

None although at least one Archaeology course at level 1 or 2 is recommended.

Overview

The course will provide students with a background to the prehistoric and historical archaeology of Northern North America. In addition to covering major material culture traditions from the earliest settlement of North America to the nineteenth century, this course will also probe some of the most important issues which have come to characterize the study of this diverse and culturally fluid continent. Topics will include different theories of cultural change, concepts of ethnicity, debates surrounding European contact, and the conditions of knowledge which inform our understanding of the past.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week, excluding reading weeks (16 hours total) and 4 two-hour tutorials, which will be held every three weeks (8 hours total).

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment (50%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr G Noble

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above or by permission of Head of School. Previous participation in fieldwork project as agreed in advance by course co-ordinator.

Notes

Normally the field project will be a departmental field school (or other project approved by the course co-ordinator), and will take place during the summer before programme year 3, but it may sometimes be possible to join a field project taking place during the Easter vacation of programme year 3. Students considering this course are highly recommended to consult with the course co-ordinator during the second half-session of programme year 2.

Any students with concerns about physical disability should consult with the course co-ordinator as early as possible. The Department is committed to making reasonable adjustments to enable students to achieve the learning outcomes of the degree programme.

Overview

The course provides a systematic framework that enables students to maximise the benefits of participating in an archaeological field project, including the learning of key excavation, survey and recording skills, and the communication of archaeological field data. During and after their participation in the field project, students will receive instruction in how to assemble a portfolio that includes a summary of the aims, methods and results of the approved field project, examples of the student's own excavation and survey records, a field diary, and an artefact study.

Structure

At least 80 hours of field experience on an approved archaeological field project (120 is recommended), followed by 6 one-hour lectures/tutorials to support students in the production of materials for their portfolio.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Coursework (100%) in the form of a fieldwork portfolio.

Resit: no resit is possible.

Credit Points

10

Course Coordinator

Dr P Jordan

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Archaeology programme year 3 (single or joint honours) who have passed AY 3002 Advanced Archaeological Practice.

Notes

Junior honours students must pass this course to proceed to senior honours. This course is a pre-requisite for Archaeological Research Project Part 2.

Overview

This course reviews the range of archaeological study methods and introduces students to the process of archaeological research design. The course covers techniques for advanced library research, writing and editing longer pieces of work, preparing abstracts and bibliographies, and assessing the ethical issues involved in original research. Students will receive supervision in the development of an original archaeological research project, and will prepare a project outline, an annotated bibliography, and a literature review that places the proposed research in its archaeological, methodological and theoretical context.

Structure

6 two-hour seminars/workshops during the first half of the term and c.4 hours of personal supervision.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment (100%) consisting of a research project outline, a literature review, and an annotated bibliography.

Resit: no resit is possible.

Credit Points

5

Course Coordinator

Dr K Milek

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Archaeology programme year 3 (single or joint honours)

Notes

This course is designed to help students obtain a work placement on an archaeological excavation, in a museum, in an archaeological laboratory, in a government agency or an institution that specialises in public archaeology. The expectation is that by the end of the course students will have successfully arranged a 6-8 week work placement for the summer between programme years 3 and 4. This work placement does not necessarily have to be related to the student's intended honours research project, but some students may choose to incorporate into their research project original research carried out on the work placement.

Overview

This course will provide an overview of the diverse range of archaeological professions and possible summer work placements in archaeology. The course instructors will provide guidance and support for student job applications and the course will cover practical skills such as how to write curriculum vitae and cover letters, and how to conduct effective job interview.

Structure

4 one-hour lectures and 1 two-hour practical workshop.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment (100%), comprising a completed CV (40%), a cover letter (40%), and a mock interview (20%).

Resit: No resit possible.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J Oliver

Pre-requisites

None, although AY 3001 Scottish Archaeology is recommended.

Overview

The theme of landscape is embedded in the origins and development of archaeology and is a major avenue of contemporary research. This course will give a flavour of contemporary approaches to landscape in archaeological analysis and their importance for a truly contextual archaeology. Topics will include ritual landscapes, the situation of sites and monuments in their physical environment, island archaeology, seascapes and rock art. These topics will be addressed through a variety of geographical and chronological examples, and will include practical engagement facilitated through a compulsory four-day study trip to the Orkney Isles.

Structure

10 one-hour lectures and a four-day study trip to Orkney during the Easter Vacation (c. 6 hours teaching per day). Students will be asked to make a contribution towards the costs of the trip.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment (50%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Prof N Price

Pre-requisites

None although at least one Archaeology course at level 1 or 2 is recommended.

Overview

This course provides students with a detailed overview of the Viking Age peoples of Scandinavia, and their dramatic expansion in the eighth to eleventh centuries CE. We will review the archaeological evidence for population and settlement patterns, ethnicity and social structure, the development of urban centres and commerce, and Viking Age religion, and will chart the political process that led to the rise of the modern nation stages of Norway, Sweden and Denmark. This Scandinavian background will then be set in the wider context of the Viking diaspora, examining Norse contact, conflict, trade and colonisation from Canada in the West to the Asian steppe in the East.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week (with two reading weeks) and 4 one-hour tutorials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%); continuous assessment (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr G Noble

Pre-requisites

None, although at least one Archaeology course at level 1 or 2 is recommended.

Overview

This course will provide an in-depth introduction to the archaeology of Scotland with a chronological focus on the period from the earliest settlers to the major social and political changes of the Medieval period. The course covers: prehistoric archaeology with a particular emphasis on the social archaeologies of these periods; the emergence of complex societies in Scotland in the Early Historic and Medieval periods; current research, debate and fieldwork projects in Scotland; the formation of the archaeological record in Scotland and the way it is recorded and managed.

Structure

Taken at level 4: 2 one-hour lectures or tutorials a week (with two reading weeks) (20 hours in total) and two day-long fieldtrips (c.6 hours teaching each); plus 4 further hours of seminars/directed learning. Students will be asked to contribute to the costs of these trips.

Assessment

1st attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment (50%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J Oliver

Pre-requisites

None, although at least one Archaeology course at level 1 or 2 is recommended.

Overview

The course will provide students with an in-depth overview to the prehistoric and historical archaeology of Northern North America. In addition to covering major material culture traditions from the earliest settlement of North America to the nineteenth century, this course will also probe some of the most important issues which have come to characterize the study of this diverse and culturally fluid continent. Topics will include different theories of cultural change, concepts of ethnicity, debates surrounding European contact, and the conditions of knowledge which inform our understanding of the past.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week, excluding reading weeks (16 hours total) and 4 two-hour tutorials, which will be held every three weeks (8 hours total); plus 4 further hours of seminars/directed learning.

Assessment

1st attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment (50%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J Oliver

Pre-requisites

None, although AY 3001 Scottish Archaeology is recommended.

Overview

The theme of landscape is embedded in the origins and development of archaeology and is a major avenue of contemporary research. This course will give a flavour of contemporary approaches to landscape in archaeological analysis and their importance for a truly contextual archaeology. Topics will include ritual landscapes, the situation of sites and monuments in their physical environment, island archaeology, seascapes and rock art. These topics will be addressed through a variety of geographical and chronological examples, and will include practical engagement facilitated through a compulsory four-day study trip to the Orkney Isles. Students will be asked to make a contribution to the cost of this trip.

Structure

10 one-hour lectures and a four-day study trip to Orkney during the Easter Vacation (c.6 hours teaching per day); plus 4 further hours of seminars/directed learning.

Assessment

1st attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment (50%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Prof N Price

Pre-requisites

None, although at least one Archaeology course at level 1 or 2 is recommended.

Overview

This course provides students with a detailed overview of the Viking Age peoples of Scandinavia, and their dramatic expansion in the eighth to eleventh centuries CE. We will review the archaeological evidence for population and settlement patterns, ethnicity and social structure, the development of urban centres and commerce, and Viking Age religion, and will chart the political process that led to the rise of the modern nation states of Norway, Sweden and Denmark. This Scandinavian background will then be set in the wider context of the Viking diaspora, examining Norse contact, conflict, trade and colonisation from Canada in the West to the Asian steppe in the East.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week (with two reading weeks) and 4 one-hour tutorials; plus 4 further hours of seminars/directed learning.

Assessment

1st attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%); continuous assessment (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (100%).