Overview
Lecturer
Mihai Gligor
Seminar tutor
Ancuta Bobina
Type of course
Compulsory
Language of instruction
Romanian
Erasmus language
English
Domain
History
Field of study
History
Form of education
Full-time
Form of instruction
Class
Credit awarded by
Grade
Teaching methods
Lecture, conversation, exemplification.
Entry requirements
-
Aims
I.1104
Demonstrate a general understanding of basic field methods of site survey, excavation, and recording. Be able to describe important types of artifacts found such as lithics, ceramics, and faunal remains. Also describe and practice the basic techniques of analyzing artifacts to learn more about human
Describe how archaeologists study human culture using case studies from world history that may include but do not exclusively include: human evolution, the rise of agriculture, the rise of cities, Ancient Near East, Far East, Classical World.
Course contents
1. What is archaeology? Purpose and methods of archaeological research. The contribution of science to the archaeology development
2. A Brief History of Archaeology. First records of archaeological activities. The legacy of Antiquity Collectors and antiquarians
3. Introduction to archaeological research. From analytical to systemic archaeology. 4. Processual and post-processual archaeology. Cultural anthropology and etnoarchaeology
5. Site Identification. Site Excavation. Interpreting Features. Excavation and stratigraphy.
6. Recording stratification
7. The Archaeology of Settlements
8. Non-destructive prospections. Geophysics. Soil electrical resistivity. Magnetometry
Dating the Past
9. How is Pottery Made?
10. Stone Artifact Analysis. Determining the type and flaking properties of stone
Plant Remains. Archaeobotany
11. Animal Bones. Archaeozoology
12. Conservation and restoration of archaeological artefacts. Archaeological materials drawing. Primary conservation. Restoration and storage of archaeological artefacts
13. The Archaeology of Subsistence and Environment
EU Law on Cultural Heritage. Status of Archaeological Research. Preliminary
14. Documentation and Post-excavation Reports. Ethics in Archaeology
Learning outcomes
retrieval of written sources on the historical past;
establishing historical facts on the basis of historical sources and outside of these;
the concrete production of new historical knowledge on the basis of deeper insights within the study of an epoch and/or of a medium complexity historical subject.
Assessment
Written paper – interpretative essay – 60%; continuous assessment – 40%.
Recommended reading
Bintliff, J. (Ed.) (2006): A Companion to Archaeology, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford.
Carver, M. (2009): Archaeological Investigation, Routledge, London and New York.
Grant, J., Gorin, S., Fleming, N. (2008): The Archaeology. Coursebook (Third Edition), Routledge, London and New York.
Green, K. (1995): Archaeology. An introduction (Third Edition), Routledge, London and New York.
Hester, T. R., Shafer, H. J., Feder, K. L. (2009): Field methods in archaeology, Walnut Creek, Left Coast Press.