Course aims:

The Lecture Notes Introduction to Archaeology are aimed towards all the archaeology students. The main goal of these lectures is to gather the most relevant aspects of the study of archaeology and to become a useful tool for the students.
By presenting a series of case studies, the investigation methods used in the archaeological research and relevant discoveries can be much easily understood.
In exploring past civilizations, by bringing them back to the surface, archaeology uses unitary research methods, accepted by all archaeological schools. Today, more than ever, archaeology benefits from other sciences, such as physics, chemistry, biology, and the IT sector.

Course Entry Requirements:

N/A

Course contents:

Course I: Archaeology, what does it mean?; Course II: A brief history of archaeology; Course III: The main concepts and theoretical approaches towards archaeology; Course IV: History of research and development of archaeological sciences in Romania; Course V: Experimental archaeology and reconstructing production processes; Course VI: Classical methods used in archaeological research; Course VII: How to research an archaeological site? Classification of archaeological researches; Course VIII: Methods of recording archaeological data on-site; Course IX: Notions concerning preservation and restoration of artefacts and archaeological sites; Course X: Landscape archaeology and archaeology of settlement. Archaeological topography; Course XI: Non-destructive prospections in archaeology; Course XII: Methods of absolute dating in archaeology; Course XIII: Methods of research in archaeology. Archaeometry; Course XIV: Archaeology as an interdisciplinary science (Zooarchaeology, Archaeobotany)

Teaching methods:

Power Point presentation

Learning outcomes:

The acquisition of the basic knowledge in archaeology and the ability to operate with the specific concepts of this field

Learning outcomes verification and assessment criteria:

80% - oral examination; 20% - paper presentation from the seminar themes

Recommended reading:

J. Grant, S. Gorin, N. Fleming, The Archaeology. Coursebook, Routledge, London, 2008,
P. Wilkinson, Archaeology, Archaeopress, Oxford, 2007,
M. Carver, Archaeological Investigation, Routledge, London, 2009,
C. Renfrew, P. Bahn, Archaeology: Theories, Methods and Practice, Thames & Hudson, London, 2008,
H. Miller, Archaeological Approaches to Technology, Elsevier Academic Press, New York,