ARCH2036 Archaeology of the Neanderthals: who were they?

Later Year Course

Offered By	School of Archaeology & Anthropology
Academic Career	Undergraduate
Course Subject	Archaeology
Offered in	ARCH2036 will not be offered in 2010
Unit Value	6 units
Course Description	Neanderthals are the most well known, and most maligned, of the peoples that lived before modern humans. Were they sophisticated, evolving cultural beings or non-cultural, cannibalistic dunces? This course explores this question by examining the information about the tools, bodies and sites left behind by Neanderthals. Additional questions are when and why they became extinct, and when and how modern behaviour developed? Emerging evidence yields surprising conclusions about the Neanderthals, and by implication about ourselves.
Learning Outcomes	Students will acquire knowledge of the lives and evolution of Neanderthals, the archaeological and biological evidence that forms the basis for those reconstructions, and the history of debates about the nature of these hominids.
Indicative Assessment	Students review the theory and method of archaeological interpretations through the review of two articles (20%) and 3,000 word essay (80%).
Workload	Normally offered in alternate years 2 hours of lectures and one hour of laboratories per week. Students will normally spend an additional 4 hours per week in study.
Areas of Interest	Archaeology
Requisite Statement	One first year course to the value of 6 units in Archaeology (ARCH or PREH) or permission of the lecturer.
Incompatibility	PREH2036 Understanding Early Technologies.
Preliminary Reading	Mellars, P. 1996 The Neanderthal Legacy. Princeton University Press, New York.
Majors/Specialisations	Archaeology, Australian Studies, and Archaeology Practice
Academic Contact	Prof Peter Hiscock

The information published on the Study at ANU 2010 website applies to the 2010 academic year only. All information provided on this website replaces the information contained in the Study at ANU 2009 website.