Archaeology of Death uses burial practices, mortuary goods and biological remains to reconstruct the lives of the dead as well as, if not more importantly, the lives of those that buried them. There is a global orientation in exploring ideas associated with death and the treatment of the dead from individuals though to entire past communities. The temporal expanse of this course extends from middle Pleistocene evidence for Neandertal cannibalism and the earliest deliberate burials, to prehistoric ancestor worship and sacrifice, childhood death, gendered grave goods, through to the complex burial rituals associated with high status and class based societies.

 Tutorial presentation (15%),  2,000 word essay (50%) and short test (35%).

2 hours of lectures and one hour of tutorial per week

One first year course to the value of 6 units in Archaeology (ARCH or PREH) or permission of the lecturer