Foundation concepts in Archaeology have ancestry in developments of Natural Science since the 17th century. This course plots out the historical development of core concepts eg evolution; stratigraphy; taxonomic classification and its link to the species concept; ecology and habitat; the recognition of a direction and change in earth systems over time; and interaction between the human species and the environment. The course shows how such concepts are baselines in much contemporary archaeological thought and method, both of "scientific" and "non-scientific" or even "anti-scientific" type. A "middle road" is plotted, suitable for riding on a bicycle made for two, embracing both historicist and scientific traditions.    

The course provides guidelines as to the choices available for framing our understanding of the past. How can we understand how we have developed and interacted with our planet as a species, and how should we proceed to structure our research?  The notion of the archaeologist as "detective' is compared with the archaeologist as "narrator" and archaeologists as contemporary (and competing) "lore-makers" for the human past. The course ends with some questions, and hopefully not too many firm answers:

If you don`t trust science why would you ever get on a plane, or drive your car? What did our ancestors have for breakfast?  What do you think you see as stars in the night sky, and what would you have thought 10,000 or even 1,000 years ago?  Why does the public have such a hunger for archaeological news stories? What role has "science" in understanding the past and why (oh why) is "science" often regarded as a scary word?

Understanding the ancestry and lineages in contemporary archaeological method is a core outcome. Students will start to form skills in differentiating scientific and evidential approaches as compared with less evidential but equally  compelling narrative aproaches. Core outcomes are the ability to query interpretations, both in published literature and in data, not least allegedly scientific data, and begin to design methods and design ways to test ideas about the past.

Development of capacity to frame research questions and critically assess interpretations will be assessed through selection of two seminar topics (case studies) where arguments are prepared for and against interpretations offered.

TWO topics to be submitted as written notes for debates combined with annotated bibliographies (max 2500 words each) (2 x 30%); a presentation as led summary of historical antecedents to core concepts under discussion (as Powerpoint) (30%); on-line participation and/or session attendance record (10%).

10 hours of lectures, also available on-line. 20 hours (10 x 2 hour) taped discussion sessions based on historically cross-comparative topics, each with pre-reading preparation and requiring the searching of on-line resources (40 hours). Discussion sessions will be recorded or on-line. Students are expected to supplement the reading for discussion sessions with the reading of prescribed texts (50 hours). 

Entry into the Graduate Certificate of Archaeological Science and Graduate Certificate of Archaeological Studies.

Not applicable.

Dawkins, R. 2009 The Greatest Show on Earth: the evidence for evolution. Bantam Press: London.

Gamble, C. 2008 Archaeology:The Basics. 2nd edition. Routledge: London.

Turney, C. 2006 Bones, Rocks and Stars. The Science of when Things Happened.