SA581 BASIC CONCEPTS IN ARCHAEOLOGY

Course Objectives

Archaeology is an attempt to understand the human societies through their material remains. In order to introduce students to the basic concepts in archaeological thinking and research, the course will start with an understanding of how and why the study of the human past through archaeology emerged. This will be followed by a series of lectures on the nature of archaeological evidence and the archaeological approach where we discuss the research methods and techniques of the discipline.  We will then move on to the case studies where some of the above mentioned issues were investigated and debated from various angles. The course concludes with a focus upon the importance and relevance of archaeological remains and their understanding in the contemporary world.

Course Content

This course introduces the basic concepts in archaeological thinking and research. We will examine the meaning and application of terms such as cultural evolution, social organization, material culture, landscape, chronology, ethnoarchaeology, environmental archaeology, survey and excavation, site, artefact, ecofact, sratigraphy, agency, ritual etc. through a variety of case studies such as the origins of agriculture, origins of urbanization, development of symbolic thought and development of technologies.

Course Learning Outcomes

Students are expected to gain an understanding of the basic concepts in archaeological thinking and research.