HS2116: Introduction to Archaeological Skills

School Archaeology
Department Code SHARE
Module Code HS2116
External Subject Code F420
Number of Credits 20
Level L4
Language of Delivery English
Module Leader Professor Niall Sharples
Semester Double Semester
Academic Year 2013/4

Outline Description of Module

The course is designed to introduce students to a broad range of archaeological approaches and skills through the medium of lectures and classroom-based practical sessions, as well as five fieldtrips. Students will be taken through the various stages of approaching, excavating and analysing a site, including prospection and survey, photography, systematic excavation, and post-excavation work. Students will, as a compulsory part of this module, participate in five one-day fieldtrips, each of which will focus on a particularly rich archaeological site or landscape in SE Wales and SW England.

On completion of the module a student should be able to

On completion of the module, the students should have acquired

• An understanding of archaeological practices and skills, and be able to apply some or all of these during the summer vacation fieldwork module.

• A broad knowledge of the ways in which archaeologists work with archaeological sites and material, through the study of general approaches to archaeology, specific techniques, and case studies.

• The skills required to select the appropriate approach when working with an archaeological site or material, and an ability to interpret a variety of data.

How the module will be delivered

14 one-hour lectures; six practical sessions and five fieldtrips. Practicals and fieldtrips are assessed. The fieldtrips are generally suitable for individuals with a physical disability but in some cases special arrangements will have to be made and one of the trips is unsuitable for individuals with significant mobility problems.

How the module will be assessed

ASSESSMENT
 
• Practical assessments: Six exercises undertaken in the lab (50% of module mark)
 
• Fieldwork report: A written essay on the fieldtrips, comprising 2000 words in all (50%
 
of module mark)
 
SCHEDULE OF ASSESSMENT
 
• Practical assignments should be written up in students’ lab notebooks – these will be marked during the course.
 
You have to produce a significant piece of assessed coursework based upon the sites you have visited on the five fieldtrips. This should be a word processed document of about 1500 words; one paper copy must be submitted with a cover sheet and a copy should be submitted on Turnitin. The work should demonstrate that you are beginning to think analytically about archaeology and archaeological sites. Since the fieldtrips start quite early in the Autumn semester you should start planning this report at the beginning of the course and take written notes as we go along.

Assessment Breakdown

Type % Title Duration(hrs)
Written Assessment 50 Coursework 1 N/A
Written Assessment 50 Coursework 2 N/A

Syllabus content

LECTURE 1: Introduction (NS)
 
An introduction to the course which will discuss: how this part of the course relates to the other parts, how the course is structured into different elements and what is expected in terms of assessment and attendance. The lecture will also outline the nature of archaeological practice in Britain, what professional archaeologists are actually employed to do and how practice is structured around rescue archaeology.
 
Reading: Adkins, R and L. Adkins 1998; Gamble 2001, Greene, K. 1995; Hunter and Ralston 1993; Lucas 2001; Renfrew, C. and P. Bahn 1996.
 
http://www.britarch.ac.uk/info/uklinks.html, http://www.bajr.org/
 
LECTURE 2: Survey (NS)
 
How do we assess the archaeological record for Britain? Where do we learn what archaeological sites exist? How do we identify archaeological sites and how do we record there nature? This lecture covers the existing archaeological databases and outlines the range of survey methods used; such as aerial photography, geophysics, fieldwalking and trial trenching.
 
Reading: Bettess 1992; Edis et al. 1989; Fasham et al. 1980; Flannery 1976; Hunter and Ralston 1993; Riley 1987; Wilson, D. R., 1975; Wilson 1982.
 
LECTURE 3: Geophysics (AL)
 
If you have ever watched Time Team, you will know that ‘geophys’ includes a range of techniques for seeing beneath the soil. These methods enable us to identify buried archaeology such as walls and ditches, so we have some idea of what is there before we actually dig it up. Methods such as resistivity, magnetometry and ground penetrating radar will be discussed.
 
Reading: Clark 1990, 1996, 2003; Conyers and Goodman 1997; Gaffney, C., Gater & Ovenden, 1991; Gater & Gaffney 2003; Lyons & Avery 1977; Scollar 1990; Weymouth 1986
 
LECTURE 4: Geographical information systems (SM)
 
A Geographical Information System (GIS) is a combination of computer software, hardware, data, and personnel, to help manipulate, analyse and present information that is tied to a spatial location. A GIS combines information on what objects are with information on where they are located to give you a better understanding of the places you chose to study. Archaeologists can use GIS as part of the process of exploring and documenting change geographically and temporally.
 
Reading: Burrough & McDonnell 1998; Connolly & Lake 2006; Wheatley & Gillings 2002.
 
See also: Archaeology Data Service: GIS guide to good practice
 
http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/project/goodguides/gis/ (accessed 05/09/2008)
 
Ordnance Survey. GIS files.
 
http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/gisfiles/ (accessed 05/09/2008)
 
 
LECTURE 5: What is an Archaeological Site? (NS)
 
How is an archaeological site formed? This lecture will explore the nature of archaeological sites and places these in the context of the processes that shape our natural environment. Archaeological sites are formed by both natural and anthropogenic processes and one of the problems of interpretation is differentiating between these processes. The nature of an archaeological site is also heavily influenced by the nature of the local environment and this will in many ways dictate the quality of the archaeological record. The principles of stratigraphy will be introduced.
 
Reading: Carver 2010, Drewett 1999, Green 1995, Harris 1989
 
LECTURE 6: Excavating (NS)
 
This lecture will cover the fundamental principles of destructive investigation or excavation. What is the role of excavation? How do we select what to excavate? How important is sampling? What are the mechanical problems involved in excavation? How do we ensure that we recover all the material contained within the site?
 
Reading: Barker 1986, Barker 1998, Collis 2001, Drewett 1999, Harris 1989, Roskams 2001, Schiffer 1987
 
LECTURE 7: Recording and post-excavation (NS)
 
All sites have to be recorded, analysed and published. Why is recording important? What needs to be recorded? And what method is most appropriate? This lecture will introduce the site archive (plans, sections, photographs, context sheets, etc.) and how this is produced. What processes are involved in post-excavation? How should material be ordered? What happens to artefacts and ecofacts after excavation? What kinds of information do archaeologists wish to extract from them? How does this help to reinterpret the excavated site?
 
LECTURE 8: Recording standing buildings (DP)
 
This lecture looks at the methods for recording standing buildings, considering such factors as methods of drawing and photography, relative and absolute dating, relation of standing structures to below-ground remains, architectural terminology, relation of structural remains to historical sources, and presentation of results.
 
LECTURE 9: Dating Evidence: relative dating (TY)
 
What are the basic principles of archaeological dating? How do we know how old a sherd of pottery is? Artefact typologies are archaeology’s tried and tested tools for constructing chronologies and in this lecture we will look at the strengths and weaknesses of this approach. Also introduced will be the terms terminus ante quem and terminus post quem, and the problems of residuality. We will also survey the most important methods for dating archaeological finds using laboratory ('scientific') methods from the perspective of British and European archaeology.
 
Reading: Barker 1998, Bayliss and Orton 1994, Bowman 1990 , Buck 1991, Gamble 2001, Green 1995, Harris 1989, Renfrew and Bahn 1996, Roskams 2001.

Essential Reading and Resource List

Aitchison, K. and Edwards, R. 2008 Archaeology Labour Market Intelligence: Profiling the Profession 2007-08. Reading: Institute of Field Archaeologists. (available on the WEB)
 
Aitken, M., 1990 Science-Based Dating in Archaeology. London: Longman.
 
Adkins, L. 1989 Archaeological illustration. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
 
Adkins, R. and Adkins, L. 1998. The Handbook of British Archaeology. London: Constable
 
and Robinson. (or: Adkins, R. and L. Adkins, 1982. A Thesaurus of British Archaeology. London: Newton Abbott: the earlier version.)
 
Allen, J.L. and St John Holt, A., 1986 Health and Safety in Field Archaeology. London: Standing Conference of Archaeological Unit Managers.
 
Anderson, A. 1984 Interpreting Pottery. London: Batsford.
 
Aston, M and Rowley, T. 1974 Landscape Archaeology: An Introduction to Fieldwork Techniques on Post-Roman Landscapes. Newton Abbot: David & Charles.
 
Bahn, P. 1992 The Collins Dictionary of Archaeology. London: Collins.
 
Ballie, M.G.L. 1995 A Slice Through Time. London: Batsford.
 
Barker, P. 1986 Understanding Archaeological Excavation. London: Batsford.
 
Barker, P. 1998 Techniques of Archaeological Excavation. 3rd edition. London: Batsford.
 
Bayliss, A. and Orton, C. 1994 Strategic considerations in dating, or “How many dates do I need?” Institute of Archaeology of London Bulletin 31, 151-165.
 
Bettess, F. 1992 Surveying for Archaeologists. Durham: University of Durham.
 
Bowden, M 1999 Unravelling the landscape: An inquisitive approach to archaeology. Stroud: Tempus.
 
Bowman, S. 1990 Radiocarbon Dating. London: British Museum.
 
Bowman, S. 1991 Science and the Past. London: British Museum.
 
Bronk Ramsey, C. 1995 Radiocarbon calibration and analysis of stratigraphy.’ Radiocarbon 37: 425-430.
 
Brown, A. E. 1987 Fieldwork for Archaeologists and Local Historians. London: Batsford.
 
Buck, C.E. et al., 1991 Combining archaeological and radiocarbon information: a Bayesian approach to calibration. Antiquity 68: 252-263.
 
Burrough, P.A. and McDonnell, R.A.. 1998 Principles of Geographical Information Systems. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
 
Carver, M. 2009 Archaeological Investigation. London: Routledge.
 
Ceram, C. W. 1967 Gods, Graves and Scholars. 2nd Edition. London: Knopf.
 
Champion, S. 1980 A Dictionary of Terms and Techniques in Archaeology. London: Phaidon.
 
Childe, V. G. 1956 A Short Introduction to Archaeology. London: Muller. 
 
Clark, A. 1990, 1996, 2003 Seeing Beneath the Soil: Prospecting Methods in Archaeology. London: Batsford. (the 2003 version is available electronically)
 
Clarke, G., 1957 Archaeology and Society: reconstructing the prehistoric past. (3rd ed.) London: Methuen.
 
Coles, J., 1972 Field Archaeology in Britain. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
 
Colwell, R. N. 1983 Manual of Remote Sensing. London: Society of Photogrammetry.
 
Collis, J. 2001 Digging up the Past. Stroud: Sutton.
 
Conolly, J. and Lake, M. 2006 Geographical Information Systems in archaeology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
 
Conyers, L.B. and Goodman, D. 1997 Ground-penetrating radar: an introduction for archaeologists. London: Altamira press.
 
Daniel, G., 1967 The Origins and Growth of Archaeology. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin.
 
Daniels, S and David, N., 1982 The Archaeology Workbook. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
 
Dorrell, P. 1994 Photography in archaeology and conservation. 2nd edition. Cambridge: CUP. 
 
Drewett, P. 1999 Field Archaeology. London: UCL Press.
 
Deuel, L. 1971 Flights into Yesterday: the Story of Aerial Archaeology. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin.
 
Edis, J., Macleod, D. and Bewley, R. 1989 An Archaeologist's Guide to Classification of Cropmarks and Soilmarks. Antiquity 63, 112-46.
 
Fagan, B. M. 1991 In the Beginning: an Introduction to Archaeology. 7th edition. London: Harper Collins.11
 
Fasham, P.J., et al. 1980 Fieldwalking for Archaeologists. Hampshire: Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society.
 
Flannery, K. V. 1976 The Early Mesoamerican Village. New York: Academic Press.
 
Flatman, J. 2011 Becoming an archaeologist: A guide to professional pathways. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
 
Gaffney, C., Gater, J. and Ovenden, S., 1991 The Use of Geophysical Techniques in Archaeological Evaluations. Reading: IFA Technical Papers 9.
 
Gater, J. and Gaffney, C. 2003 Revealing the Buried Past: geophysics for archaeologists.Stroud: Tempus.
 
Gamble, C. 2001 Archaeology: the Basics. London: Routledge.
 
Graslund, B. 1987 The Birth of Prehistoric Chronology: dating methods and dating systems in nineteenth-century archaeology. Cambridge: University of Cambridge Press.
 
Greene, K. 1995 Archaeology: an Introduction. London: Batsford.
 
Griffiths, N. 1990 Drawing Archaeological Finds: a Handbook. London: Institute of Archaeology
 
Harris, E. C. 1975 The Stratigraphic Sequence: A Question of Time. World Archaeology 7: 109-21.
 
Harris, E. 1989 Principles of Archaeological Stratigraphy. New York: Academic Press.
 
Henson, D. 2012 Doing archaeology. A subject guide for students. London: Routledge.
 
Hester, T., Shafer, H. J. and Feder, K. L., 1997 Field Methods in Archaeology. Seventh edition. New York: Mayfield Publishing Co.
 
Hodder, I. 1999 The Archaeological Process: an Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell 
 
Hodges, H. 1989 Artefacts: An Introduction to Early Materials and Technology. London: Duckworth.
 
Hogg, A. H. A. 1980 Surveying for Archaeologists and Other Fieldworkers. London: Croom Helm.
 
Holst, M.K. 1996 The dynamic of the Iron-age village: a technique for the relativechronological analysis of area-excavated Iron-age settlements. Journal of Danish Archaeology 13, 95-119.
 
Hunter, J and Ralston 1993 Archaeological resource management in the UK: an introduction.Stroud: Alan Sutton.
 
IFA: http://www.archaeologists.net/docs/codes/policy_statements.pdf
 
Lucas, G. 2001 Critical approaches to fieldwork: Contemporary and historical archaeological practice. London: Routledge.
 
Lyons, T. R. & Avery, T. E. 1977 Remote Sensing: A Handbook for Archaeologists and Cultural Resource Managers. Washington DC: US Department of the Interior.
 
McIntosh, J. 1986 The Archaeologist's Handbook. London: Bell & Hyman.
 
Manning, S.W. 1992 Thera, sulphur and climatic anomalies. Oxford Journal of Archaeology 11, 245-253.
 
Manning, S.W. 1999 A Test of Time. Oxford: Oxbow Books.
 
Nielsen, K.H. 1995 From artefact to interpretation using correspondence analysis. Anglo-Saxon Studies in Archaeology and History 8, 111-143.
 
Oliver, A. 1989 Safety in Archaeological Fieldwork. York: Council for British Archaeology.
 
Orton, C. 1980 Mathematics in Archaeology. London: Collins.
 
Orton, C., P. Tyres and Vince, A. 1993 Pottery in Archaeology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
 
Palmer, R. 1984 Danebury: An Aerial Photographic Interpretation of its Environs. London: H.M.S.O.
 
Petrie, W.M.F. 1904 Methods and Aims in Archaeology. London: Macmillan.
 
Poirier, D. A. & Feder, K. L., 2001 Dangerous Places: Health, Safety, and Archaeology. New York: Bergin & Garvey.
 
Renfrew, C. and Bahn, P. 1996 Archaeology: Theories, methods and practice. London: Thames and Hudson.
 
Rice, P.M. 1987 Pottery Analysis: a sourcebook. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
 
Riley, D. 1987 Air Photography and Archaeology. London: Duckworth.
 
Roskams, S. 2001 Excavation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
 
Schiffer, M. B. 1987 Formation Processes of the Archaeological Record. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press.
 
Scollar, L. (ed.) 1990 Remote Sensing in Archaeology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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