This course provides an introduction to African archaeology, ranging widely across the entire continent and spanning the full temporal range of human history. We will begin with a discussion of perceptions of the African past and present around the world today, and conclude by considering the unique contributions of African contexts to global archaeological debates and heritage practices. Lectures, readings and group discussion during the course will engage with topics as diverse as the evolution of our species, interpretation of rock art using ethnographic archives, the development of African kingdoms, and the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
The course is intended for students who wish to expand their knowledge of global archaeological contexts and practices, and engage with well-known case studies that highlight major research themes across the continent. Grades will be assigned on the basis of a 10 minute class presentation on a well-known archaeological site, a 2-page written biography of a museum object and participation in class discussions. Although the course will be taught and assessed in English, students will be evaluated on their engagement with the material (not their grammar!). Please email me for office hours and individual meetings.Key objectives for course:
- Consider the unique place of African history in global archaeological narratives
- Analyse historical and modern lay understandings of African cultures and histories
- Discuss European or other global archaeological contexts in the light of African research themes (and vice versa)
- Gain broad familiarity with the archaeological frameworks in use around the continent
- Recognise key sites, material cultures and research themes across the continent
- Gain experience and confidence reading and summarising academic papers in English
- Practise key skills of writing and presenting in English, and peer-assessment.
- Profesor: Emma Loftus
This course provides an introduction to stable isotope and radiocarbon dating methods that are widely used in archaeology today. The course is of interest to all those who wish to engage with science-based methods in their archaeological studies, to understand the general principles of these particular methods and to gain familiarity interpreting these types of data. The course will comprise seven 2-hour lectures and three practical sessions working with radiocarbon dates and isotopic data. The course will be evaluated by two practical exercises interpreting datasets and a 10-minute class presentation on a published research paper.
Key objectives for course:- Understand the scientific principles of widely-deployed bioarchaeological methods (14C dating and C, N, O and Sr stable isotopes)
- Extend this knowledge to archaeological studies (undergraduate students) or to your own research (graduate students)
- Evaluate the conclusions of archaeological studies that utilise these methods
- Develop skills in assessing the design of scientific studies
- Gain experience and confidence in interpreting and presenting quantitative datasets, using spreadsheets and simple statistical tests
- Strengthen confidence in reading and summarising scientific papers in English
- Profesor: Emma Loftus
- Profesor: Ken Massy
Für Studienanfänger vermittelt die Vorlesung die Definition der Frühgeschichtlichen Archäologie, die durch das Vorhandensein von Schriftquellen charakterisiert ist. In Mitteleuropa gibt es die erste schriftliche Überlieferung für die Oppida-Zivilisation der späteren Latènezeit. Chronologische Inhalte der Frühgeschichte sind die Römische Kaiserzeit im germanischen Barbaricum, die Völkerwanderungszeit und die Archäologie der Merowingerzeit. Die anschließende Archäologie der Karolinger- und Wikingerzeit leitet über zur Archäologie des Hohen und Späten Mittelalters.
Die Veranstaltung wird als rein virtuelle Veranstaltung per Moodle stattfinden.
- Profesor: Ken Massy
- Profesor: Bernd Päffgen
- Profesor: Thomas Simeth
- Profesor: Sophie Hüdepohl
- Profesor: Fabienne Karl
- Profesor: Franziska Reinhart
- Profesor: Andreas Schöffmann
- Profesor: Kathrin Schuchter
- Profesor: Hanna Westeroth