Entry requirements

Admission to the Bachelor's Programme in Archaeology and Ancient History and participation in Archaeology and Ancient History I, 30 credits.

Learning outcomes

After passing the course, the student should be able to:

Myth, religion and worldview

• account for central theories, methods and concepts in the study of early belief systems
• reflect on the role of religion in a society based on a selection of historical contexts
• discuss notions about gods, death and the creation of the world based on a selection of historical contexts

Landscapes

• give examples of how humans, the environment and the landscape interact in different ways
• describe and give examples of different source materials, methods and theoretical frameworks in the study of landscapes, humans and the environment
• reflect on long-term changes in the environment in relation to today's discussion on sustainable development and cultural heritage conservation
• perform a basic landscape analysis based on archaeological and historical source material

Methods in archaeology

• describe different methods of dating the past, including the difference between relative and absolute dating, as well as historical and scientific dating
• give examples of different methods for determining the composition and origin of artefacts
• describe how biological remains of humans and animals can be analysed
• describe different methods for analysing ancient climate, environment and topography

Anthropological perspectives in archaeology

• describe and account for traditional cultural forms and their social organisation in a global perspective with insights into local adaptation and variation
• demonstrate basic knowledge of anthropological, ethnological and ethnographic literature relevant to archaeological issues and cross-cultural studies
• account for the historical background of ethnoarchaeology, and have insight into experimental archaeology and its role in contemporary archaeology

Content

Module 1. Myth, religion and worldview 7.5 credits

This module introduces key theories, methods and concepts in the study of early belief systems. The possibilities and limitations of the often fragmentary material and textual source material are discussed using examples from different cultures.

Four themes structure the study: (1) The role of religion in society, (2) What is a god?, (3) Death, and (4) How did the world come into being?

Module 2. Landscapes 7.5 credits

This module provides basic insights into how humans and the environment interact. Using examples from different parts of the world and different periods, it presents an overview of various source materials, methods and theoretical frameworks for reading and understanding how humans have used landscapes and the environment throughout history. The importance of different perspectives on landscape and a long-term understanding of environmental and landscape change for current debates is also introduced in the module.

Four themes structure the module: (1) Theoretical aspects on landscapes, (2) Sustainability, resource utilisation and cultural heritage management, (3) The built and social landscape, and (4) Archaeological and historical sources and methods in landscape studies.

Module 3. Methods in Archaeology 7.5 credits

This module covers the wide range of methods available for exploring the past. The module begins with different ways of measuring, determining and describing the age and composition of objects or finds. Different ways of gaining knowledge about people and domestic animals in the past are studied through their biological remains. The module concludes with an overview of how ancient climate and environmental data can be analysed.

Four themes structure the study: (1) When? (2) What and where? (3) People and animals (4) Environment, climate and topography.

Module 4. Anthropological perspectives in archaeology 7.5 credits

This module covers the basics of anthropological perspectives on traditional cultural expressions used in societal interpretations of archaeological remains. Significant emphasis is placed on cross-cultural studies from a global perspective, combined with some practical exercises in experimental archaeology.

Four themes structure the module: (1) Experimental archaeology, (2) Anthropological method, (3) Ethnohistory and monuments, (4) Death and burial.

Instruction

Teaching on all modules consists of lectures, literature studies, practical exercises and/or seminars with written and oral assignments. Teaching in English may occur.

Assessment

Examination takes place continuously through oral and written seminar assignments, as well as through written classroom or take-home examinations. Examination in English may occur. In the module Anthropological Perspectives in Archaeology, grades are either fail (U) or pass (G). In the other three modules, grades are either fail (U), pass (G) or pass with distinction (VG).

If there are special reasons, the examiner may make an exception from the specified examination method and allow a student to be examined in another way. Special reasons can e.g., special pedagogical support recommended by the university's coordinator.