Archaeology Theory and Practice

Description

Through knowledge and understanding, students will be able to: • Gain useful skills in studying and interpreting material culture • Comprehend fully the niche and relation of archaeology and anthropology within hard sciences and social sciences • Distinguish the variation between theory, interpretation and rationalization • Comprehend research themes and perspectives in the archaeological study of complex societies • Consolidate their understanding of archaeological knowledge and critical methodologies to the discipline • Recognize bias in research and theory • Acquire the knowledge of how theory drives current research about the past Through intellectual skills, students will be able to: • Articulate an opinion on the theories of archaeology • Contemplate empirical arguments and their valuations • Develop a synthetic argument and a complex question in the field of archaeology Through professional and practical skills, students will beable to: • Independently learn • Read complex readings Through general and transferable skills, students will be able to: • Develop new skills in discussion and debate • Become familiar with multi-disciplinary research

Program

Egyptian Archaeology

Objectives

• This course aims at introducing students to archaeological theory, methodology and practice. The archaeological record is the main resource that exists that can provide answers on questions of our origins in terms of the biological evolution of our species as well as our cultural and social evolution. The course tackles the archaeological record of the first civilizations and the research into the beginnings until the formation of modern society. Archaeology is not only the study of the past, but also how the past has come to the present; only in this manner that a long-term perspective on humanity can be perceived. It is worth noting that archaeology is not only the studying of artefacts and buildings in a void, but also it is the study of the humans who were behind this cultural production. The course is divided into lectures and applied study tutorial in the archaeology laboratory and the excavation simulator.