Approaches to Archaeology 2: Ceramics History and the Study of Burials

Description

This module focuses on two sub-disciplines of archaeology relating to the technological and cultural history of artifacts and the archaeology and anthropology of burials, as follows:

a) ceramics history: history of ceramic manufacture and use from Neolithic times to the present day with a particular focus on the ceramic history of Ireland;

b) the study of burials: the range and variety of burial practices in human societies from prehisotic to modern times and the methodologies used by archaeologists to recover information from burials.

 

 

Learning Outcomes

  1. articulate on the role and value of ceramics for studying and understanding human societies, past and present;

  2. display a knowledge of the principal ceramic styles and traditions in Ireland from prehistoric times to the present;

  3. appreciate the value of ceramics as cultural and economic assets in modern societies.

  4. demonstrate a knowledge of the diversity of burial practices from prehistoric times to the present and the cultural beliefs and values which underpin them;

  5. identify and explain the methodologies and techniques employed in the study of burials;

  6. evaluate the range of moral and ethical issues surrounding the archaeological exhumation and study of the dead;

Credits
05
% Coursework 50%
% Final Exam 50%