- Department: Archaeology
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: I
- Academic year of delivery: 2023-24
- See module specification for other years: 2024-25
This module focuses on the practical hands-on aspects of archaeobotany from sampling to sorting, identifying, quantifying and reporting on archaeobotanical assemblages from archaeological sites. This module is aimed at those who want to know more about plant remains and/or are likely to encounter archaeobotanical data sets in the course of their research or professional career. Students will be given the necessary practical tools for the identification of macrobotanical remains, with primary focus on seed crops, archaeological remains of food and tuber parenchyma.
A directed option - students must pick a Practical Skills module and have a choice of which to take (one in Semester 2)
Occurrence | Teaching period |
---|---|
A | Semester 2 2023-24 |
The Practical Skills modules seek to introduce you to a range of skills in various diverse areas of archaeological practice and are designed to allow you to gain experience in a 'hands-on' manner.
This specific module aims:
By the end of the module the students should be able to:
This module is designed to give students an understanding of key archaeobotanical theory and practice. In the first weeks we will start with an introduction to preservation of plant remains and sampling strategies, in addition to exploring the latest techniques and scientific approaches for archaeobotanical analyses. We will then move on to developing practical skills for the identification of macrobotanical remains with specific focus on seed crops (cereals and legumes) and other species of economic importance from Eurasia and Africa. The following lectures and practicals will be dedicated to understanding specialist archaeobotanical reports, as well as reviewing the principle lines of interpretation of plant remains in the wider archaeological context.
Task | % of module mark |
---|---|
Essay/coursework | 100 |
None
Students will work week by week towards their summative assessment during their activities in class.
Task | % of module mark |
---|---|
Essay/coursework | 100 |
Formative: written feedback from module leaders
Summative: written feedback within the University's turnaround policy
Wilkinson, K & Stevens, C (2008). Environmental archaeology : approaches, techniques & applications Stroud : Tempus: Rev. ed.: 2008
Marston, Jo., D'Alpoim Guedes, J and Warinner, C(eds.) (2014). Method and theory in paleoethnobotany . Boulder : University Press of Colorado.
Pearsall, D (2015). Paleoethnobotany : a handbook of procedures, 3rd edition. Left Coast Press.