World Arch: Coastal Prehistory

Module leader: Prof. Geoff Bailey

Exploration and exploitation of the world's coastlines, of the marine resources that can be found there, and of the oceanic realm that lies beyond, is one of the great colonising processes of human history, with roots that extend deep into the prehistoric past. The sea has provided food for millions, acted as a potent source of ancient myth and metaphor, and served as a conduit for movement, cultural contact and trade connections that have bound together territories adjacent to the great sea basins of the North Sea, the Mediterranean and further afield. This maritime theme is now stimulating new work and new perspectives across the world. It is implicated in all the great transformations and developments of prehistory, including the spread of early human populations into new territory, agricultural dispersals, and later movements of trade and conquest extending into the historical era, when wind power and seafaring greatly expanded the range and frequency of long-distance movements.

This module will provide an introduction to this thematic approach to world archaeology, drawing on case studies from a range of time periods and geographical areas. Some of these case studies will be from areas and time periods that students are already familiar with, for example in Northwest Europe, while others will introduce more exotic examples, particularly from the Americas and Australia, where some excellent examples of coastal archaeological research have been carried out. The emphasis will be on prehistory, though not exclusively so, with inclusion of historical and ethnographic examples.

Aims

  • To examine the role of coastal environments and marine resources in world archaeology
  • To introduce a novel maritime perspective to key developments in world archaeology

Learning outcomes

  • Demonstrate a broad and comparative knowledge of the archaeology of coastlines around the world
  • Discuss and explain the principal archaeological evidence in the area of study and demonstrate a critical appreciation of the potential biases and problems in the interpretation of the evidence
  • Evaluate and contextualise different types of archaeological source material
  • Critically appraise other people’s studies and produce logical and structured arguments supported by relevant evidence

Employability

The World Archaeology provide a range of important employability skills including:
  • Self management: because this is a lecture course you will need to manage your time carefully and should be spending about 10 hours a week reading the literature suggested for each topic- this will help you when writing your essay and preparing for the exam
  • Communication: you will really need to develop your writing communication skills in this module - writing a clear argument based on evidence from your reading is key to your assessment and you get the chance to practice this in your formative essay in preparation for the exam
  • Problem solving: you need to be able to retrieve, analyse and evaluate information from different sources
  • Social, cultural and global awareness: you will gain a strong knowledge of other cultures and customs in other countries and should appreciate the diversity of issues

 
Frederich Feulner at Neustadt

Excellent module.... Geoff Bailey is a legend.