Archaeology

This course focuses on the practicalities of acquiring, processing, and curating archives as well as issues concerning access and research. It also introduces the different archival material available that is relevant to the study of Egyptology and its history. In addition to readings on the history of archives, their significance, and best practice, the course provides hands-on experience with the Selim Hassan archives from his excavation at Giza housed in the American University in Cairo’s Rare Books and Special Collections Library. Students catalogue the material (both photographic and textual), learn about conservation, and documentation (scanning and photography), and the upkeep and organization of digital archives. They then also work on the material (the extent depends on time permitting) to see what was published and what was not, and learn how to categorize the material for future use. In addition to the practical work, there are a series of assignments associated with archives. Thus, this course not only expose students to archival work and best practices, but also archival research and its role in publications. Field trips to Giza to visit the areas of Hassan’s excavations as well as to the archives of other archaeological institutes form part of the course, as well as guest lectures by archivists and scholars who use archives to further archaeological work.

This course teaches students about the wide range of ways in which archaeologists go about researching the past. Students learn about the nature of the archaeological record (formation processes, preservation conditions, etc.), different types of data collection and analyses used by archaeologists, including isotope analysis and ancient DNA analysis, dating methods, and different research foci with accompanying case-studies. Students are also given hands-on introductions to topographical and geophysical surveying equipment.

The Irish landscape as we know today is governed by what has happened in the past. Both climate change and anthropogenic factors have played significant roles in shaping the development of the landscape. The objective of this course is to introduce the student to paleoenvironmental methods, in particular pollen analysis, as a means of interpreting the past 15,000 years of vegetation and environmental change in Ireland.

This course introduces the settlements and daily life of the ancient Egyptians, including the material culture. It concentrates on the archaeological evidence from settlements of the three most important periods of ancient Egyptian civilization: the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms. The course first discusses urban settlement patterns in ancient Egypt, and secondly the processes by which material assemblages form in settlements. The plans and structure of dwellings is also considered along with the material evidence found within them.

This course examines the material remains of medieval and post-medieval societies through archaeological evidence, focusing on how these vestiges contribute to our understanding of historical processes. It emphasizes the management, conservation, and communication of post-classical heritage and explores archaeology’s role in current historical debates.

This course provides a foundation of knowledge and ideas of the field of archaeology. The thematic approach allows for the presentation of the theories, practices, uses, and achievements of archaeology, from its origins to the contemporary world. The geographical scope covers Europe, the Mediterranean, Egypt, the Near East, and Southwest Asia.

Students are required to master the basic concept of Chinese art archaeology, understand the discovery history of Chinese art archaeology, and understand the role and significance of art archaeology in the study of Chinese culture and history.