The Mary Ward Centre, London

11 week course
17th September 2012 to 26
th
Noember 2012
!ntroduct"on to
#rchaeo$o%y
&r 'e$en W"ckstead M!(#
1
h)w"ckstead*k"n%ston)ac)uk
2
INTRODUCTION TO ARCHAEOLOGY: AUTUMN TERM
This practically orientated course offers hands-on experience of a wide range of basic
techniques, including artefact handling, site survey, aerial photographic interpretation and
transcription, principles of geophysical survey, excavation and post-excavation analysis.
Through these experiences we will explore the basic tenets of archaeology, including the
main methods of discovering, dating and investigating archaeological evidence as well as
debating the issues (and controversies) involved in its interpretation.
The C$asses:
&ate Sess"on +ey act""t"es
1!"#!1$ %hat is &rchaeology' Artefact handling, discussion
$(!"#!1$ The )cience of *iscovery stereoscopic viewing of aerial photographs
"1!1"!1$ )ite )urvey+ The basics survey using tapes, plane table and automatic level
",!1"!1$ )eeing beneath the soil using geophysical survey instruments
1-!1"!1$ .rinciples of excavation working out Harris matrices, filling out context sheets
$$!1"!1$ *ating and /hronology using C14 dates to date actual sites
$#!1"!1$ 0nvestigating the &ncient 1nvironment extracting charred plant materials
"-!11!1$ .ost-1xcavation &nalysis using site records from a recent excavation
1$!11!1$ 1xploring &rtefacts analysing objects from ingston !useum, "ondon
1#!11!1$ &rchive &rchaeology visit to the "#A#A#$#C#
$2!11!1$ /ourse 3verview and 4eflections Class discussion
,ead"n%-
The classic introductory text is /olin 4enfrew and .aul 5ahn6s 7&rchaeology+ Theories, 8ethods, .ractice6, which
runs to six editions. The most recent edition can be expensive, but you can pic9 up earlier editions for :ust a few
pounds. The conceptual bac9ground to the approaches we explore is provided in /live ;ambles6 ($"",)
7&rchaeology+ The 5asics6. 8artin /arver6s ($""#) 7&rchaeological 0nvestigation6 provides useful orientation for
newcomers to the practices of archaeology in the field. These boo9s can be consulted through the 0nstitute of
&rchaeology <ibrary (=/<) for a small fee. &dditional readings will be given on the handouts supplied each wee9 in
class.
!ntroduct"on to #rchaeo$o%y, 17th September 2012
3
What "s #rchaeo$o%y.
#"ms-
1. To introduce ourselves to each other
2. To suggest directions of the course and fnd out what you would like
3. To discuss what it means to describe an object as archaeological
Learn"n% /utcomes-
!y the end of this session you should be able to:
1. "ist some of the activities you will #artici#ate in during the course
2. $dentify some of the #ractical and safety issues involved in handling
archaeological artefacts
3. %iscuss what might make a range of objects more or less interesting from an
archaeological #oint of view.
Structure o( sess"on-
&ctivity 'nd
Time
()#m to
*#m+
$ntroducing ourselves to the grou# ).1,
-ourse #a#erwork ).2,
.andouts with #otential course structure for discussion )./,
Things to watch out for when handling artefacts 0#m
&rtefact handling session: 1hat is it2 3rder your objects from most to least
archaeological
0.2,
4e#ort back in #airs: .ow did you order your objects2 1hy2 0./5#m
6our &rchaeology Tutor: &n introduction to me (if we get time+ 0.55#m
7ost8it note re9ections : one or two things from the session *#m
,ead"n% L"st
4enfrew; -olin and !ahn; 7 (2,,*+ &rchaeology: Theories; <ethods; 7ractice; -ha#ter 1.
=amble; -live (2,,*+ &rchaeology: The !asics; -ha#ter 1: 1hat is &rchaeology
1atkinson; %avid and >eal; ?irginia (1@@*+Airst &id for Ainds. 4'B-C': The !ritish
&rchaeological Trust
/
!ntroduct"on to #rchaeo$o%y, 20th September 2012
The Sc"ence o( &"scoery
#"ms-
/. To discuss how you might fnd and defne archaeological sites and features
5. To #ractice one key method 8 archaeological aerial survey
Learn"n% /utcomes-
!y the end of this session you should be able to:
/. %iscuss how you might discover sites and featuresD
5. "ist ty#es of aerial surveyD
). =ive eEam#les of key evidence ty#es visible in &7sD
0. Cse a stereosco#e.
Structure o( sess"on-
&ctivity 'nd
Time
()#m to
*#m+
4egister and review of last weeks session ).1,
.ow do you know where to dig : whiteboard ).2,
&erial survey introduction ).25
&nagly#h viewing ).3,
Talk: 1hat kinds of evidence2 )./5
Btereo8viewing eEercise 0.1,#m
&7 inter#retation eEercise: Btonehenge 0./,#m
&7 inter#retation eEercise: Toddington <anor 0.55
7ost8it note re9ections : one or two things from the session *#m
,ead"n% L"st
-arver; <artin (2,,@+ &rchaeological $nvestigation. -ha#ter /: "andsca#e survey
4enfrew; -olin and !ahn; 7 (2,12+ &rchaeology: Theories; <ethods; 7ractice. -ha#ter 2:
1here2 Burvey and 'Ecavation of Bites and Aeatures
5
!ntroduct"on to #rchaeo$o%y, 1st /ctober 2012
S"te Surey"n%- The 1as"cs
#"ms-
1. To #ractice measuring and ma##ing archaeological remains
Learn"n% /utcomes-
!y the end of this session you should be able to:
2. "ay out a small trenchD
3. Aind the height of the trenchD
/. %raw a ma# of the trench and environsD

Structure o( sess"on-
&ctivity 'nd
Time
()#m to
*#m+
4egister and review of last weeks session ).1,
Blideshow 8 Burveying : why does it matter2 ).2,
!ack to the Btereosco#e ).3,
Blideshow : what kind of survey2 )./,
"ay out 2m E 1.5m trench 0#m
Cse automatic level to fnd height 0.15#m
7lane table : survey in trench and edge of room 0./5#m
Blideshow: &bsolute or 4elative 0.5,
7ost8it note re9ections : one or two things from the session 0.55#m
,ead"n% L"st
'nglish .eritage (2,,2+ 1ith &lidade and Ta#e: =ra#hical and 7lane Table Burvey of
archaeological earthworks
htt#:FFwww.english8heritage.org.ukF#ublicationsFwith8alidade8and8ta#eF
!edford; G 7earson; T and Thomason; ! 2,11 Traversing the 7ast: the total station theodolite
in archaeological landsca#e survey. Bwindon: 'nglish .eritage.
htt#:FFwww.english8heritage.org.ukF#ublicationsFtraversingthe#astF
&insworth; B and Thomasen;! (2,,3+ 1here on 'arth are 1e2 The =lobal 7ositioning Bystem
(=7B+ in &rchaeology. Bwindon: 'nglish .eritage.
htt#:FFwww.english8heritage.org.ukFcontentF#ublicationsF#ublications>ewFguidelines8
standardsFg#s8in8archaeological8feld8surveyFwhereoneartharewe.#df
)
!ntroduct"on to #rchaeo$o%y, 2th /ctober 2012
3eophys"ca$ Surey
#"ms-
). To #ractice setting u# a geo#hysical survey
0. To assess the materials used to inter#ret geo#hysical data #lots
Learn"n% /utcomes-
!y the end of this session you should be able to:
1. Bet u# a basic earth resistance surveyD
2. "ist some of the main ty#es of geo#hysical survey in archaeologyD
3. Cse documentary sources; together with an earth resistance #lot to
inter#ret geo#hysical resultsD

Structure o( sess"on-
&ctivity 'nd
Time
()#m to
*#m+
4egister and review of last weeks session ).1,
3ut into Hueen BIuare : set u# survey ).3,
Blideshow : diJerent ty#es of geo#hysical survey 0#m
=rou# eEercise : design a survey 0.15#m
Blideshow : the &ll Baints survey 0.2,#m
7air eEercise : inter#reting geo#hysical data 0./,#m
7ost8it note re9ections : one or two things from the session 0.55#m
,ead"n% L"st
Gones; %avid (ed+ (2,,*+ =eo#hysical Burvey in &rchaeological Aield 'valuation.
'nglish .eritage: Bwindon
www.english8heritage.org.ukF#ublicationsFgeo#hysical8survey8in8archaeological8feld8
evaluationF
=ater; Gohn and =aJney; -hris (2,,3+ 4evealing the !uried 7ast: =eo#hysics for
&rchaeologists The .istory 7ress: Btroud
0
!ntroduct"on to #rchaeo$o%y, 14th /ctober 2012
56caat"on
#"ms-
*. To identify the main ty#es of eEcavation
@. To #ractice recording eEcavated de#osits
Learn"n% /utcomes-
!y the end of this session you should be able to:
/. %ecide how to a##roach the eEcavation of a #articular siteD
5. Cse a conteEt sheet to record an archaeological de#ositD

Structure o( sess"on-
&ctivity 'nd
Time
()#m to
*#m+
4egister and review of last weeks session ).1,
Talk : &##roaches to 'Ecavation ).3,
'Eercise : where to #ut your trenches2 0#m
Blideshow : 4ecording archaeological de#osits 0.15#m
7air eEercise : recording an archaeological de#osit 0./,#m
7ost8it note re9ections : one or two things from the session 0.55#m
,ead"n% L"st
Aor essential guidance on on8site #ractices:
.awker; G.<.; 2,,1. A Manual of Archaeological Field Drawing >ew 'd.; 4escue.
"eigh; %.; 1@@*. First Aid for Finds: Practical Guide for Archaeologists 3rd ed.; Cnited
Kingdom $nstitute for -onservation of .istoric L &rtistic 1orks; &rchaeology Bection.
1estman; &.; 1@@/. Archaeological site manual 3rd ed.; "ondon :: <useum of "ondon;
Aor more general introductions to archaeological feldwork these books might be useful:
-ollis; G.; 2,,1. Digging Up the Past: An Introduction to Archaeological Excavation illustrated
edition.; Button 7ublishing "td.
%rewett; 7.; 1@@@. Field Archaeolog: An Introduction 1st ed.; 4outledge.
4oskams; B.; 2,,1. Excavation; -ambridge Cniversity 7ress.
!ntroduct"on to #rchaeo$o%y, 22nd /ctober 2012
*
&at"n% and Chrono$o%y
#"ms-
1,.To identify the main dating methods used in archaeology
11.To investigate the benefts and limitations of diJerent (relative and absolute+
methods
Learn"n% /utcomes-
!y the end of this session you should be able to:
). 4ead a date
0. "ist at least three methods of datingD
*. -onsider how you would date a site using evidence from diJerent
methods

Structure o( sess"on-
&ctivity 'nd
Time
()#m to
*#m+
4egister and review of last weeks session ).1,
Talk : -ommon 4elative and &bsolute dating methods in &rchaeology ).3,
'Eercise : using radiocarbon dates to fnd a date range for a site or sites 0#m
Blideshow : 3ther dating methods 0.15#m
7air eEercise : .ow old is this site2 'stimate a date range from a case study 0./,#m
7ost8it note re9ections : one or two things from the session 0.55#m
,ead"n% L"st
4enfrew; -olin and !ahn; 7aul (2,,*+ &rchaeology: Theories; <ethods; 7ractice; -ha#ter /:
1hen2 %ating <ethods and -hronology
'nglish .eritage (2,12+ %endrochronology: =uidelines of #roducing and inter#reting
dendrochronological dates
htt#:FFwww.english8heritage.org.ukFcontentF#ublicationsF#ublications>ewFguidelines8
standardsFdendrochronology8guidelinesFdendrochronology.#df
Gones; %avid (2,,*+ "uminescence %ating: =uidelines on using "uminescence dating in
archaeology. htt#:FFwww.english8
heritage.org.ukFcontentF#ublicationsF#ublications>ewFguidelines8
standardsFdendrochronology8guidelinesFdendrochronology.#df
&leE !ayliss; 4obert .edges; 4obert 3tlet; 4oy Bwitsur; and Gill 1alker (2,12+ 4&%$3-&4!3>
%&T'B
A43< B&<7"'B AC>%'% !6 '>="$B. .'4$T&=' !'T1''> 1@*1 &>% 1@**
htt#:FFwww.english8
heritage.org.ukFcontentF#ublicationsF#ublications>ewFarchaeologyFradiocarbon8dates81@*18
**Fradiocarbon8dates81@*18**.#df
@
%31>"3&% T.' M3N-&"O 4adiocarbon calibration
software:htt#:FFc1/.arch.oE.ac.ukFembed.#h#2AilePoEcal.html
!ntroduct"on to #rchaeo$o%y, 27th /ctober 2012
&"scoer"n% the #nc"ent 5n"ronment
#"ms-
12.To introduce the main ways of investigating ancient environments
13.To a##ly one key techniIue
1/.eE#lore the benefts and limitations of that techniIue
Learn"n% /utcomes-
!y the end of this session you should be able to:
@. $dentify several methods for analyQing ancient environments
1,.7rocess a soil sam#le to retrieve charred #lant remains
11.'Eamine charred #lant remains for evidence of #ast environments
12.%iscuss the benefts and limitations of this techniIue

Structure o( sess"on-
&ctivity 'nd
Time
()#m to
*#m+
4egister and review of last weeks session ).1,
Talk : Key methods used to analyQe ancient environments ).3,
'Eercise : in twos or threes 8 Boil 7rocessing of a single soil sam#le 0#m
Blideshow : .ow to identify charred #lant remains 0.15#m
'Eercise : Cse a magnifer to identify burnt materials from the sam#le 0./,#m
7ost8it note re9ections : one or two things from the session 0.55#m
,ead"n% L"st
4enfrew; -olin and !ahn; 7aul (2,,*+ &rchaeology: Theories; <ethods; 7ractice; -ha#ter ):
1hat was the 'nvironment2
'nglish .eritage (2,11+ 'nvironmental &rchaeology: & =uide to the Theory and 7ractice of
<ethods; from Bam#ling and 4ecovery to 7ost8eEcavation
htt#:FFwww.english8heritage.org.ukFcontentF#ublicationsF#ublications>ewFguidelines8
standardsFenvironmental8archaeology82ndF'nvironmentalR&rchaeology.#df
1,
!ntroduct"on to #rchaeo$o%y, 4th Noember 2012
8ost956caat"on #na$ys"s
#"ms-
15.To introduce the tasks facing archaeologists after eEcavation and survey have
fnished
1).To consider how archaeological fndings are inter#reted
Learn"n% /utcomes-
!y the end of this session you should be able to:
13.$dentify the diJerent s#ecialist areas involved in analyQing archaeological
fndings
1/.Cse eEcavation records to #roduce an inter#retation of a site
15.$dentify some of the ways archaeologists #roduce inter#retations

Structure o( sess"on-
&ctivity 'nd
Time
()#m to
*#m+
4egister and review of last weeks session ).1,
Talk : 7ost8eEcavation: analysis and synthesis (eEercise: what s#ecialists are
needed+
).3,
'Eercise : in #airsD use site records to inter#ret eEcavation fndings 0.15#m
Blideshow : .ow do archaeologists inter#ret what they fnd2 0.3,#m
Talk : #ublication: the last frontier (eEercise: why isnt every site #ublished2+ 0./,#m
7ost8it note re9ections : one or two things from the session 0.55#m
,ead"n% L"st
-arver; <artin (2,,@+ &rchaeological $nvestigation; 7art 3: 1riting C#
'nglish .eritage (2,,)+ <anagement of 4esearch 7rojects in the .istoric 'nvironment: The
<o47.' 7roject <anagers =uide
htt#:FFwww.helm.org.ukFu#loadF#dfF<o47.'87roject8<anagers8=uide.#df21351@*2*33
11
!ntroduct"on to #rchaeo$o%y, 12th Noember 2012
56p$or"n% #rte(acts
#"ms-
10.To handle and discuss a range of diJerent artefacts from a museum collection
1*.To describe how to look after artefacts discovered archaeologically
1@.To identify some of the key methods used to analyQe artefacts
Learn"n% /utcomes-
!y the end of this session you should be able to:
1)..andle and discuss a range of diJerent artefacts
10.%escribe how you would look after an artefact if you found it through
eEcavation
1*.$dentify some of the methods you could use to analyQe diJerent kinds of
artefacts

Structure o( sess"on-
&ctivity 'nd
Time
()#m to
*#m+
4egister and review of last weeks session ).1,
Talk : %iscovering and "ooking &fter &rchaeological &rtefacts ).3,
'Eercise : 3bject handling and discussion 0.15#m
Blideshow : &nalysing artefacts 0.3,#m
'Eercise : Aor each of the eight objects #ro#ose a research #roject based around
a diJerent form of analysis
0./,#m
7ost8it note re9ections : one or two things from the session 0.55#m
,ead"n% L"st
'nglish .eritage (2,12+ 1ater8logged 3rganic &rtefacts: =uidelines on their recovery;
analysis and conservation
htt#:FFwww.helm.org.ukFu#loadF#dfFwoa8guidelines.#df2135201*,3/
'nglish .eritage (2,,*+ $nvestigative -onservation: =uidelines on how the detailed
eEamination of artifacts from archaeological sites can shed light on their manufacture and
use
htt#:FFwww.helm.org.ukFu#loadF#dfF$nvestigative8-onservation.#df2135201*,3/
1atkinson; %avid and >eal; ?irginia (1@@*+Airst &id for Ainds. 4'B-C': The !ritish
&rchaeological Trust
12
!ntroduct"on to #rchaeo$o%y, 17th Noember 2012
Tr"p to the L)#)#),)C)
The ".&.&.4.-. is the worlds largest archaeological archive; an incredible resource
based at the <useum of "ondon. This tri# is a uniIue o##ortunity to go behind the
scenes of archaeology and to handle some of the s#ectacular objects from the
archives.
3ver 12, ,,, boEes of material: >early 5,,, eEcavations. The biggest
archaeological archive of any city in 'uro#e.
,ead"n% L"st
!rown; %uncan (2,11+ &rchaeological &rchives: & guide to best #ractice in creation;
com#ilation; transfer and creation. 2
nd
edition; $nstitute for &rchaeologists
htt#:FFwww.archaeologyuk.orgFarchivesFaafRarchaeologicalRarchivesR2,11.#df
See a$so down$oads aa"$ab$e on the webs"te o( the #rchaeo$o%"ca$ #rch"es
:orum- htt#:FFwww.archaeologyuk.orgFarchivesFSforum
!ntroduct"on to #rchaeo$o%y, 26th Noember 2012
13
!ntroduc"n% #rchaeo$o%y- # ,e"ew
#"ms-
2,.To review what you have achieved over the 11 sessions of the course
21.To evaluate which sessions you felt worked best and why
22.To discuss your #lans for the future and what you can do neEt in archaeology
Learn"n% /utcomes-
!y the end of this session you should be able to:
1@.$dentify the main things you learnt during the course
2,.'valuate your learning on the course
21.-onsider what you want to do neEt

Structure o( sess"on-
&ctivity 'nd
Time
()#m to
*#m+
4egister and review of visit to the "&&4- ).1,
Talk : & review of the course ).3,
'Eercise : in #airs; using the handbook; consider which sessions you #referred
and why. $dentify three things you learnt during the course. 1hat should change2
0.15#m
Aill out the module evaluation form 0.3,#m
$n 7airs 8 %iscussion of #lans for the future; (letting the whole grou# know is
o#tionalT+
0./,#m
-onclusion and where neEt2 0.55#m
,ead"n% L"st
Alatman; Goe (2,11+ !ecoming an &rchaeologist: =uide to #rofessional #athways -C7:
-ambridge
Bchofeld; G; -arman; G and !elford; 7aul (2,11+ &rchaeological 7ractice in =reat !ritain: &
heritage handbook B#ringer
-!& briefng: htt#:FFwww.archaeologyuk.orgFbriefng
1/