Module overview
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Take a critical approach to dating and chronology and appreciate where dating may be inappropriate or inaccurate.
- Interpret dating evidence in terms of archaeological chronologies.
- Design and plan practical dating projects.
- Incorporate dating evidence into archaeological arguments.
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- The major chronological issues in archaeology and how they relate to, for example, the origins of modern humans, the human colonization of Australia, or the extinction of Neanderthals
- The circumstances in which particular dating methods are considered controversial or inaccurate
- The scientific principles behind the major dating methods
- When, and on which material particular dating methods are appropriate (e.g. suitable material or environments)
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Improve your presentation skills
- Manage your time to meet assignment deadlines
- Improve your scientific and archaeological essay writing and know how to structure an argument incorporating scientific data
- Engage better with scientific data
- Research and discover sources
Subject Specific Practical Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Confidently approach to the scientific and archaeological dating literature.
- Collate, synthesise and present chronological information
Syllabus
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Type | Hours |
---|---|
Teaching | 24 |
Independent Study | 126 |
Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Journal Articles
Bar-Yosef, O (2000). The impact of radiocarbon dating on old world archaeology: past achievements and future expectations. Radiocarbon, 42(1), pp. 23-39.
Pike, A.W.G. & Pettitt, P.B. (2003). U-series dating and human evolution. Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry, 52, pp. 607-630.
Pike, A.W.G. & Pettitt, P.B (2006). Other Laboratory Dating Methods. A Handbook of Archaeology, pp. 337-372.
Grun, R. (1991). Potential and problems of ESR dating. Nuclear Tracks and Radiation Measurement, 18(1), pp. 143-153.
Grün, R. (2006). Direct dating of human fossils. American Journal of physical Anthropology, 43, pp. 2—48.
Schwarcz, H. P. (1980). Absolute age determination of archaeological sites by uranium series dating of travertines. Archaeometry, 22(1), pp. 3—24.
Clark, A.J., Tarling, D.H. and Noël, M. (1988). Developments in archaeomagnetic dating in Britain. Journal of Archaeological Science, 15, pp. 654-667.
Textbooks
Renfrew, C. and Bahn, P. (1991). Archaeology: Theories, Methods and Practice (Pages 129- 37). London: Thames & Hudson.
Aitken, M.J. (1990). Science-Based dating in Archaeology. London: Thames and Hudson.
Aitken M.J.; Stringer, C.B. and Mellars, P.A. (eds.) (1993). The Origin of Modern Humans and the Impact of Chronometric Dating. Princeton University Press.
Assessment
Formative
This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.
Quiz
- Assessment Type: Formative
- Feedback:
- Final Assessment:
- Group Work: No
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Essay | 70% |
Seminar presentation | 30% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Essay | 100% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Assessment tasks | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External