Short courses

Summary

This course introduces students to the archaeology of Scotland from prehistory to the Roman period, investigating these periods chronologically but also by thematic topics: the Mesolithic period (c. 10,800 BC - c. 4100 BC), the Neolithic period (c. 4100 BC - 2500 BC), the Bronze Age (c. 2500 - c. 800 BC), the Iron Age (c. 800 BC - c. AD 400), and the Roman invasion and occupation of northern Britain in the 1st and 2nd c. AD. Through a series of lectures, seminars and in class workshops students will be introduced to key archaeological sites within this context and key archaeological methods and techniques. The final class will be a visit to a local collection or when possible, a site visit. 

By the end of the course students should be able to: 

• Provide an introduction to Scotland's past, from the Mesolithic period (c. 10,800 BC - c. 4100 BC) until the end of the Roman occupation of northern Britain in the 1st and 2nd c. AD 

• Place the cultural evolution of Scotland through archaeological finds and sites within the broader social and cultural contexts of the periods covered 

• Introduce archaeological material which will enrich students’ understanding of other aspects of the history and culture of Scotland 

By the end of this course students will be able to: 

• Discuss the contribution of archaeological evidence to Scottish history 

• Identify the indigenous characteristics of Scotland's material heritage and recognise the significance of archaeology for interpreting Scotland's cultural development and its contacts with the wider world  

• Interpret an archaeological site and material surveys and identify key methods and techniques employed