Archaeology Undergraduate Courses

Most archaeology courses are taught in the Origins North building.

Please note that the course offering in 2013 will be slightly different. The 2013 schedule will be posted in due time.

Archaeology I (Timetable D Diagonal)

Archaeology II (Timetable A Diagonal)

Archaeology III (Timetable B Diagonal)

ARCHAEOLOGY I

ARCL 1000

Course coordinator Dr Alex Schoeman; Alex.schoeman@wits.ac.za; Tel: 011 717 6046 

FIRST SEMESTER (can be taken separately as ARCL 1001)

Module 1: INTRODUCTION TO ARCHAEOLOGY (Mr Morris Sutton)

Archaeologists examine many kinds of evidence, from DNA to pyramids, in their attempt to interpret the past. However, not all artefacts survive - some perish, some break - some clues are misleading and others misunderstood. This course takes an in-depth look at the nature of the archaeological record. Broadly it covers the way in which sites are found and recorded, the different dating methods available to archaeologists, the preservation of organic and inorganic material, classification techniques and interpretation.

Module 2: A GUIDE TO HUMAN EVOLUTION (Dr Dominic Stratford)

This course focuses on learning the basic anatomical differences between apes and hominids and the traits of the various hominid species through time. It will also introduce the student to the major stages of cultural evolution in the Stone Age.

SECOND SEMESTER (can be taken separately as ARCL 1002)

Module 3: WORLD HUNTER-GATHERERS (Dr Sam Challis) 

For the vast majority of our time on this earth, we humans have led an existence known as hunting and gathering. In this course we take a look around the world at the different ways by which people have hunted and gathered, from the very beginnings of this way of life, right up to the present day. We also look at how researchers used to try to understand ‘primitive people’ in order to understand the Stone Age worldwide. Along the way we will address key questions, highlighted by case studies from the major continents.

Module 4: WORLD FOOD PRODUCTION AND THE RISE OF CIVILIZATIONS (Dr Thembi Russell)

In this course we explore the change in subsistence patterns from hunting and gathering to agriculture. We look at where and when this change first took place, and we consider how and why, after many thousands of years of finding wild food to eat, human societies made this change. The food production revolution is the economic basis of ‘civilization’ – literacy, mathematics, state political organization, and the like. Thus, we spend part of this module exploring the first civilizations or complex societies. We look at how they are defined and recognized archaeologically, and where and why they first arose.

ARCHAEOLOGY II

ARCL 2002

Course coordinator Dr Amanda Esterhuysen: amanda.esterhuysen@wits.ac.za; Tel: 011 717 6053 

FIRST SEMESTER (can be taken separately as ARCL 2000)

Module 1: CLASSIFICATION (Dr Alex Schoeman & Prof Karim Sadr)

Classifications are devised to resolve any number of archaeological problems: temporal relationships, cultural affiliation, tool use; to identify individual manufacturing styles; to identify community styles, trade, and technological processes, and so on... This course examines a selection of typologies of lithic and ceramic artifacts relevant to southern African materials. The purpose is to become familiar with the main approaches to classifying lithics and ceramics and to critically assess their value for understanding pre-colonial societies. 

Module 2: HUMAN REMAINS (Dr Amanda Esterhuysen)

The topic deals with the analysis of human remains from archaeological sites. The analysis of human remains from archaeological sites yields valuable information relating to past subsistence, technology, palaeo-environments, disease and social issues. The course is intended to help students achieve initial level basic knowledge on the sorting, identification, quantification and interpretation of human remains from archaeological sites. The course also provides an introduction to legislation and ethics pertaining to the excavation and study of human remains.

Module 3: SPATIAL & TEMPORAL ANALYSIS (Dr Thembi Russell) 

In this course students are introduced to the techniques we use in archaeology to measure time and space. Students will learn how spatial & temporal analysis can be used to understand the past. Spatio-temporal analysis is a common theme in archaeological studies. These techniques help archaeologists to discover patterns in material culture, which they use to understand the past.

Module 4: APPLIED ARCHAEOLOGY (Dr Munyaradzi Manyanga)

The rationale in this module is to introduce students to various topics relevant to archaeological and cultural resource management. The module covers both practical and theoretical issues, such as: Heritage Legislation in Southern Africa; The History and Practice of Cultural Resources Management (CRM).

ARCHAEOLOGY III

ARCL 3002

Course coordinator Dr Munyaradzi Manyanga; Munyaradzi.Manyanga@wits.ac.za;

Tel: 011 717 6044 

FIRST SEMESTER (can be taken separately as ARCL 3000)

Module 1: THE AFRICAN STONE AGE (Dr Dominic Stratford)

This course looks at issues such as: What were the environmental conditions under which early hominids and human culture evolved? What are the major stages of development in Earlier and Middle Stone Age technology and what do they tell us about the evolution of cognitive abilities? What is the evidence for the first appearance of fire and spoken language? When did hominids first leave Africa and what kind of technology did they take with them? Where and when did anatomically modern people appear?

Module 2: SOUTHERN AFRICA: LAST 2000 YEARS (Prof Karim Sadr & Dr Alex Schoeman)

During the last 2000 years many southern African indigenous Later Stone Age (LSA) communities began to herd livestock and thus became food-producers. They also increasingly found that they were sharing their world with groups whose worlds had already been transformed by the food producing revolution. Over the ensuing centuries farming became the dominant economy in much of the region. The first part of the course will provide students with an overview of the LSA archaeology of southern Africa, with a focus on the more recent periods. During the second half the focus will shift to farming community archaeology of southern Africa.

SECOND SEMESTER (can be taken separately as ARCL 3001)

Module 3: APPLIED ARCHAEOLOGY (Dr Munyaradzi Manyanga). Note this module will not be offered in third year from 2013, when it will be replaced by an introduction to theory in Archaeology 

This module is taught by various staff members with different specialties. Its rationale is to introduce students to various topics relevant to archaeological and cultural resource management. The module covers both practical and theoretical issues, such as: Heritage Legislation in Southern Africa; The History and Practice of Cultural Resources Management (CRM).

Module 4: WORLD ROCK ART (Dr Sam Challis). Note this module will not be offered in third year from 2013, when it will be replaced by San Rock Art

This course introduces rock art traditions from outside of southern Africa. The geographic areas covered include central Africa, North America, France, Scandinavia and Australia. Issues of methodology and discussion of the socio-political environment of research form the conceptual basis for this course.