Universität Wien

060081 VU Geoarchaeology: Rocks and Sediments as resource and archive (2019W)

4.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 6 - Ägyptologie, Judaistik, Urgeschichte und Historische Archäologie
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 20 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Tuesday 01.10. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 13 Franz-Klein-Gasse 1 4.OG
  • Tuesday 08.10. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 13 Franz-Klein-Gasse 1 4.OG
  • Tuesday 15.10. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 13 Franz-Klein-Gasse 1 4.OG
  • Tuesday 22.10. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 13 Franz-Klein-Gasse 1 4.OG
  • Tuesday 29.10. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 13 Franz-Klein-Gasse 1 4.OG
  • Tuesday 05.11. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 13 Franz-Klein-Gasse 1 4.OG
  • Tuesday 12.11. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 13 Franz-Klein-Gasse 1 4.OG
  • Tuesday 19.11. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 13 Franz-Klein-Gasse 1 4.OG
  • Tuesday 26.11. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 13 Franz-Klein-Gasse 1 4.OG
  • Tuesday 03.12. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 13 Franz-Klein-Gasse 1 4.OG
  • Tuesday 10.12. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 13 Franz-Klein-Gasse 1 4.OG
  • Tuesday 17.12. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 13 Franz-Klein-Gasse 1 4.OG
  • Tuesday 07.01. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 13 Franz-Klein-Gasse 1 4.OG
  • Tuesday 14.01. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 13 Franz-Klein-Gasse 1 4.OG
  • Tuesday 21.01. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 13 Franz-Klein-Gasse 1 4.OG
  • Tuesday 28.01. 11:30 - 13:00 Seminarraum 13 Franz-Klein-Gasse 1 4.OG

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Summary
This lecture series presents an overview and synthesis of the geoarchaeology of rocks and sediments as resources and archives. We will examine the uses of rocks and sediments in past societies (e.g., for construction, tools, etc.), and the archaeological uses of rocks and sediments to learn about past human behaviors such as trade, economy, settlement activities, production (e.g. ceramics, stone tools), waste disposal, and formation processes, among others. We will also consider sediments as an archive of past human activity. Students will be introduced to both field and laboratory methods for examining rocks and sediments, including rock identification, stratigraphy, sediment sampling, thin-section analysis, absolute dating, and various sedimentological and geochemical methods (e.g., grain-size analyses, pXRF, Mass Spectrometry, colorimetry, etc.).

Methods
Lecture, readings, summaries, written paper.

Assessment and permitted materials

Seminar will be entirely in English

- 2 article summaries (chosen by student under guidance by instructors and covering 2 separate methods or concepts)
- Abstract and Reading List of their research topic
- Final paper

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Students are expected to attend all lectures and do weekly readings.
Participation and Completion of Assignments: 40%
Written summaries: 20%
Individual Written Assignment (ca. 3000 words, 7 pages): 40%

Examination topics

Reading list

Required readings for the course will come from journal articles and book chapters.

Key sources will be:
French, C. 2015. A Handbook of geoarchaeological approaches to settlement sites and landscapes. Studying Scientific Archaeology, 1, Oxford, Oxbow.

Goldberg, P. & Macphail, R. I. 2006. Practical and Theoretical Geoarchaeology, Oxford, Blackwell.

Karkanas, P. & Goldberg, P. 2018. Reconstructing Archaeological Sites: Understanding the Geoarchaeological Matrix, Oxford, Wiley.

Schiffer, M. B. 1987. Formation Processes of the Archaeological Record, Albuquerque, University of New Mexico.

Association in the course directory

Last modified: Th 21.03.2024 00:10