Admission requirements
Passed Bioarchaeology.
Description
Archaeo-and palaeobotanical research requires knowledge of collecting, extracting, determining and curating Pleistocene and/or Holocene plant fossils and, in addition, presentation of fossil botanical data and data analysis.
All these aspects will be addressed in detail based on the study of fossiliferous sediments from a Quaternary site that contains archaeology (either lithic artefacts, cut-marked bone or both).
The site for study will depend on what is available at the time and the sediment characteristics from this site will determine the technique used (either palynology or plant macrofossil analysis).
Course objectives
Knowledge of and insight into the research methods and techniques, and their application possibilities within palaeobotany and archaeobotany (either palynology or plant macrofossils);
Knowledge of and insight into the relevance of these techniques to archaeology;
Ability to recognise plant macrofossils or pollen grains from Quaternary deposits that also contain Palaeolithic or more recent archaeology;
Ability to determine and distinguish characteristic morphological features leading to accurate identification;
Ability to present and analyse palaeobotanical data;
Ability to conduct archaeobotanical research in a multidisciplinary approach that adds value to archaeological investigations;
Ability to write a basic research report based on the practical work completed in the course.
Timetable
Course schedule details can be found in MyTimetable.
Log in with your ULCN account, and add this course using the 'Add timetable' button.
Mode of instruction
Mainly practical (using microscopes to examine fossils from an archaeological context) plus mini lectures to address important issues.
Assessment method
Participation in the practicals and one written report in the form of a draft to be submitted to an academic journal.
Assessment deadlines
The dates of exams and retakes can be found in MyTimetable. The deadlines of papers, essays and assignments are communicated through Brightspace.
Reading list
Relevant literature will be made available in Brightspace and students will be expected to track down relevant publications by themselves.
Registration
Registration start dates for the BA2 seminars differ from the registration dates of the regular courses.
Registration will take place with the use of forms. These will be e-mailed by the study advisers to all BA2 students at the beginning of March.
Contact
For more information about this course, please contact Dr. M.H. (Michael) Field.