ARCH20510 Archaeology of Landscapes

Academic Year 2023/2024

Landscape archaeology explores the often complex relationships between people and their environments by investigating how people shaped the land around them, how landscapes may have been perceived (including symbolic and ideological meanings of landscapes), and how culture and nature can shape each other.

Taking a multi-disciplinary approach, this module will explore how archaeologists encounter, investigate and interpret archaeological landscapes. The module will introduce students to concepts and theoretical approaches in landscape archaeology. The module will reveal the wide variety of methods that can be drawn upon to investigate landscapes, including cartographic and other documentary sources, field survey and excavation, imaging (including aerial photography, GIS, LiDAR and geophysical surveys), palaeoenvironmental studies and oral histories. A case study-based approach will demonstrate how these methods can be applied, the results considered, and narratives developed about past societies and environments.

Through well-illustrated lectures, the module will draw upon case studies from around the world, from early prehistory to early modern societies. Active learning through in-class discussions will enable students to develop a deeper understanding of the topic. A one-day fieldtrip will also be undertaken to complement the lectures and enable students to put their learning into practice (Thursday 2nd November). The fieldtrip will require suitable outdoors clothing (hiking boots or similar, waterproof trousers, etc.).