Explore UCD

UCD Home >

ARCH20620

Academic Year 2026/2027

People in Prehistory: key themes and problems (ARCH20620)

Subject:
Archaeology
College:
Social Sciences & Law
School:
Archaeology
Level:
2 (Intermediate)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Professor Graeme Warren
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

From the Last Glacial Maximum (c 20,000 years ago) to the Iron Age, people’s relationships with each other and their material worlds (e.g. places, plants, animals, things) changed significantly across the European continent. Archaeological traces indicate that dramatic transitions & transformations relating to migration, exchange, subsistence, technology, monumentality & identity all occurred.

This module introduces you to the archaeology of prehistoric Europe including the main chronological divisions, key concepts and major debates relating to the complexity of hunter-gathers, the adoption of agriculture (the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition), population mobility and cultural interaction, the appearance of metals and associated social changes.

Particular attention is paid to enabling you to think critically about the approaches taken to understanding human societies within the distant past. Following a broadly chronological order, selected case studies will be drawn from northwest and northern Europe. These enable us to consider the tension between overarching grand narratives and the regional diversity of small-scale societies by examining how widespread developments occurred more locally.

There is a compulsory fieldtrip for this module. In 2027, this will be held on Saturday 6th February, 9.30 to 18.00. Warm and waterproof footwear and clothing are recommended (if you do not already own these, you will need to buy these). We will stop for a short lunch at a service station, but any additional food and drink you might need should be brought by each student. Toilet breaks are at regular, fixed times as there are no on-site facilities. Access to sites is via partly paved, gravel and unpaved pathways on relatively flat, sometimes uneven ground and can take between two and 10-15 minutes on average to reach. Any students with health or access concerns should discuss this with the module coordinator as soon as possible.

Note: No Generative AI content is allowed in the final submission for assessments in this module. You may choose to use Generative AI for brainstorming, creating structures and generating ideas for improving work, but remember that this can bring you down a confusing and incorrect path. Have confidence in your own reading, thoughts and voice.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

- Be broadly familiar with the deep history of Europe, the main chronological divisions and technological, social and cultural developments (e.g. burials, rituals, settlements, economic developments, social organization), the nature/variety of archaeological evidence and their regional and temporal variations.
-Have a broad knowledge of major interpretative themes and challenges in understanding how people used material culture to shape their world in the distant past.
- Have detailed knowledge and understanding of selected key issues developments/ debates in European prehistory including how and why interpretations of these have changed.
- Have developed and enhanced your competencies in a wide range of transferable skills, such as comparing and contrasting different forms of archaeological information, investigating interpretations and articulating your observations and arguments about these.

Indicative Module Content:

The module is divided into five main blocks. Each block comprises 3 lectures & a discussion seminar
- Introduction, concepts & problems
- Questioning Mesolithic hunter gatherers
- Examining Neolithic Worlds
- Exploring Chalcolithic transitions
- Considering Bronze Age Relationships

UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 
Learning Competency Additional Information Level

Collaboration

 The ability to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving. Not addressed

Critical Thinking

 The ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on one’s own values, perceptions and actions. Advanced Beginner

Systems Thinking

 The ability to recognize and understand relationships; to analyse complex systems; to think of how systems are embedded within different domains and different scales; and to deal with uncertainty. Advanced Beginner

Strategic

 The ability to collectively develop and implement innovative actions that further sustainability at the local level and further afield. Not addressed

Integrated Problem Solving

 The overarching ability to apply different problem-solving frameworks to complex sustainability problems and develop viable, inclusive and equitable solution options that promote sustainable development, integrating the competencies in this list. Not addressed

Self-awareness

 The ability to reflect on one’s own role in the local community and (global) society; to continually evaluate and further motivate one’s actions; and to deal with one’s feelings and desires. Novice

Normative

 The ability to understand and reflect on the norms and values that underlie one’s actions; and to negotiate values, principles, goals, and targets, in a context of conflicts of interest and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge and contradictions. Not addressed

Anticipatory

 The ability to understand and evaluate multiple scenarios for the future – possible, probable and desirable; to create one’s own visions for the future; to apply the precautionary principle; to assess the consequences of actions; and to deal with risks and changes. Not addressed

Digital Literacy and Judgement

 The ability to access, evaluate, create and communicate information in digital environments; to engage critically, ethically and responsibly with digital technologies and digital information; to understand their opportunities, limitations, risks and impact on individual’s digital identities; and to exercise informed judgement in digital participation and decision-making. Not addressed

AI Literacy & Agency

 The ability to understand, critically evaluate and responsibly engage with artificial intelligence; to recognise how AI systems are shaped by human values; to assess their ethical, social and environmental implications; and to exercise human judgement, agency and accountability in AI-related contexts. Not addressed

Wellbeing

 Wellbeing is having the resources and skills to meet life's challenges, including attributes such as personal development skills, resilience, stress management, strengths, lifestyle skills, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, alcohol/substance use, academic skills, time management, goal setting, interpersonal skills, group work, communication. Not addressed

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


Goal Name Description Coverage

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 1

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 1
 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

14
Seminar (or Webinar)

4
Field Trip/External Visits

8
Project Supervision

4
Specified Learning Activities

40
Autonomous Student Learning

30
Total

100

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures that include active/task-based learning.
Critical thinking & writing skills developed through final assessment (essay).

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Incompatibles:
ARCH20200 - Stone Age & Megalithic Europe, ARCH20540 - Celtic & Mediterranean Europe

Additional Information:
Archaeology PhD students (DRHSC001 Z117, DRHSC001 Z118) may audit this module only.


 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): Critical Essay: 2000 words Week 15 Graded No
60
 No
Individual Project: Use the archaeological evidence to discuss the activities conducted at a specified Neolithic site (1500 words) Week 5 Graded No
40
 No

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Self-assessment activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

UCD School of Archaeology uses grading rubrics to provide feedback in Brightspace for all modules. Feed forward details are provided to help you think about how you to improve your approach in future assignments. Self-assessment activities: students complete self-assessment prior to submission of assignments in Weeks 5 & 11. Project: written individual feedback & Group/class feedback provided 3 weeks after submission deadline. Final Essay: written individual feedback provided 3 weeks after submission deadline

Cline, E. (ed.). 2010. The Oxford Handbook of the Bronze Age Aegean. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Cunliffe, B. 2011. Europe between the Oceans, 9000 BC – 1000 AD. Yale University Press.

Fokkens, H. and Harding, A. (eds). 2013. The Oxford Handbook of the European Bronze Age. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Fowler, C., Harding, J. & Hoffman, D. (eds). 2015 The Oxford Handbook of Neolithic Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Gosden, C. (2018). A very short introduction to Prehistory. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Jones, A. (ed.). 2008. Prehistoric Europe: Theory and Practice. Blackwell Studies in Global Archaeology 12, Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.

Lemos, I. and Kotsonas, A. (eds.). 2020. A Companion to The Archaeology of Early Greece and the Mediterranean. Chichester; Wiley-Blackwell. (FULL TEXT ONLINE)

Scarre, C (ed.). 2013. The Human Past. World Prehistory & the Development of Human Societies. Thames & Hudson, 3rd edition

Name Role
Professor Joanna Bruck Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Deborah Buchanan Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Assoc Professor Neil Carlin Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Assoc Professor Barry Molloy Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Assoc Professor Rob Sands Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Professor Graeme Warren Lecturer / Co-Lecturer

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Thurs 12:00 - 12:50
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Wed 15:00 - 15:50
Print this page
Fill in the following details:
Enter the body of your query here.

From time to time UCD would like to send you further information that we feel, based on your enquiry, would be of interest to you.