Module Catalogue 2025/26

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

This course is designed to introduce you to the material, sites and communities that characterize the prehistoric archaeology of Britain. We will study these remains period by period, from the earliest human occupation to the Roman invasion.

This module aims:
- to provide a general grounding in the prehistoric archaeology of Britain;
- to emphasise the role of landscapes, archaeological sites and monuments, and material culture in how archaeologists interpret life in prehistoric Britain.

Outline Of Syllabus

The module will cover the following topics

-Introduction to British prehistory
-Palaeolithic Britain
-Mesolithic Britain
-The Mesolithic/Neolithic transition
-Neolithic Britain
-Interpreting cosmology and social relations
-Chalcolithic Britain
-Bronze Age Britain
-Iron Age Britain

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

1.       knowledge of the archaeology Britain from prehistoric hunter-gatherers to the arrival of the Roman Empire;
2.       awareness of forms of artefacts, sites and mortuary evidence characteristic of different periods of British prehistory;
3.       awareness of the range of evidence available to, and produced by, archaeological enquiries into the prehistoric past in Britain.
4. awareness of key issues and debates in British Prehistory

Intended Skill Outcomes

1.       the ability to relate material evidence to the interpretation of social and cultural phenomena;
2.       the ability to recognise a wide range of monuments and artefacts;
3.       the ability to recognise and evaluate different perspectives on the remains of the prehistoric past;
4.       the ability to recognise how specific evidence is used to produce general interpretations.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lectures will provide a weekly introduction to each period, plus focus on individual sites, artefacts and mortuary evidence. A key theme in British Prehistory will be explored each week through seminar activities, enabling students to understand different perspectives on debates and how archaeologists use evidence to create interpretations. A fieldtrip to visit henges and stone circles in Cumbria will enhance student's ability to interpret the remains from this period and allow them to exercise their skills in analysing prehistoric architecture in its landscape setting first hand. The fieldtrip provides practical experience of the observation and study of physical remains of past societies, and, in conjunction with classroom based-learning, allows the student to gain experience with the diverse sources of evidence used in archaeology and build links between class-room based learning and application of knowledge in the field.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The first section of the module (Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) is assessed by a single essay. This is supported by a formative assessment involving submission of an essay plan and bibliography, on which brief written feedback will be provided. The second essay question will cover the Bronze Age or Iron Age.

The above arrangements provide for a structured progression through the module content and a close connection between the material covered, the learning outcomes, and the assessment.

Submitted work tests intended knowledge and skills outcomes, develops key skills in research, reading and writing.

General Notes

N/A