This course is designed to provide students with a practical introduction to basic archaeological field and laboratory methods. Its focus is on on techniques of excavation, archaeological stratigraphy, the recording of artefacts and the analysis and interpretation of structures, features and excavated materials. The course comprises field experience at a mock site on the ANU Campus.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
1. Demonstrate a strong knowledge of the practice of archaeology.
2. Demonstrate a solid grounding in relevant archaeological methodologies, and how these may be utilised in order to analyse archaeological materials.
3. Work interactively in a field setting.
Indicative Assessment
Portfolio/Practical book - students will keep personal excavation 'diaries' itemizing the processes of excavation, mapping, and curation. Maximum 2000 words (30%) LO
1,2,3
Site report - students will to submit a finished 'site report' that describes the excavation process and findings of their research. Maximum 2000 words (30%) LO 1,2,3
Class tests - two class tests (20% each) will assess skills uptake of each student. LO 1,2
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
Contact hours: 3 hours a week, including a 2 hour lecture and 1 hour of compulsory teaching and learning activities which may not require students and/or teachers to be present in the same physical location e.g. online communication, video conferencing etc.
Private study: It is expected that students will undertake 7 hours per teaching week toward the completion of assignments, class and exam preparation etc.
(Total workload 130 hours over the semester).
Prescribed Texts
H. Burke & C. Smith 2004 The Archaeologist’s Field Handbook, Allen & Unwin.
Preliminary Reading
Barker, P. 1993 Techniques of Archaeological Excavation. London: Batsford.
Coles, J. 1977 Field Archaeology in Britain. London: Methuen.
Connah, G. (ed.) 1983 Australian Field Archaeology: a guide to techniques. Canberra: Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies. (A.I.A.S. Manual No.4).
Fladmark, K. A Guide to Basic Archaeological Field Procedures. Burnaby: Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University.
Flood, J. F., I. Johnson and S. Sullivan (eds) 1989 Sites and Bytes: recording Aboriginal places in Australia. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. (Special Australian Heritage Publications No.8).
Frankel, D. 1991 Remains to be Seen: archaeological insights in to Australian prehistory. Melbourne: Longman Cheshire.
Gale, F. and J. Jacobs 1987 Tourists and the National Estate: procedures to protect Australia's heritage. Canberra: Australian Heritage Commission.
Hester, T. R., Shafer, H. J. and Feder, K. L. 1997 Field Methods in Archaeology. Mountain View, Calif.: Mayfield Publishing. (Seventh Edition or later).
Hogg, A. H. A. 1986 Surveying for Archaeologists and other Fieldworkers. London: Croom Helm.
Jonas, W. 1991 Consultation With Aboriginal People About Aboriginal Heritage. Canberra: Australian Heritage Commission.
Joukowsky, M. 1980 A Complete Manual of Field Archaeology: tools and techniques of field work for archaeologists. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.
Marquis-Kyle, P. and M. Walker 1992 The Illustrated Burra Chapter: making good decisions about the care of important places. Sydney: Australia ICOMOS Inc.
Majors
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $2604 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $3576 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3588 | 16 Feb 2015 | 06 Mar 2015 | 31 Mar 2015 | 29 May 2015 | In Person | N/A |