Module overview
This is a practical module in handling and interpreting stone tools and developing behavioural interpretations to explain the patterns seen. Stone tools remain the most significant part of the Palaeolithic cultural heritage. This course provides training in their analysis, bridging the gap between the simple recognition skills received at undergraduate level and the need to confidently engage with your data at PGR level, where time constraints are always at a premium.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Subject Specific Practical Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Demonstrate pattern recognition as an important part of recognising trends in data and attributing significance
- Handle subject specific tools, e.g. callipers, type lists, relevant electronic media
- Develop your own methods of interrogating lithic data
- Create ‘proformas’ or electronic recording sheets for stone tools
- Handle stone tools as archaeological objects
- Use other people’s methods
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- How to interpret a lithic assemblage within a research environment
- How archaeologists retrieve information from stone tools and interpret past human behaviour from this data
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Use SPSS
- Use graphical methods for understanding information
- Undertake word processing and report writing
- Use simple statistical methods for exploring data
- Think independently and making judgments
- Recognise patterns in data
Cognitive Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Demonstrate skills in synthesising large bodies of data
- Independently analyse and make judgements about objects (through interpreting individual artefacts and characterising assemblages)
- Demonstrate skills in assessment and evaluation (why is this such and such, and not something else)
- Go into an archaeological work environment and interpret lithics from any period in a sensible and constructive manner. (Although this is about Palaeolithic stone tools, the principles are universal. You will have sufficient basic principles to adapt your knowledge confidently to any later prehistoric stone tool assemblage.)
Syllabus
Typically the syllabus will cover:
- Introduction to course, aims and objectives. Introduction to SPSS. Subject specific research skills
- Flakes and flake tools
- Cores and core technology
- Handaxes
- Lavallios
- Blades and blade tools
- Overview and Pob Ogof analysis
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
2 hours instruction per week. Teaching will take the form of a 2 hr lecture (teaching will cover 11 weeks of direct instruction, with final 1 week for feedback and Q&A session on any concerns students have re assignment 4.
Teaching will be part practical part lecture based. Use of experimental and real archaeological pieces is involved.
Type | Hours |
---|---|
Teaching | 22 |
Completion of assessment task | 40 |
Wider reading or practice | 88 |
Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Journal Articles
Dibble. H & Debenath, A.. Handbook of Palaeolithic Typology. The Lower and Middle Palaeolithic, 1.
Assessment
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Report | 25% |
Practical assignment | 75% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Resubmit assessments | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal