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Palaeolithic Europe: An introduction

Vak
2012-2013

Compulsory attendance

Yes.

Admission requirements

BA or BSc degree (or equivalent) in Archaeology or a relevant discipline.

SAP and exchange students: admission after approval by the Graduate School of Archaeology.

Description

This course gives an introduction to the European Palaeolithic record and its wider setting, from the earliest colonisation of Eurasia by early Homo and ending with the archaeology of Upper Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers. The course addresses
1) the key issues in European Palaeolithic studies;
2) the challenges we face trying to make sense of a fragmented fossil and archaeological record;
3) the large-scale taphonomic processes which create archaeological patterns.
The emphasis of the course is on the record of the Neandertals. A writing assignment will force students to focus on one specific topic within the lecture series and to integrate that with the other issues discussed during the course.

OpenCourseWare

OpenCourseWare displays elements of bachelor and master programmes provided at Leiden University, including the courses’ content, lectures, literature, and background information on the lecturers.
The courses’ content and materials are free to use.
See the OpenCourseWare page for this course.

Course objectives

  • Knowledge of European Palaeolithic archaeological record, in the wider setting of Pleistocene climate change and the colonisation of the Old World;

  • Insight in the relationship between large-scale physical geographical processes and the formation of the archaeological record;

  • Ability to assess the nature and quality of the archaeological evidence for the European Palaeolithic, and demonstrate the potential and limitations of the data with regard to the key current research questions.

Ects distribution

The course load will be distributed as follows:

  • 7×2 hours of lectures;

  • 420 pages of literature.

Timetable

Course schedule details can be found in the MA time schedule.

Mode of instruction

  • Lectures;

  • Literature study (required reading before each lecture).

Assessment method

Written examination on the basis of lectures and reading list.

Assessment deadline

Exam dates can be found in the exam schedule.

Reading list

Reading list (on Blackboard). In preparation for this class, students are advised to study R. Klein’s The Human Career (3rd edition).

Registration

Register for this course via uSis.
Instructions for registration can be found in the uSis manual.

Contractonderwijs: all information (costs, registration, entry requirements, etc.) for those who are interested in taking this course as a Contractstudent is on the Contractonderwijs Archeologie webpage (in Dutch).

Contact information

For more information about this course, please contact prof. dr J.W.M. Roebroeks.