ANTH 583L - Lab Methods in Arch

Credits: Variable

In this course we will be looking at analysis sensu strictu, the techniques for making archaeologically significant observations. The focus will be on artifacts in the traditional sense of the term: more or less intentional portable products of human activity. At the end of the semester, we will expand our focus a bit and look at additional information that can be gathered from environmental data. This is only an introduction to this area of study. The focus will be on macroanalytic techniques that reflect the artifacts as a discrete object. This course will train you in techniques as to how to characterize entire artifacts and study stylistic, functional and technological variability. We will cover most techniques for observation and measurement of general, demonstrated value; those that require complex equipment or are particularly time consuming will be treated in lectures while the simpler techniques will be hands-on. We will concentrate our actual experience on a smaller number of major classes of artifacts that usually comprise the bulk of the archaeological record in most places. Occasional.