| Unit name | The Archaeology of Gardens |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ARCHM0010 |
| Credit points | 10 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52) |
| Unit director | Emeritus Professor. Mark Horton |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Anthropology and Archaeology |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit provides a short, intensive introduction to archaeologically-based techniques and materials and to the factors which affect the conservation and management of historic gardens. The topics covered are intended to provide students with basic skills in practical aspects of the subject which will enable them to understand and evaluate the evidence that landscape archaeology provides for identifying and investigating sites, assessing physical remains, and recognising features from different kinds of survey techniques. Since garden and landscape history are important to heritage conservation, knowledge of the practical issues involved will contribute to the students' awareness of how the academic study of gardens and created landscapes can be applied to specific sites and their requirements. As garden history and conservation are interdependent, the unit informs the academic study of gardens and designed landscapes, and highlights the ways in which the conservation and management of gardens affect their contemporary configurations. This will contribute to a wider understanding of gardens' histories and relate gardens and garden history to current cultural interests and values through which the subject is perceived.
Aims:
This mandatory unit aims to introduce students to primary sources for garden history derived from archaeological practice, and to develop their awareness of practical archaeology as a means of recovering and reconstructing the history of gardens in conjunction with documentary and visual records, and as a means of evaluating the accuracy of such evidence. It also provides students with an introduction to the practical issues and frameworks affecting the conservation and management of historic gardens and landscapes. By considering gardens and created landscapes from the heritage perspective, students should develop their awareness of how they relate to contemporary values culturally.
At the completion of the unit students should be capable of undertaking basic survey and recording procedures, analysing evidence from aerial photography and map regression, and understanding the results of geophysical investigation and excavations, and relating them to garden history studies generally. They should also be aware of heritage and conservation issues involving the care, presentation and maintenance of historic gardens.
Classes with site visits and practical exercises conducted intensively.
A short written report on a specific site deploying the methodology learnt in the course. There is no prescribed deadline for the submission of the report.
Criteria for the award of Credit Points:
Attendance at classes and site visits, and the satisfactory completion of the report.
Contribution of Unit in determining student progression:
Satisfactory completion contributes to qualifying to proceed to dissertation.
Contribution of Unit to degree classification:
20/120 credit points of the taught component of the programme, leading to qualification for progression to dissertation (10/180 credit points of MA overall).
