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| Unit name |
The Neolithic of North-Western Europe |
| Unit code |
ARCH25016 |
| Credit points |
20 |
| Level of study |
I/5
|
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
|
| Unit director |
Dr. Pollard |
| Open unit status |
Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department |
Department of Anthropology and Archaeology |
| Faculty |
Faculty of Arts |
Description including Unit Aims
Though often taken as synonymous with the "beginnings of agriculture", the Neolithic marks a point in prehistory where a range of major social, ideological and material transformations can be identified. This unit aims to explore key themes in the Neolithic of north-western Europe, comprising northern France, the Low Countries, Britain, Ireland and Scandinavia, and covering the period 5000 - 2000 BC. Beginning with a consideration of how "the Neolithic" has been defined in academic discourse, topics covered will include: the nature of the Mesolithic/Neolithic transition; regional traditions; debates about the status of agriculture and animal husbandry in the period; and the socially embedded nature of Neolithic economies; themes and diversity in ideology and ritual practice; and interpretive approaches to monumentality; settlement practices and material culture.
The Unit aims to provide students with:
- developed knowledge of the Neolithic of north-western Europe (northern France, the Low Countries, Britain, Ireland and Scandinavia, between 5000-2000BC);
- comprehension of the nature of the Mesolithic/Neolithic transition within these regions;
- familiarity with common themes and regional traditions in the north-west European Neolithic;
- a thorough awareness of the complexity of social, economic and ideological practices, and the way these can be explored through archaeological evidence and forms of ethnographic analogy.
Intended Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this Unit students will:
- have detailed familiarity of the character, sequence and regional detail of the Neolithic in north-western Europe;
- be able to evaluate the archaeological evidence for Neolithic communities in north-western Europe and the interpretations that can be drawn from that evidence;
- be able to assess the range of arguments relating to the social and ideological mechanisms by which the Neolithic appeared in north-western Europe;
- have full familiarity with aspects of Neolithic ritual and ideology, settlement practices and material culture;
- have acquired a detailed understanding of models of social relations, ideology and exchange for the period.
Teaching Information
Lectures, student presentations and one fieldtrip to Neolithic sites in Wiltshire or the Cotswolds.
Assessment Information
Summative. Two essays, each of 2500 words (level I/5) of which one should normally be based on an unassessed seminar presentation. Each essay is worth 50% of the total mark.
Reading and References
- Jones, A. (ed.), 2008. Prehistoric Europe. Oxford: Blackwell
- Price, T.D. (ed.), 2000. Europes First Farmers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
- Thomas, J. 1999. Understanding the Neolithic. London: Routledge
- Tilley, C. 1996. An Ethnography of the Neolithic. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
- Whittle, A. 1996. Europe in the Neolithic: the creation of new worlds. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
- Whittle, A. 2003. The Archaeology of People: dimensions of Neolithic life. London: Routledge
