AR2304:04
Archaeology of Celtic Europe
Cairns
Prerequisites: At least 12 units of level 1 subjects
Inadmissable Subject Combination: AR3304
26 lectures, 12 hours seminars. Second semester.
Staff: Assoc. Professor J Campbell.
This subject will provide an introduction to the archaeological evidence for the development of Celtic society in western Europe. Encompassing a timespan from the late Bronze Age to the early Mediaeval period, the nature of the archaeological and documentary evidence for the emergence of Celtic societies will be presented and critically assessed. Covering such themes as metallurgical techniques and styles, ceramic traditions, art and literature, the development of urban societies and debates concerning the nature and effects of diffusion, migration and conquest, the subject will provide students with an opportunity to study a range of archaeological issues rarely encountered in the Australasian region. The subject will conclude with an assessment of the use of the archaeological evidence for the existence of the Celts within contemporary constructions of national and regional identities.
Learning Objectives:
- acquire a knowledge of the main archaeological sites and sequences of western Europe from the Neolithic to the early Mediaeval period;
- develop an understanding of the importance of European archaeology in the development of interpretive models in the discipline;
- develop an understanding of the broad range of sources used in Celtic archaeology;
- develop an appreciation of the problems of identifying ethnicity in the archaeological record;
- understand the role that archaeological evidence plays in the construction of contemporary identities.
Assessment by tutorial presentation and paper (25%); major essay (25%); three-hour end of semester examination (50%).
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