Archaeological Methods Laboratory (325-0-1)

Instructors

Amanda Lee Logan
847/491-4564
1812 Hinman Ave. Room 203
Prof. Amanda Logan's overarching goal is to connect the past to the present through reframing the kinds of questions we ask and empirically bridging the modern/premodern divide. Her current focus is building an archaeology of food security that traces how, where, and when chronic hunger emerged across the African continent.

Meeting Info

ANTHRO Sem Rm B07 - 1810 Hinmn: Mon, Wed 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

What kind of wine did King Midas drink? When were noodles first invented? And when did people start to drink milk? Archaeologists address these questions and many more through a wide array of techniques borrowed from the hard sciences. New methods can reveal surprising information and radically transform our knowledge of past societies, and as such are essential parts of every archaeologist's tool kit. In this hands-on class, we will survey a range of archaeological science methods to understand how they work; how to do them; and what they can tell us about the past. Our focus in this term will be on reconstructing food and diet. Students will gain hands-on experience with archaeological material from sites in West Africa.

Registration Requirements

ANTH 214 or grad status

Learning Objectives

To understand how archaeological science techniques work and how best to apply them; To build critical thinking skills by evaluating material evidence; To gain hands-on experience in analyzing material culture; To learn the process of archaeological knowledge production by performing all of the steps of archaeological scientists.

Class Materials (Required)

Peres, Tanya (2023) Foodways Archaeology: Methods and Cases. SpringerBriefs in Archaeology. Springer, New York.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-41017-8
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-031-41016-1
E-book ISBN: 978-3-031-41017-8

Articles on Canvas.