AR2AOB: Ancient Objects: Materials and Meanings

Module code: AR2AOB

Module provider: Archaeology; School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science

Credits: 20

Level: Level 2 (Intermediate)

When you'll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Professor Hella Eckardt, email: h.eckardt@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 20 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module aims to provide you with a broad-based understanding of the skills, techniques and interpretive frameworks specific to the study of artefacts: i.e. how artefacts are recorded, analysed and interpreted as a cornerstone of archaeological practice. The module will expose you to a wide range of artefacts covering at least two different chronological periods (e.g. prehistoric, Roman and/or medieval), grounded in hands-on teaching and assessment techniques, based around the Department’s teaching collections. There are also options covering methodological aspects (e.g. the illustration of artefacts and/or the application of cutting-edge scientific techniques to record and interpret ancient objects). In addition to developing your expertise in the handling, recording and analysis of artefacts, the module will challenge you to think about how the study of artefacts can contribute to an understanding of fundamental archaeological themes such as social identity, cultural interaction, technology and trading systems in the past. In addition, the module will help you to prepare for the analysis of data in your dissertations. This module includes a museum field trip.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Identify and make informed observations about a variety of artefactual data;
2. Prepare archaeological illustrations of artefacts and/or summarise artefact data using standard visualisation techniques (e.g. graphs);
3. Produce reports on objects, assemblage compositions and their archaeological implications;
4. Demonstrate an awareness of how scientific techniques contribute to the archaeological interpretation of artefacts.

Module content

This module introduces you to a wide variety of archaeological materials from different periods. You will choose two out of a number of practical options: each option is taught in a four week block. These option blocks may include prehistoric lithics, small finds and/or pottery, the illustration of objects (including hand-drawn and digital techniques) and/or the application of scientific techniques to reconstruct the composition, technology and biography of ancient artefacts. Data analysis is covered in a module-wide session, and the challenges of using artefacts for museum displays, education and/or outreach are covered in a museum-based field trip. All elements will involve the practise of core techniques of observation, description, recording, measurement, analysis and interpretation of primary archaeological data.

The module will also give you broad experience in problem-solving through exercises in illustrating, analysing and interpreting artefactual material. Team-working skills will be developed through practical classes, and experience will be obtained in writing laboratory reports. Numeracy will be enhanced through data gathering, measurement, and/or statistical analysis in the artefactual practicals, through exercises in measurement, scale, and geometry provided by the illustration classes, and in a data analysis session. Skills in visual analysis and data visualisation will also be developed, as will knowledge of analytical techniques and the challenges of using artefacts for museum displays, education and/or outreach.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module is taught through a mixture of module-wide sessions and small group practical blocks: you will select two practical options from a range that normally includes: lithics, pottery and/or small finds, archaeological illustration and/or scientific material analysis. All of these optional practical sessions are hands-on and require you to analyse and record primary data.

This is a 20-credit module, which means that it is intended to occupy you for 200 hours of work: practical classes, module-wide sessions, background reading, and preparing and writing your option assessments. With that in mind, the kind of workload you should expect might be as follows:

• 4 hours: module-wide core sessions
• 24 hours: formal optional block teaching sessions (practicals)
• 2 hours: field trip
• 40 hours: background reading
• 130 hours: reading for, preparing, and writing/illustrating your reports/portfolios

Study hours

At least 30 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Reassessment

Additional costs