Graduate Program in Balkan and Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology

Practical lab course, 30 hours, 3 credits

 

Objects are the main source of information for the archaeological study of human behavior in the past. That is why in this practical course we are focusing on the obligatory steps of artifact study and publication. We are going to learn how to draw, photograph, describe and classify some of the most common archaeological finds. However it is not possible to correctly draw and photograph an object, without knowing which is its upper and lower side, whether it is intact or fragmented. This means that archaeological documentation and interpretation are parallel and indivisible processes.

 

We start with pottery which is the type of artifacts most commonly found in archaeological excavations. A short overview of prehistoric pottery from the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean is followed by practical exercise of how to draw, photograph, describe and classify real ceramic sherds. The need to understand ceramics before putting them on the drawing table is the reason for short intro on Greek, Roman and Medieval pottery in SE Europe.

 

While the second part of the course deals with metal objects, the third one offers an introduction to the processing of Greek and Roman epigraphic monuments and coins. We are not translating inscriptions but learn how an archaeologist should approach them and be more fruitful in his/her collaboration with an epigrapher or a numismatic specialist. 

 

This course, together with our courses on lithic artifacts provides practical skills which are fundamental for every artefact-oriented archaeological study. In this respect the course is a good preparation for the work on MA thesis.    

 

	Topic	Hours
1	Intro and aims of the course	2
	Part 1. Ceramics
2	Ceramic vessels in the prehistoric Balkans and Eastern Mediterranean	2
3	Drawing of prehistoric pottery	5
4	Ceramic vessels in Greek, Roman and Medieval times	2
5	Drawing of Antique and Roman pottery	5
6	Artifacts through the lens. Photography of objects in archaeology	2
7	Classification of ceramics. Typology and seriation	1
	Part 2. Metal
8	Analysis and documentation of metal artifacts	4
	Part 3. Epigraphy and numismatics
9	Archaeology of epigraphic monuments	2
10	Archaeology of numismatic evidence	2
11	Conclusions: The Social Lives of Objects: Artifact Biographies	1
12	Grading	2

 

 

Essential readings

Banning, E. 2000. The Archaeologist's Laboratory: The Analysis of Archaeological Data. Plenum Publishers. New York et al.

Bruun, Chr. / J. Edmondson 2015. The Oxford Handbook of Roman Epigraphy. Oxford University Press.

Dorrell, P.G. 1989. Photography in Archaeology and Conservation. Cambridge Univ. Press.

Drewett, P. 2001. Field Archaeology. An Introduction. UCL Press, London.

Evans, Th. / P. Daly (eds.) 2006.  Digital Archaeology. Bringing Method and Theory. Routledge.

Gosden, Chr. / Y. Marshall 1999. The cultural biography of objects. World Archaeology, 31, 2, 1999, 169-178.

Grant, J. / S. Gorin / N. Fleming. 2008. The Archaeology. Coursebook. An Introduction to Themes, Sites Methods and Skills. Routledge 2008.

Rice, Rp. 1987. Pottery Analysis. A Sourcebook. The University of Chicago Press.