ANTH501 - INTRO ARCH CEREMICS: Introduction to Archaeological Ceremics

This course is designed to introduce upper-level undergraduate and graduate students to the techniques and theoretical foundations that allow archaeologists to study ceramic collections and to make inferences about the behavior of the past peoples and societies. As ceramic materials constitute the vast majority of artifacts recovered by archaeologists from the archaeological record of the past 10,000 years, the course aims to provide a basic background in a fundamental archaeological study. Also it aims to provide hands-on experience in both the management and analysis of ceramic assemblages, using one or more archaeological collections housed at the University of Pennsylvania Museum. The course will emphasize current theoretical approaches to ceramic analysis (from symbolic style to technological signatures), as well as basic collections management techniques (photography, databases, etc.). Geology, minerology, and technical studies will be broadly introduced.