Module description

This module provides a broad introduction to cultural, technological, subsistence and social change from Prehistory to the Early Modern Period, through a series of lectures delivered by specialist staff at the Institute. The module begins with the evolution of hominids, and human dispersal to all parts of the world. Archaeological evidence and analogies with ethnographically documented societies are used to examine the lifestyles of hunter / gatherer / forager communities from the Palaeolithic to the present, with emphasis on subsistence practices and social organization. The changes brought about by the transitions to agriculture and settled life are considered, and the conflicting explanations for these changes evaluated. The nature of small-scale farming societies is discussed. The later part of the module gives an introduction to some of the world's historic civilizations. Discussion of the nature of urban societies, states and empires is combined with the study of archaeological examples from Mesopotamia, the Greek and Roman world, China, Central and South America, and Viking Europe.

The overarching mission of archaeology is to produce an empirically-grounded historical account of how humankind came to be. This narrative, reaching beyond and before transmitted memories and written histories, is fundamental to discuss who we are as a species; to understand the social institutions that structure how we live; and to decipher the history of the places and landscapes that we have inhabited and transformed over time. World Archaeology offers a broad overview of the global database of empirical observations that underpins this time-deep narrative. Drawing primarily on archaeological research from across the world, it provides a broad-ranging introductory synthesis to the major global patterns of social, cultural, economic, and political change that make up time-deep human history, i.e. from the earliest “prehistory” to the beginnings of the so-called Modern era.

During Term 1, the module initially reviews the evolution of hominins and subsequent human dispersals to all parts of the world. It then examines some of the key processes that took place during the Holocene on a region by region basis: the adoption of sedentism, plant and animal domestication and husbandry, human population growth, and incipient social complexity. During Term 2, World Archaeology focuses on later prehistoric and historic polities, empires and civilizations of Eurasia, Africa and the Americas, as well as their expansion and periodic collapse. It also considers the ‘exploration’ of the globe by Europeans from the 15th century onwards and the socio-economic consequences of such early globalizing connections.

Module Aim 

The aim of the module is to provide students with a broad-ranging introductory synthesis of the major patterns of global social, cultural, economic and political change from earliest “prehistory” to the beginnings of the modern era, as can be inferred from archaeological evidence from across the world.

Learning Outcomes 

On successful completion of the module students should be able to demonstrate improved skills of observation and critical reflection on archaeological topics that have been covered in seminars and assessed work during each term. Students should be able to map in time and space some of the broad patterns that define global human history and have a good grasp of the processes that have been proposed to explain these patterns. Students should also be able to critically appraise received and popular narratives about time-deep human history and social evolution from the vantage point of up-to-date knowledge about past and ongoing archaeological research.