Unit name | European Iron Age |
---|---|
Unit code | ARCH35011 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | H/6 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
Unit director | Professor. Heyd |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | Department of Anthropology and Archaeology |
Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit focuses on the Iron Age in Continental Europe and Britain (c.1100 BCE to 43 AD). It will acquaint you with the archaeology and early history of different Iron Age societies, with special reference to the Celts. Research of the last 40 years and recent fieldwork has altered our views and conceptions of many topics, such as the emergence of iron technology; Cimmerians, Scythians, and Sarmatians of the steppes and their impact on farming Europe; the Late Hallstatt princely cultures and their engagement with Mediterranean Greeks, Etruscans, and the Phoenicians; the Celtic art; the expansion of the Celts and the Celtic migration into the Mediterranean ; the subsequent Oppida civilisation; and finally Germanic pressure and Roman conquest. The course will use up-to-date material and the latest research and will discuss and analyse it throughout.
Aims
At the end of the unit, a successful student will be able to:
1)Summarise significant aspects of a number of Iron Age sites in Continental Europe and Britain
2)Discuss the internal relations of the Celtic world with steppe populations, Mediterranean civilisations
3)Debate theoretical question concerning issues such as social hierarchisation and formation of elites; burial customs and hoarding practices; acculturation and transmission of innovations and ideas; mobility and migration; and development or territories and formation of tribes in their practical application to Iron Age Europe and Britain.
1) One essay of 3000-3500 words 50%. Assesses ILOs 1-3
2) One oral presentation (20 minutes) based on the essay topic (25%). Assesses ILOs 1-3
3)One in-class test (60 minutes) 25%. Assesses ILOs 1-3
Bonfante, L. (ed.) 2011. The barbarians of ancient Europe: Realities and interaction. Cambridge: University Press
Cunliffe, B. 2003. The Ancient Celts. London: Penguin
Cunliffe, B. 2005. Iron age communities in Britain (4th edit) London: Routledge
Kristiansen, K. 1998. Europe before history. Cambridge: University Press
Riva, C. 2010. The urbanisation of Etruria: Funerary practises and social change 700-600 BC. Cambridge: University Press
Wells, P.S. 2008. Image and response in early Europe. London. Duckworth