Prehistoric Archaeology (Hunter-Gatherer Societies)
Objectives
LO1. To acquire a holistic knowledge of Prehistory between the Lower Palaeolithic and the Mesolithic, focusing on the Iberian Peninsula;
LO2. To critically analyse the theoretical and methodological approaches to the discipline, understanding the importance of the archaeological method as an instrument of analysis of the past;
LO3. To acknowledge the diachronic structure of early prehistory, achieving a solid chronocultural scheme for the different geographic areas covered;
LO4. To recognize the processes and environments in which the biological and cultural evolution of the human being took place;
LO5. To familiarise with the main social, economic and technological characteristics of the Pleistocene and Holocene hunter-gatherers;
LO6. To develop the ability to synthesize and critically analyse information with the aim of producing historical knowledge.
General characterization
Code
01100279
Credits
6.0
Responsible teacher
João Carlos Muralha Cardoso
Hours
Weekly - 4
Total - 168
Teaching language
Portuguese
Prerequisites
Available soon
Bibliography
- - Boyd, R., & Silk, J. B. (2021). How humans evolved (9ª edição). W.W. Norton.
- - Feder, Kenneth, The Past in Perspective, (2017), New York, Oxford University
- -Gamble, C. (2001). Las Sociedades paleolíticas de Europa. Ariel.
- -Higham, Tom (2022). O Mundo antes de nós, ed. Saída de emergência.
- -López García, P. (Ed.). (2017). La Prehistoria en la Península Ibérica. Istmo.
- -Lillios, K. T. (2019). The archaeology of the Iberian Peninsula: From the Palaeolithic to the Bronze Age. Cambridge University Press.
- -Pettitt, Paul, (2023). Homo Sapiens Rediscovered: The Scientific Revolution Rewriting Our Origins, London, Thames and Hudson.
- -Renfrew, C., & Bahn, P. G. (2020). Archaeology: Theories, Methods, and Practice (8ª ed). Thames & Hudson.
- - Roberts, A. M., Coward, F. S., Kennis, A., & Kennis, A. (Eds.). (2018). Evolution: The human story (2ª edição). DK Publishing.
- - Scarre, C. (Ed.). (2013). The human past: World Prehistory & the development of human societies (3ª edição).
Teaching method
Face-to-face lectures supported by audiovisual information to help reinforce the contents of the course. Visits to museums to complement the theoretical information given in class.
Evaluation method
Continuous assessment - An individual, face-to-face written test which will assess the student's mastery of and ability to analyse and reflect on the knowledge transmitted throughout the course. A critical review of one or more important texts for the course unit. Students' active participation in class will be taken into account. (100%)
Subject matter
BLOCK 1:
1.1. Definitions and fundamentals
1.2. The Quaternary: chronology and climate
BLOCK 2:
2.1. Human evolution: principles and mechanisms
2.2. First hominids
BLOCK 3:
3.1. The genus homo: from habilis to heildebergensis
3.2. The first lithic industries
3.3. Expansion into Eurasia
BLOCK 4:
4.1. Homo neanderthalensis
4.2. The Middle Palaeolithic in Europe
BLOCK 5:
5.1. Anatomically modern humans
5.2. Global settlement
5.3. The birth of symbolic thought
5.4. The Upper Palaeolithic in Europe
BLOCK 6:
6.1. The Mesolithic: crisis of the hunter-gatherer way of life