Archaeology

Archaeologists employ material culture to study our human past. For students this is often an unfamiliar but exotic and exciting method of exploring bygone societies. The physical debris of the past is able to tell us much that the written evidence cannot. Most people were never able to document their own histories, and much of our human past unfolded before writing came in to use.

By looking at the things we leave behind, we can travel back into deep time, before written history, to uncover our very earliest ancestors. We can explore ancient civilisations across the world through their greatest monuments and the minutiae of their daily lives. The discipline also provides insights into historical periods and even the present day, providing a counter narrative to the written and spoken word.

Archaeology combines the arts and the sciences to uncover traces of the past and bring to life lost peoples and cultures. Using the broad skill base that a degree in archaeology provides, students can go on to a wide variety of jobs such as those in museums, universities and government and private archaeology and heritage consultancy firms.

About the major

Archaeology is a dynamic discipline that has revolutionised our understanding of the human past. Evidence is continuously unearthed and reveals unexpected and exciting glimpses of ancient life. The archaeology major allows you to explore these vistas of human life and to learn how archaeologists bring to life past societies.

The archaeology major will provide you with an understanding of the history of humans in a variety of times and places, to give you an insight into long-term trends in human life. A major in Archaeology will also equip you with the intellectual and practical skills to gather, analyse and interpret primary archaeological evidence to answer questions about prehistoric and historic societies.

The archaeology major contains broad coverage of the nature of archaeological work, and students may undertake specialist training in one of three regional areas: Australia, the Mediterranean, and the Western and Central Asia. Practical field and laboratory methods are taught, and there are opportunities to participate in fieldwork units locally and around the world, as well as in one of our intensive Summer Schools in Athens.

Requirements for completion

A major in Archaeology requires 48 credit points from the Unit of Study table including:
(i) 12 credit points of 1000-level units
(ii) 12 credit points of 2000-level units
(iii) 18 credit points of 3000-level units
(iv) 6 credit points of 3000-level Interdisciplinary Project units.

A minor in Archaeology requires 36 credit points from this table including:
(i) 12 credit points of 1000-level units
(ii) 12 credit points of 2000-level units
(iii) 12 credit points of 3000-level units

First year

Archaeology offers two consecutive foundation units, ARCO1000 Ancient People: Hunters and Farmers and ARCO1001: Civilisations of the Ancient World. These units will introduce you to the story of our early ancestors and how they spread across the globe. Journeying on through the appearance of the first farmers and villagers, you will then explore the emergence of the major civilisations of the Old World. In your tutorials, you will learn how to use archaeological evidence as a tool to reconstruct the human past. No prior knowledge of archaeology or ancient history is assumed. Together these units give you a strong foundation in archaeology.

Second year

Your choice of 2000 level units is critical in structuring your minor/major. When choosing your 2000 level units, you should consider what balance you want between:

• A focus on regional units. We offer three regional streams: Australian, Western/Central Asian and Classical archaeology
• A focus on archaeological skills-based study, for example field methods; field schools; archaeological principals and practice; and archaeological morphometry.

Students interested in specialising in the archaeology of a particular region should consider the following units:

• Australia: ARCO2001, ARCO2002
• Western/Central Asian: ARCO2003, ARCO2004, ARCO2005, ARCO2006
• Classical: ARCO2007, ARCO2008, ARCO2201, ARCO2202

These units will act as pre-requisites for third year units in each stream.

Students wanting to enhance their practical archaeological skills should consider: ARCO2002, ARCO2101, ARCO2102, ARCO2201.

Other second year units will allow you to gain an understanding of a range of different archaeological concepts.

In addition to the requirements of the major the Department of Archaeology encourages students intending to take Honours and the Bachelor of Advanced Studies to study as many extra second year Archaeology units as possible, to give them the disciplinary depth expected in the workplace.

Third year

The archaeology major requires you take 24 credit points in third year units, while the minor requires 12 credit points. The following advice is offered for students interested in developing a specific focus in archaeology.

Students interested in specialising in the archaeology of a particular region should consider the following units:

• Australia: ARCO3001, ARCO3002, ARCO3401, ARCO3402
• Western/Central Asian: ARCO3003, ARCO3004, ARCO3005, ARCO3006, ARCO3403
• Classical: ARCO3007, ARCO3008, ARCO3010, ARCO3011, ARCO3012, ARCO3403, BDES3030

In your third year you must take at least one designated project unit. Archaeology offers four units of this kind: ARCO3401, ARCO3402, ARCO3403, ARCO3404. Students intending to do fourth year (and especially Honours) are advised to take at least one of these units that will prepare them for intensive research.

In addition to the requirements of the major the Department of Archaeology encourages students intending to take Honours and the Bachelor of Advanced Studies to study as many extra third year Archaeology units as possible, to give them the disciplinary depth expected in the workplace.

Honours

If you commenced your degree prior to 2018, admission to honours requires a major in Archaeology with an average of 70% or above.

If you commenced your degree in 2018, admission to honours is via the Bachelor of Advanced Studies and requires the completion of a major in Archaeology with an average of 70% or above. You will need to ensure you have completed all other requirements of the Bachelor of Arts, including Open Learning Environment (OLE) units and a second major, prior to commencing honours.

The Archaeology Department offers an Honours program. Entry is in S1, there is no mid-year entry to the program. Students will carry out a sustained research project (ARCO4001 Large Archaeology Project), and are additionally required to take two of the seminar-based study units:

The Archaeology Department offers an Honours program. Entry is in S1, there is no mid-year entry to the program. Students will carry out a sustained research project (ARCO4001 Large Archaeology Project), and are additionally required to take two of the seminar-based study units:

• ARCO4104 Archaeological Research Themes
• ARCO4105 Archaeological Research Approaches

The Department focuses in Honours research in its three specialist streams: Australian, Western/Central Asian and Classical archaeology. Honours projects on other archaeology subjects will be considered on an individual basis.

Advanced coursework

The requirements for advanced coursework in Archaeology are described in the degree resolutions for the Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Advanced Studies.

24-36 credit points of advanced study will be included in the table for 2020.

Contact/further information

More information and current contact details for Academic Coordinators may be found at:
http://sydney.edu.au/arts/archaeology

The Department of Archaeology is administered by the School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry (SOPHI).

Example pathways

We offer three regional streams: Australian, Western/Central Asian and Classical archaeology. The Major takes a 2:2:4 pattern. Examples of pathways are provided for each of these streams:

Australian Archaeology
First Year: ARCO1000 and ARCO1001
Second Year: ARCO2001, ARCO2002
Third Year: ARCO3001, ARCO3002, ARCO3401, ARCO3402

Western Asia Archaeology
First Year: ARCO1000 and ARCO1001, or one of ARCO1000 and ARCO1001 plus 6 credit points of Ancient History at the 1000 level
Second Year: ARCO2003 and ARCO2005, or ARCO2004 and ARCO2006
Third Year: ARCO3004 and ARCO3005 and ARCO3005 or ARCO3006, and ARCO3403


Classical Archaeology
First Year: ARCO1000 and ARCO1001, or one of ARCO1000 and ARCO1001 plus 6 credit points of Ancient History at the 1000 level
Second Year: ARCO2007 and ARCO2008 or ARCO2201 or ARCO2202
Third Year: three of ARCO3007, ARCO3008, ARCO3011, ARCO3012 and BDES3030, plus ARCO3403