Tracing the story of our species, Homo sapiens, we provide an introduction to world prehistory from the evolution of our distant ancestors in Africa up to the emergence of farming. This unit introduces the discipline of archaeology, providing a broad practical and conceptual foundation for the continuing study of archaeology.

This unit presents an overview of the archaeology and ancient history of the Ancient World, introducing the great civilisations of Mesopotamia, Iran, and Egypt, and the prehistoric and historic cultures of Greece and Italy, ending with the height of the Roman Empire.

Is the human past relevant to our present lives? Can archaeology play an important role in the pathways we take into our future? In addressing these questions, and introducing archaeology, we focus on "grand challenges" that connect the past and the future. Using current research, we will examine key elements of the human story across time and space, from our origins to the Anthropocene. Focussing on archaeological theory, method, and practice, the unit will highlight the importance of archaeology to understanding current social issues including climate change, sustainability and resilience.

People have occupied Australia for at least 50,000 years. During that period geographically varied cultural systems changed frequently, adjusting to altered economic and social contexts. This unit traces the long history of humans in this continent, a surprising, remarkable story of culture change.

This unit traces the history and development of the Greek world during the first millennium BC. We explore key sites such Athens, Corinth, Lefkandi, Zagora, and Pergamon, and examine the transformations that occurred in socio-political organisation, religion, burial practice, art and architecture.

Despite being a superpower of the archaic Mediterranean very little historical knowledge of the Etruscan civilisation survives, leaving much to archaeology. This unit will begin by surveying this enigmatic group before moving onto Rome as the Republic begins its expansion.

The emergence of farming in West Asia is an historical first linked to major shifts in cult and belief leading to increasingly complex forms of social organisation and the rise of primeval states. The unit introduces these developments in a broad comparative perspective throughout ancient West Asia.

Archaeological research requires a broad understanding of a range of practical aspects incorporating field, lab and interpretive skills. Here we explore a diverse array of topics across a number of themes to introduce some of the major principles and practices in archaeological research.

Time and materiality are fundamental to archaeology. This unit reviews the ways in which time and materiality have been understood in archaeology in order to reappraise how they can conceptualised for the analysis of cultural phenomena. Global examples will be used.

Archaeology is one of the key fields for understanding the emergence of the modern world. The documentary record is dominated by European males so the archaeological record provides an important alternative line of evidence. Further, the emergence of modernity was a largely material phenomenon. Rather than simply involving changes in ideology or worldview, the emergence of modernity was based on wholesale transformations of landscapes, settlement patterns, domestic space, and material culture. This class provides students with the practical skills to understand the archaeology of modern society, focusing on case studies from Australia and Oceania.

'The city, stick to the city, and live in its light.' (Cicero) This unit will explore the rich history of Rome's urban landscape from the middle Republic (c.200BCE) to the early fourth century CE. We will examine the ways in which the physical city interacted with and even affected the political, religious and cultural life of the Romans and how the great monuments of Empire were eventually destroyed, recovered and reinvented by later ages.

For most of human history, hunting and gathering was the dominant economic strategy employed. This unit explores the archaeological evidence for hunter-gatherer activity, from early hominins in Africa to recent populations, placing the significance of Australian prehistory within a global context.

This unit explores the cultural, economic, and political interactions between the powers of ancient West Asia. This history provides a rich background to the analysis of issues such as the art of diplomacy, strategy in conflict, the dynamics of trade and exchange, and the nature of imperial ambition.

The art and architecture of Ancient Western Asia opens a window onto a world of engineering prowess, artistic brilliance and symbolic meaning, relevant both to our understanding of the ancient creators, and to the unfolding entanglement of people and their creations down the ages. We will explore a range of iconic ancient structures and artworks, and consider their significance in context, and down the ages to the present day.

The trade networks of the ancient Silk Roads stretched from the western borders of China to the shores of the Mediterranean, passing through the deserts of Central Asia. In this unit students will address concepts such as nomad-state relations, power and kingship and religion in the ancient world.

This unit explores ancient China from its earliest agricultural heritage through the splendour of Shang times to the Han dynasty and the rise of the Great Silk Roads. A critical aspect of the unit is to explore the conflict between the mythological past and the evidence provided by material culture.

The Aegean world in the second millennium BC was home to two major cultures, the Minoans of Crete and the Mycenaeans on the Greek mainland. The archaeological evidence allows reconstruction of their social and economic lives, sophisticated trade networks, arts, religion, and industry.

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79 and the sudden burial of Pompeii and Herculaneum created a unique opportunity for archaeologists to study ancient cities and their inhabitants. This unit will explore how the material records of these cities are used to reconstruct the lives of ancient Romans.

Between c. 800 and 300 BC Greek traders and settlers began to appear on the coast of South Italy and powerful Greek city-states and indigenous Italian polities emerged. Concepts such as colonisation, ethnicity, and hybridisation are here explored, using the material remains of Iron Age South Italy.

An introduction to the history of archaeological inquiry in order to illustrate the way theory works, the key theoretical themes and issues of archaeological research and a global perspective on archaeology today.

Production of stone artefacts, lithic technology, is the oldest technology and key to cultural evolution. The unit introduces the technology, and methods and theories for its archaeological interpretation. Understandings are developed through a student project involving laboratory experimentation.

What was the role of animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate, in past economic systems? With a principal emphasis on Australian fauna, we will examine the nature of subsistence strategies, animals as indicators of past environments, and techniques of analysis and interpretation of faunal remains.

This unit provides practical experience in archaeology fieldwork. Students learn site discovery, recording and excavation techniques, and develop a detailed understanding of the practices involved in archaeological fieldwork.

Interdisciplinarity is a key skill in fostering agility in life and work. This unit provides learning experiences that build students' skills, knowledge and understanding of the application of their disciplinary background to interdisciplinary contexts. In this unit, students will work in teams and develop interdisciplinarity skills through problem-based learning projects responding to 'real world problems'.

Interdisciplinarity is a key skill in fostering agility in life and work. This unit provides learning experiences that build students' skills, knowledge and understanding of the application of their disciplinary background to interdisciplinary contexts. In this unit, students will work in teams and develop interdisciplinarity skills through problem-based learning projects responding to 'real world problems'.

This interdisciplinary unit provides students with the opportunity to address complex problems identified by industry, community, and government organisations, and gain valuable experience in working across disciplinary boundaries. In collaboration with a major industry partner and an academic lead, students integrate their academic skills and knowledge by working in teams with students from a range of disciplinary backgrounds. This experience allows students to research, analyse and present solutions to a real-world problem, and to build on their interpersonal and transferable skills by engaging with and learning from industry experts and presenting their ideas and solutions to the industry partner.