Introduction to Bioarchaeology - obligatory for MA

obligatory courses

Classroom

The lecture will present students how analysis of human remains can answer archaeological questions and help to reconstruct past of humankind.

Lecture presents complex relations between humans and their environment and how those interactions manifest in the archaeological record and how they can be used to reconstruct life of past societies. The lecture introduces variety of bioarchaeological methods allowing for reconstruction of past demography, epidemiology, biological standards of living, diet, mobility and migration, as well as, human physical activity. Discussed methods will be illustrated by several case studies showing how bioarchaeology can answer archaeological questions.

T. Brown, K. Brown, 2011. Biomolecular archeology. An introduction. Wiley-Blackwell.

A.T. Chamberlain 2006 Demography in archaeology. Cambridge University Press.

M.A. Katzenberg, A. Grauer. 2018. Biological anthropology of the human skeleton. John Wiley & Sons.

C.S. Larsen 2015. Bioarchaeology: interpreting behavior from the human skeleton. Cambridge University Press.

R. Michener, K. Lajtha. 2007. Stable Isotopes in Ecology and Environmental Science. Blackwell Publishing.

L.G. Raisz, J.P. Bilezikian, T.J. Martin. 2002. Principles of bone biology. Academic Press.

H. Schutkowski, 2006. Human Ecology. Biocultural adaptations in human communities. Springer.

- student understands the relations between environment and human individuals, and how those relations allow for reconstruction of the human past

- student knows the state-of-art methods allowing for the reconstruction of the demography of past populations, their well-being, diet, mobility, and physical activity

- student knows the prospects and limitation of bioarchaeological reconstruction of the past based on human remains

- student can indicate environmental factors affecting human well-being and describe how those factors manifest in archaeological record

- student can select a correct method to study either demography of past populations or their well-being, diet, mobility, or physical activity

- student can select archaeological sources necessary to understand the results of bioarchaeological analysis

- student is able to design bioarchaeological study to answer archaeological question

- student is able to criticality evaluate published bioarcheological study on the ground of methodology

- student is able to create synthesis of the results of the bioarchaeological and archeological analysis to create holistic reconstruction of hum of me

Written exam at the end of each semester.