Archeology and Interdisciplinarity - a Humanistic Research Project in the Era of Modern Science Development

general courses

The main aim of the course is to present the preparation, organization and implementation of an interdisciplinary research project in the humanities in cooperation with the sciences. As an example we will present a project in Nea Paphos (Cyprus) carried out by a consortium of the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw, Jagiellonian University and Warsaw University of Technology. The experiences of those who are and were members of the team working in Cyprus will be set in the broad context of the experiences of archaeologists. The aim of the course will be to show how such collaborations broaden research possibilities and their methodological scope, but also what risks and challenges they may bring.

Archaeology and Interdisciplinarity is a course devoted to the organization of a multi-directional scientific project in the humanities in cooperation with the sciences and earth sciences. As an example we will present the project in Nea Paphos (Cyprus), which is being carried out by a consortium of the Centre for Mediterranean Archaeology of the University of Warsaw, Jagiellonian University and Warsaw University of Technology. The experiences of those who are members of the team working in Cyprus will be set in the broad context of the experiences of archaeologists in this aspect of their work. Archaeology as a science is a rapidly evolving discipline. In its quests to understand the ancient world based on the material remains of societies that often no longer exist today, archaeology is increasingly interacting with physics, chemistry or geology. The discipline of archaeology is one of the leading fields of research combining the humanities and natural sciences. The environmental, physical and earth sciences provide archaeology numerous techniques and methods to facilitate data analysis and interpretation, thus increasing the possibility of acquiring new information based on material remains of past human activity. The aim of the course will be to show how such collaborations expand research opportunities. And also what risks they may pose. Cooperation between the humanities and sciences often leads to the weakening of the position of the "humanities", which is connected with the increasing introduction of solutions and methodologies strictly known from the field of "science".

Methodology:

Marciniak A., Rączkowski W., Archaeology and archaeological science: past, present and future, Archaeologia Polona, 39, s. 5-16.

Mary E. Malainey, A Consumer’s Guide to Archaeological Science Analytical Techniques, London 2011.

Nakoinz O., Knitter D., Modelling Human Behaviour in Landscapes Basic Concepts and Modelling Elements, Switzerland, 2016.

Forte M., Campana S., Archaeology in the Age of Sensing (ed.), Digital Methods and Remote Sensing in Archaeology, 2016.

Bintliff J., (ed.), The Annales and the school of archaeology, Leicester 1991, 231 - 248.

Bintliff J., Why Indiana Jones is Smarter Than the Post-Processualists, Norwegian Archaeological Review, 26/2, 91 - 100.

Salmon M.H. (2001) Explanation i/n Archaeology. In: Hon G., Rakover S.S. (eds) Explanation. Synthese Library (Studies in Epistemology, Logic, Methodology, and Philosophy of Science), vol 302. Springer, Dordrecht.

GIS in archaeology:

Conolly J., Lake M., Geographic Information Systems in Archaeology, Cambridge, 2006.

Gotlib, D., Iwaniak, A., Olszewski, R.. GIS. Obszary zastosowań, Warszawa, 2008.

Rączkowski W., Archeologia lotnicza – metoda wobec teorii, Poznań, 2002.

Geoarcheologia, geologia, geomorfologia i gleboznawstwo:

Pelisiak, A., Gębica P., Podstawy geomorfologii i gleboznawstwa dla archeologów, Rzeszów, 2007.

Goldberg P., Macphail R.I., Practical and theoretical geoarchaeology, Blackwell, 2006.

Bioarchaeology:

Gifford-Gonzalez D., An Introduction to Zooarchaeology, Santa Cruz, 2018.

Lityńska-Zając M., Wasylikowa K., Przewodnik do badań archeobotanicznych. Sorus, Poznań, 2004.

Pearsall, D.M., Paleoethnobotany: a handbook of procedures, 2nd ed., San Diego, 2000.

Knowledge: the student knows and understands

- the basic knowledge of planning, organizing and conducting interdisciplinary projects

- the relationship between sciences and archaeology

- student knows methods of analysis of archaeological remains using methods applied in sciences

Skills: the student is able to

- independently search for opportunities of cooperation between humanities and environmental and earth sciences

- creatively use existing methods and techniques of environmental and earth sciences, adapting them to the needs arising from the specificity of the studied humanities issues.

Social competence: the student is able to

- use their knowledge of the complex nature of science which is archaeology, with the awareness of the need to analyse a variety of sources

- recognize the significant impact of natural sciences and earth sciences on the effectiveness of humanities projects

- to critically evaluate interdisciplinary projects

In the course the students will be asked to do some literature review. Based on the knowledge gained during the classes, students will have to prepare a paper in the form of a presentation of their own concept of an interdisciplinary project (most likely it will be a group work, the final form will depend on the number of participants). This criterion has a 100% share in the final grade.