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Module Description

The module will provide a detailed account of the Palaeolithic archaeological record documenting the evolution of hominin behaviour in Africa and southern Eurasia.Ìý We will cover from the origins of the archaeological record, perhaps 3.3 million years ago, to the Middle Palaeolithic or Middle Stone Age up to 70 thousand years ago.Ìý The module follows a chronological rather than thematic structure, in order to provide the broader context of hominin behaviour, with issues ranging from climate change to hominin communication embedded within each period rather than treated as standalone topics.Ìý Due to preservational bias, the module will principally focus on the stone artefact record, but we will also look at other aspects of material culture, fauna, occasional archaeobotanical remains, and intra-site spatial features.Ìý The module will cover the evolution of hominin behaviour with a particular emphasis on technology, subsistence, and sociality.Ìý

Module Aims

On successful completion of this module, students will:

- recognize the major phases of hominin behaviour and what underpins their distinction

- be able to critically appraise the strengths and limits of the different methods used to reconstruct hominin behaviour

- have an understanding of the changes in lifeways and social behaviour that occurred during the evolution of our genus

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this module, students will have learnt:

- first hand familiarity with Lower and Middle Palaeolithic stone tool evidence

- to construct narrative arguments in written form

- skills in visual display and presentation

Teaching Methods

The module is taught through lectures, seminars, and practicals. Students will be required to undertake set readings and make (non-examined) short presentations of case study sites.Ìý

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