Introduction to Archaeological Science

Catalog description

In the past fifty years scientific techniques have increasingly been applied to archaeological material to help answer questions about objects’ age, provenance, and production technology. This information in turn addresses questions related to trade and exchange, cultural identity, human mobility, craft organization, and technological innovation. This lecture-based course provides a non-technical introduction to a wide range of scientific techniques commonly used to analyze archaeological materials. Through the examination of case studies, we will focus on the questions that drive research, discuss the advantages and limitations of the available techniques, and the importance of sampling, calibration, and statistical analysis.