Archaeology

(AS/A2)

AQA AS (Advanced Subsidiary) GCE Archaeology

Archaeology will be offered to S6 pupils at Hutchesons' from the 2009-2010 session onward. It is the systematic study of the material remains of human societies, ranging from the immediate past to the very earliest prehistoric tribes. It is an academic discipline, which will apply skills learned in other subjects to develop a critical analysis of cultural evolution. Considerable emphasis is placed on methods and techniques, and the role of archaeological excavation as a means of retrieving evidence about the past. As the scope of archaeology is so large, this course has a particular focus on religion and ritual in ancient Britain.

The course comprises three units, plus an investigation

  1. Survey and excavation (sources and methods) (which includes how sites are discovered and recorded; how sites are excavated)
  2. Post excavation, dating and interpretation (How recorded material is analysed; how sites are dated; how evidence can be interpreted and presented).
  3. Religion and ritual (prehistoric Britain and Ireland [Neolithic to Iron Age]) (archaeological information linked to: mortuary practices, art and symbolism, ritual structure and locations, beliefs, the organisation of religion and ritual).

The course will include weekend visits to archaeology sites in Scotland, and the opportunity to attend local excavations. Hutchesons' has close links with Glasgow Archaeology Society, and pupils will be invited to the monthly lectures of the Society.