Course: Environmental Archaeology

« Back
Course title Environmental Archaeology
Course code KAR/TAM5
Organizational form of instruction Lecture
Level of course Bachelor
Year of study not specified
Semester Winter
Number of ECTS credits 3
Language of instruction Czech
Status of course unspecified
Form of instruction Face-to-face
Work placements This is not an internship
Recommended optional programme components None
Lecturer(s)
  • Havel René, doc. PhDr. Ph.D.
  • Pacák Štěpán, prof. PhDr. CSc., DSc.
  • Coufalová Hana, PhDr. Ph.D.,DSc.
  • Krahula Jaroslav, Mgr.
Course content
1. Introduction to the environmental archaeology, history and contemporary trends 2. Changes of environment and their dating: survey of dating methods used in archaeology and environmental archaeology (dendrochronology, radioactive carbon, optical luminiscenc and others) 3. Holocene vegetation changes - pollen analysis as the main mean for research of the vegetation changes and of the human impact on the landscape 4. Macroremain analysis of plants - method reseraching changes in the landscape, in way of gathering food, way of agricultural production, diet and food preparation, beasics of plant domestication 5. Malakofauna analysis - one of the methods for researching past natural environment especially the paleoclimate, vegetation and also the human impact on the landscape. 6. Archaeozoology - analysis of the bone remains of animals in the archaeological contexts- It has essential significance for examining animal domestication, development of agriculture, technological inovations, diets and landscape changes 7. - 8. Quarternary geology and geomorphology - development of Quarternary period, period of human origins. Changes of climate and the terrestrial surface and their causes. Utility of geological and geomorphological methods in archaeology. 9. Pedology - method researching contemporary terrestrial surface. Development of soil, survey of basic soil types and practical information for using pedological knowledge in archaeology. 10. Paleoclimatology - basic knowledge on the causes of the climate changes in the Quarternary period and survey of contemporary climate models for the last 10 000 years. Consequences of the climate changes on the human behaviour. 11. - 12. Landscape development and human settlement development as perceived on the base of latest results of environmental archeaology.

Learning activities and teaching methods
Multimedia supported teaching
  • Individual project (40) - 30 hours per semester
  • Preparation for an examination (30-60) - 22 hours per semester
  • Contact hours - 26 hours per semester
prerequisite
Knowledge
To summarize the importance of archaeology and history for understanding the past
To summarize chemistry and biology within the range of secondary education
To summarize the basics of current archaeological theory and method
Skills
To understand a scientifically-structured lecture
To read and to understand a scientific text in Czech and English
To use adequate terminology in Czech
To use electronic information sources
learning outcomes
Knowledge
To summarize the applied methods of research of natural environment and biofacts in archaeological context
To state examples and goals of interdisciplinary collaboration in archaeology
To name chosen flora and fauna in Latin
To explain the issue of environmental sampling and sample processing theoretically
Skills
To choose between appropriate research methods concerning natural environment in the past with respect to questions given
To be able to take basic environmental samples
teaching methods
Knowledge
Lecture with visual aids
Skills
Project-based instruction
assessment methods
Knowledge
Combined exam
Skills
Project
Recommended literature
  • Archeologie pravěkých Čech. Díl 1. 2008.
  • Brázdil, R. - Kotyza, O. Kolísání klimatu v Českých zemích v první polovině našeho tisíciletí, Archeologické rozhledy 49, 663-699.. 1997.
  • Brázdil, Rudolf; Kotyza, Oldřich. History of weather and climate in the Czech lands : daily weather records in the Czech lands in the sixteenth century II. Brno : Masaryk University, 1999. ISBN 80-210-2095-4.
  • Brown, A. G. Alluvial geoarchaeology : floodplain archaeology and environmental change. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2001. ISBN 0-521-56820-X.
  • Čulíková, V. Archeobotanika v české archeologii na prahu 3. tisíciletí, Archeologické rozhledy 56/3 (2004), s. 661-671 ..
  • Demek, Jaromír. Obecná geomorfologie : Vysokošk. učebnice pro stud. přírodověd. fakult univerzit. 1. vyd. Praha : Academia, 1988.
  • Dreslerová, D. - Pokorný, P. Vývoj osídlení a struktury pravěké krajiny na středním Labi. Pokus o přímé srovnání archeologické a pyloanalytické evidence. ? Settlement and prehistoric land-use in middle Labe valley, Central Bohemia. Direct comparison of archaeological and pollen-analytical data. Archeologické rozhledy LVI, 739-762.. 2004.
  • Dreslerová, D. - Sádlo, J. Les jako součást pravěké kulturní krajiny, Archeologické rozhledy 52, 330-346.. 2000.
  • Dreslerová, D. Klima v pravěku ? mýtus a skutečnost. Několik poznámek k článku Jana Bouzka. Archeologické rozhledy LVII, 534 ? 548.. 2005.
  • Jankovská, V. Archeologie a pylová analýza - metodické poznámky Archeologické rozhledy. 49, 146-147. 1997.
  • Kuna, Martin. Nedestruktivní archeologie : teorie, metody a cíle = Non-destructive archaeology : theory, methods and goals. Praha : Academia, 2004. ISBN 80-200-1216-8.
  • Kyselý, R. Kvantifikační metody v archeozoologii. Archeologické rozhledy LVI, 279-296.. 2004.
  • Matoušek, V. Příroda, člověk a česká archeologie: obrázky z výstavy. In: In: Beneš, J. ? Brůna, V. (ed): Archeologie a krajinná ekologie. Most 1994, 75-83.. 1994.
  • Mikyška, Rudolf. Geobotanická mapa ČSSR. Praha : Academia, 1972.
  • Neustupný, Evžen. K holocénu Komořanského jezera, Památky archeologické. Památky archeologické. Praha Československá akademie věd, 1985.
  • Peške, L.. Vývoj přírodovědných disciplin v AÚ, Památka archeologické, Supplementa 1: 259-278. 1994.
  • Pokorný, P. Problémy krajinné archeologie v pylových analýzách přirozených uloženin: příspěvek k mezioborové spolupráci, ARLIII, 191-210.. 2001.
  • Světlík, I. - Dreslerová, D. - Limburský, P. - Tomášková, L. Radiouhlík v přírodě a jeho využití pro datovací účely. Archeologické rozhledy LIX.. 2007.


Study plans that include the course
Faculty Study plan (Version) Category of Branch/Specialization Recommended year of study Recommended semester