Bioarchaeology (BA)

The lecture discuss effects of interactions between humans and their environment in context of domestication, urbanization, and industrialization.

Lecture presents relation between human individuals and their environment: how humans shaped their environment and how the environment affected humans. The topic will be discussed in context of the origin of human species, the process of domestication, the emergence of first civilizations, as well as, process of industrialization. Lecture will summarize the results of research in the field of human bioachaeology and environmental archaeology.

Bowler P.J., Evolution: The History of an Idea. University of California Press, 2009.

Katzenberg M.A., Saunders S.R., Biological Anthropology of the Human Skeleton. Wiley-Liss, 2000.

Larsen C.S., Bioarchaeology. Interpretating behaviour from the human skeleton. Cambridge University Press, 1997.

Reitz E.J., Shackley M., Environmental Archaeology, Springer, 2012.

Lewin R., Human Evolution: An Illustrated Introduction. Willey-Blackwell, 2004.

Schutkowski H., Human Ecology. Biocultural Adaptation in Human Communieties. Springer, 2006.

Zeder M.A., Domestication and early agriculture in the Mediterranean Basin: Origins, diffusion, and impact, PNAS 2008, 105 (33): 11597–11604.

Zeder M.A., Bradley D.G., Emshwiller E., Smith B.D., Documenting domestication. New genetic and archaeological paradigms. University of California Press, 2006.

Student knows basic terms and concepts in bioarchaeology (KW02).

Student has basic knowledge in analysis and interpretation of bioarchaeological sources (KW03), about the relation between bioarchaeology, archaeology and other disciplines (KW06), about the main topics discussed by bioarchaeologists and new discoveries (KW08), finally, about the human evolution and adaptation to the environment.

Student knows and understands basic methods of analysis and interpretation used by different schools within bioarchaeology (KW09).

Student understands multidisciplinary aspect of bioarchaeological research and importance of using results of other disciplines in interpretation of archaeological findings (KW07).

Student can select, analyse, and evaluate information about the bioarchaeological findings using scientific literature, internet resources (KU01), and other sources of information (KU02), and identify, and classify them (KU12). The student can interpret bioarchaeological findings and select proper analytical methods by himself (or herself) and presents the results (KU03). Student can acquire knowledge and new skills in the discipline of archaeology by himself/herself, with some assistance of the tutor (KU04). Since the lecture is conducted in English, the student can use proper English therms within the field of bioarchaeology (KU18).

Student is competent to use obtained knowledge, and is aware of the need of confronting it with opinions of experts (KK01). Student is aware of the multidisciplinary aspect of bioarchaeological sources and can interpret it critically (KK04).

Student is aware of the importance of biological remains as source of knowledge about human past (KK02), and a role their play in the reconstruction of the human history (KK03). Moreover, he or she can use the obtained knowledge and is aware of the need for analysing various source of information to reconstruct the human past (KK05).

Written exam.