What is Archaeology?
Archaeology is the study of the human past, using the things that people leave behind. We explore the entire time period of human history, from the earliest evolution of our species, through to the invention of agriculture and the emergence of the ancient civilisations, right up until the recent past. Archaeologists investigate the human species by exploring the development of our shared biology and how the cultural diversity we see today has developed over time.
Who should consider this project?
Students who are interested in finding out how we uncover the stories of the past and learning about how humans and our cultures and societies came into being. Students who are undertaking Level 3 Biology in Human Evolution may be particularly interested in this elective.
Elective in January
Learning with Lithics
Stone tools are one of the most common artefact types found globally. Beginning as early as 3.3 million years ago, the ability to make stone tools shows that our ancestors had to be able to understand the basic principles of geology, geometry and physics.
Come and walk in the footsteps of your ancestors and learn more about this earliest of sciences through making and using stone tools yourself. We will also discuss how we apply modern scientific techniques to learn more about the stone tools we find in the archaeological record and how we can use them to reconstruct stories and behaviours of past peoples.
Elective in July
Focus on Fauna
Archaeozoologists study the remains of animals from archaeological sites to understand the part they played in the human past. As predators, competitors, prey and companions, animals have helped to shape human behaviour and culture, and people have also had profound influences on many animal species.
In New Zealand, many animal remains are found in archaeological sites known as 'middens'. We will examine a midden assemblage and learn about the techniques that archaeologists use to study animals in the past, from standard analyses of bones to new biomolecular techniques such as ancient DNA.