Topics in Anthropology:

ANTHROPOLOGY 4104

In this class, we will engage with concepts, methods, and techniques used in the study of archaeological temporalities and chronology building. We will examine recent trends in the literature of archaeological dating which include time perspectivism, unit issues, radiocarbon dating, Bayesian chronological modeling, geochronology, and seriation among others. There will be a particular methodological focus on analyzing radiocarbon datasets using Bayesian interpretive frameworks. Students will become familiar with best practices in radiocarbon dating (from appropriate materials, contexts, interpretation, and presentation) and will gain expertise in using specialized software to conduct Bayesian chronological modeling. Special attention will be paid to how radiocarbon data can be formally integrated with, and interpreted alongside, other archaeological datasets in the context of particular research questions and hypotheses.
Course Attributes: EN S; BU BA; AS SSC; FA SSC; AR SSC