An introduction to cognitive archaeology 2800-AKCOGAR
“The complex actions and interactions of brains, bodies and worlds are
what make us human and historical” (Gosden 2008: 2010).
Cognitive archaeology is the study of past ways of thinking through the material remains that
have been excavated - not what people thought, but rather how they thought, and what they
did with those thoughts.
This introductory course will provide an overview of the current state of the discipline, the
history of its development, and some key theoretical structures; using selected readings for
group discussion, we will consider the early questions raised by Hawke’s ladder of inference
through to the current debate about the role of material agency within 4E cognition.
This will lead into a series of discussions around looser themes, including community
formation, the development of ritual beliefs and symbolic systems, literacy and numeracy, and
play, enabling us to apply these methodologies to specific instances of material culture (drawn
mainly from the Bronze Age Aegean and Ancient Near East) to unpick the cognitive
processes or developments that might be driving the creation of these objects or practices.
Type of course
Mode
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Learning outcomes
K_W07: understands the relationship between the achievements of a selected field of science
and the prospects of their use in archaeology
K_W09: knows and understands the basic methods of analysis and interpretation of various
cultural artefacts appropriate for indicated traditions, theories and research schools in the field
of archaeology, with particular emphasis on the achievements of Mediterranean archaeology
K_U01: can search, analyse, evaluate, select and use information about archaeological
sources and their context using literature and digital media in English
K_U17: can prepare oral presentations in English on specific issues in the field of
archaeology, also with the use of information and communication technologies
K_K03: able to appreciate the unique value of archaeological sources and their role in
recreating the human past, with particular emphasis on the history of the Mediterranean area
K_K04: able to critically evaluate the interpretation of archaeological and historical sources,
with an awareness of the multifaceted nature of the interpretation
K_K05: able to use the knowledge concerning the complex nature of culture and its
complexity, aware of the need to analyse various categories of sources to reconstruct the
human past
Assessment criteria
Participants are expected to compete the weekly reading assignments, and to take an active
part in discussions during the course.
Each participant will give one 20 minute oral presentation on an agreed topic, which will be
assessed.
Bibliography
Gosden, C. 2008. ‘Social ontologies’. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of
London B 363: 2003–2010.
Henley, T.B. Rossano, M.J. and Kardas, E.P. (eds.). 2020. The Routledge Handbook of
Cognitive Archaeology. Abingdon and New York: Routledge.
Malafouris, L. 2004. ‘The cognitive basis of material engagement: Where brain, body and
culture conflate’. In, DeMarrais, E. Gosden, C. and Renfrew, C. (eds.), Rethinking
materiality: The engagement of mind with the material world. Cambridge: McDonald Institute
for Archaeological Research: 53–62.
Wynn, T. Overmann, K. and Coolidge, F. (Eds.). 2024. The Oxford Handbook of Cognitive
Archaeology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Additional information
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