Subsections
[Cr:4, Lc:1, Tt:1, Lb:3]
This course is designed for interested students who require the learning of applied field methods in palaeoanthropology and its sub-disciplines such as archaeology, geology and palaeontology, among others. Additional sub-disciplines that may be included, depending on the nature of the instructors’ project(s), are experimental archaeology, rock art studies, taphonomy, palaeontology, actualistic studies and/or required methods from Quaternary studies and other scientific disciplines. There will be no traditional classroom lectures, and knowledge will be gained primarily through demonstrations, lectures and hands-on participation in the field. While the fieldwork will take place off campus, associated tasks may also include laboratory analyses at IISER Mohali and other suitable scientific labs across India through collaborative links.
- Archaeology thrust: It will be primarily on prehistoric sites although work on younger evidence (protohistoric and Historical) may also be carried out. The work will generally involve multidisciplinary surveys, documentation and excavations of archaeological and/or geological trenches and sampling of scientific specimens in both surface and excavated contexts. In addition to artifact assemblages, students may also study stationary evidence such as archaeological features, structures, rock art and so forth.
- Geology thrust: It may include stratigraphic section logs, geological descriptions and sampling for various scientific analyses (e.g. sedimentology, palynology, geochronology etc.). Related work may include field-based analyses of scientific specimens and samples and field surveys for Quaternary contexts. This work can also include taphonomic observations, field experiments and study of palaeontological assemblages.
- Ethnoarchaeology thrust: It may involve a diverse range of methods including documenting and studying indigenous/regional communities (e.g. hunter-gatherers, pastoralists, farmers, etc.) and their material cultures and space (both in active use and/or abandoned) and associated behaviours from anthropological and archaeological perspectives. This will be done through observations, documentation, analyses, interviews and collections of select material remains.
- Experimental archaeology: It will entail planned and systematic replication and utilization of ancient technologies, features or behaviors in controlled contexts to compare with or hypothesize about the archaeological evidence.
- Journal examples: J. of Palaeolithic Archaeology, J. of Archaeological Science, J. of Human Evolution, J. of Archaeological Method and Theory, J. of World Prehistory, J. of Anthropological Archaeology, J. of Archaeological Research, Antiquity, Archaeometry, PaleoAnthropology, Quaternary International and World Archaeology
among others. Such reading may also be supplemented with specific book chapters from edited and authored volumes, depending on the nature of the ongoing project.
