060062 SE Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Mortuary Behaviours, Bodies and Burials (2022W)

The course is planned as an attendance course (face-to-face). In the event of Covid19-based distance regulations that would restrict the capacity of the room below the number of inscribed students, the course will be offered as a hybrid or digital only course. In the event of another lock-down or similar measure, the course will be switched to digital teaching only.

Aims, Contents and method of the course:
In this seminar we will explore Palaeolithic and Mesolithic mortuary behaviour and how hominins dealt with dead bodies. We will explore the deep history of hominin interaction with the dead and explore questions like: When did hominins start to interact with their dead and their bodies? Are mortuary behaviours restricted to humans? Are they restricted to hominins? When the hominin lineage did the long-term development of human mortuary behaviours start? When did hominins start to bury their dead? Are all mortuary activities symbolic? What is a burial? How can we distinguish intentional burials from bodies buried in natural sediment traps? To answer these questions, we will discuss case-studies ranging from extant primates to early hominins, early Homo, Middle Pleistocene Homo, early Homo sapiens, Neanderthals and Upper Palaeolithic as well as Mesolithic Homo sapiens.

Students will research the archaeological and - at a more general level - palaeoanthropological evidence from these case studies and apply them to concepts discussed in our introductory sessions. Each student will present on a case study, discuss with the group, and write up their case study.

Students will learn to critically read, synthesise, and present a chosen case study. Hence, they will be expected to acquire a good knowledge of the topic. This includes a sound understanding of concepts and theoretical frameworks, as well as archaeological evidence. In addition, they will learn about some of the more important Palaeolithic and Mesolithic sites in various parts of the world.

Students will be expected to:
* Select a topic/case study from a list provided.
* Perform their own bibliographic search based on a reading list.
* Critically read and summarise general as well as specialised texts as well as present and discuss these texts.
* Perform independent research on the selected topic/case study.
* Present their analysis/findings in a presentation.
* Give and receive feedback on their presentation.
* Learn producing and presenting scientific research, including presentation styles.
* Write up their case study analysis as a final paper (due: 26 January 2023).

Methods include lecturing, reading, group discussions, presentations, and written papers.

On the successful completion of this seminar students should be able to produce high quality written work that demonstrates an informed and critical understanding of Palaeolithic and Mesolithic mortuary behaviours and the concepts and methods used to analyse them. They will have presented on a case study, discussed their findings with other students, and produced written work displaying their critical abilities in assessing theories and syntheses as well as integrating archaeological evidence in their argumentation.