Archaeology of Hunting and Gathering Societies

Pre-requisites: To have an attended the course “Early Prehistory of Europe”

Course objectives: To introduce students to theoretical and methodological principles for studying archaeological material, that sheds light on the hunting and gathering societies.

Course description: The course is a continuation of the course “Settlement and Economy in the Paleolithic and Mesolithic” (elective course in the basic academic studies). The uniqueness of hunting and gathering societies lies in their culture, economy and society, also in the influence of environment on the way of life and cultural development, especially when dealing with the earliest prehistoric periods. During lectures and seminars special attention will be given to theoretical and methodological assumptions regarding: a.) the reconstruction of the paleoecological and paleogeographical characteristics of the research area, b.) observation of hunter gatherer society’s activities on a regional level, c.) determining the different levels of cultural integration.

Learning Outcomes: Essay and oral examination

Literature/Reading:

• L. Binford 1983 In Pursuit of the Past – Decoding the archaeological record, Thames and Hudson, New York 1983. (Poglavlja 6 i 7, str. 109-143, 144-192)
• 11. L. Binford 2001, Constructing Frames of Reference, University of California Press, Berkeley
• C. S. Gamble, W. A. Boismier (eds.) 1991. Etnoarchaeological Approach to Mobile Campsites, International Monographs in Prehistory, Etnoarchaeological Series 1, Ann Arbor – Michigan
• T. D. Price, J. A. Brown (eds.) 1985, Prehistoric Hunter-Gatherers – The Emergence of Cultural Complexity, Academic Press, Orlando
• A. Barnard (ed.) 2004, Hunter-Gatherers in History Archaeology and Athropology, Berg, Oxford-New York