Courses Outline

Instructor: Alexandros Mazarakis Ainian (University of Thessaly)

ECTS: 10

Category: Core

Brief Overview of the history of archaeological science. The history of the development of techniques and methods of surface research and archaeological excavation. Exercises in the field and in the Laboratory of Archaeology-Teaching Collection. The topics concern the procedures followed on the one hand to identify sites of the past through surface research and draw conclusions from them and on the other hand the procedures applied in the science of archaeology for the conduct of excavations and the subsequent management of both monuments and movable finds. We will refer to specific examples from the Aegean and the wider Mediterranean area of all periods. Visits will be made to “rescue” and “systematic” excavations in progress and to public and private bodies that manage the country's cultural reserve.

Assessment: 40% participation, 60% final essay.

Summative (creative, active participation in the discussion, knowledge of bibliography), oral presentation, final essay. The method of examination/evaluation, the topics of the final essays and the relevant bibliography are announced to the students during the first lecture. The final grade of the Seminar is a combination of the overall presence of each student during the semester (creative, active participation in the discussion, knowledge of literature): 40% and the grade of the final essay: 60% The teacher monitors the progress of the students throughout the semester. Students have the right to check their final essay in order to understand the reasons for its grading.

Indicative Bibliography:

• Chourmouziadis G. (1999): Λόγια από χώμα, Athens
• Etienne R. & Etienne F. (1992), The Search for Ancient Greece, London
• Johnson M. (2018): Archaeological Theory: An Introduction, Oxford 2008
• Korka E. et el. (ed.) (2007), Foreign Archaeological Schools in Greece, Athens
• Renfrew C., Bahn P. (2013): Archaeology: Theories, Methods, and Practice, London 2020
• Sakellarakis Y. (2006): Digging for the Past, Athens
• Shnapp A. (2007): The Discovery of the Past, London 1997
• Themelis P. (2018): Ανασκαφή, Athens
• Valavanis P. (2007): Great Moments in Greek Archaeology, Athens

Instructor: Giannis Lolos (University of Thessaly)

ECTS: 10

Category: Core

Brief Overview: This course looks into the techniques and methods of an archaeological excavation and the management of the excavated monuments and of the movable finds. The sessions deal with the stage before the excavation (aims, design and excavation strategy), during the excavation (excavation methods and documentation), and after the excavation (recording methodology, analysis, digital processing and presentation of the finds). The last sessions of the course concern the conservation, protection and enhancement of the excavated areas and of the movable finds.

Assessment: 50% Class participation with short presentations, 50% Essay writing.

Indicative Bibliography:

• Jane Balme & Alistair Paterson (eds.), Archaeology in Practice; A Student Guide to Archaeological Analyses, Blackwell publishing 2006.
• Philip Barker, Techniques of Archaeological Excavation, London 1993 (3rd edition)
• Evi Margaritis, Artemios Oikonomou, Efthymia Nikita and Thilo Rehren (eds), Field Sampling for Laboratory Analysis in Archaeology, The Cyprus Institute Nicosia, Cyprus 2023
• Colin Renfrew, Paul Bahn, Elizabeth DeMarais, Archaeology; Theories, Methods and Practice, London 2024 (9th edition)
• Guy D.R. Sanders, Sarah A. James, Alicia Carter Johnson, Corinth Excavations: Archaeological Manual, The Digital Press at the University of North Dakota 2017.

Instructor: George Koutsouflakis (University of Thessaly)

ECTS: 10

Category: Select

Brief Overview: Maritime, underwater, or nautical archaeology represents a burgeoning field within the realm of archaeology, a “nascent discipline”, its advancement accelerated notably subsequent to the advent and commercialization of the Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (S.C.U.B.A.), particularly from the 1960s onward. The course encompasses an array of inquiries, beginning with an analysis of fundamental definitions (maritime, underwater, nautical archaeology) and an exploration of the cognitive domains that maritime archaeology traverses, including shipwrecks, submerged settlements, port infrastructures, jettisons and isolated finds on the seafloor. Concurrently, an examination of the physiological impacts of the underwater milieu on the human organism is conducted alongside an elucidation of the fundamental principles and constraints that govern undertakings conducted on the seabed. The course further delves into the methodological frameworks, procedural protocols, as well as the essential equipment and instruments employed in underwater archaeological endeavors, whether they entail reconnaissance surveys or excavation activities. Moreover, the instructional content extends to strategies for extracting maritime archaeological data from excavation contexts, textual sources, and visual imagery, all contextualized within the broader framework of ancient shipbuilding techniques, the historical evolution of maritime construction methods, and navigation practices. Special emphasis is placed on the identification and analysis of transport amphorae, pivotal artifacts serving as primary indicators of maritime commerce in the ancient and medieval Mediterranean. Through case studies, prominent sites featuring ancient shipwrecks, submerged settlements, and port installations within the Mediterranean region are scrutinized in detail. Lastly, the course encompasses theoretical discussions pertaining to Greek and international legislation concerning the safeguarding of maritime cultural heritage, underscoring the imperative of legal frameworks for the protection and preservation of invaluable archaeological resources submerged beneath the world's seas and oceans.

Assessment: 15% Active participation in the seminar , 15% The oral presentations of the essays , 70% The final deliverable essay. The final deliverable essay results from the extensive guidance of the professor with whom the students are in constant communication (in person or online). The final corrected work is sent to the students with all corrections, comments, additions, etc.

Indicative Bibliography:

• Basch, L., Le muse imaginaire de la marine antique, Athènes 1987.
• Bass, G., A History of Seafaring based on Underwater Archaeology, Thames & Hudson. London 1972.
• Blot J.-Y., Underwater Archaeology. Exploring the World Beneath the Sea, Thames & Hudson, London 1995.
• Casson L., Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World, Princeton, New Jersey 1971.
• Casson L. The ancient mariners, Princeton, New Jersey, 1991.
• Catsabis A., Ford B., Hamilton D.L., The Oxford Handbook of Maritime Archaeology, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2011.
• Dyczek P., Roman Amphorae of the 1st – 3rd centuries A.D. found on the Lower Danube – Typology, Warsaw 2001.
• Gianfrotta P.A., “First elements for the dating of stone anchor stocks”, IJNA 6.4 (1977), 285-292.
• Grace V., Amphoras and the ancient wine trade, ASCSA, Princeton-New Jersey 1979.
• Haldane, D., “Anchors of Antiquity”, Biblical Archaeologist, March 1990, 19-24.
• Muckelroy K., Maritime Archaeology, Cambridge 1978.
• Nelson Curryer, B., Anchors, an Illustrated History, London, 1999.
• Pomey, P., Kahanov, Y., Rieth, E., “Transition from Shell to Skeleton in Ancient Mediterranean Ship-Construction: analysis, problems and future research”, IJNA 41 (2012), 235-314.
• Parker A.J., Ancient Shipwrecks of the Mediterranean and the Roman Provinces, BAR Int. Series 580, Oxford, 1992.
• Peacock D.P.S., Williams D.F., Amphorae and the Roman economy, an introductory guide, London – New York 1986.
• Steffy R. J., Wooden Ship Building and the Interpretation of Shipwrecks, Texas A&M University Press, College Station 1994.

Instructor: G. Lolos, A. Mazarakis Ainian & S. Souvatzi (University of Thessaly)

ECTS: 10

Category: Select

Brief Overview: In this seminar we shall examine the ancient Greek house and household from the early Iron Age to the late imperial period within its social, economic and political frame, based on representative examples from each chronological period. We shall emphasize the ways of approaching, processing and interpreting the archaeological remains.

Assessment: 50% Class participation (with short presentations), 50% Final paper.

Indicative Bibliography:

• Allison P. (ed.). 1999. The Archaeology of Household Activities, London.
• Ault, B. 2005b. The Houses; the Organization and Use of Domestic Space [Excavations at ancient Halieis, vol. 2], Bloomington.
• Ault, B.A., L. Nevett (επιμ.). 2005. Ancient Greek Houses and households, Philadelphia.
• Cahill, N. 2002. Household and city organization at Olynthus, New Haven.
• Cambitoglou, A., J.J. Coulton, J. Birmingham, J.R. Green. 1971. Zagora 1: Excavation of a Geometric Town on the Island of Andros. Excavation Season 1967; Study Season 1968-9, Sydney.
• Cambitoglou, A., A. Birchall, J.J. Coulton, J.R. Green. 1988. Zagora 2: Excavation of a Geometric Town on the Island of Andros. Excavation Season 1969; Study Season 1969-1970, Athens.
• Chamonard, J. 1922-24. Le quartier du théâtre. Etude sur l' habitation délienne à l'époque hellénistique [EAD VIII], Paris.
• Ducrey, P., I. Metzger, K. Reber, 1993. Le quartier de la maison aux mosaiques. Eretria: fouilles et recherches VIII, Lausanne.
• Glowacki, K, N. Vogeikoff-Brogan (επιμ.). 2011. ΣΤΕΓΑ: The archaeology of houses and households in ancient Crete [Hesperia supplement 44], Princeton.
• Haagsma, M. 2010. Domestic Economy and Social Organization in New Halos, Ph.D. Groningen.
• Hoepfner, W. 2005. Ιστορία της κατοικίας, 5000 π.Χ. – 500 μ.Χ., Θεσσαλονίκη.
• Ladstätter, S., V. Scheibelreiter (επιμ.). 2010. Städtlisches Wohnen im östlichen Mittelmeerraum 4 Jh. v. Chr. - 1 Jh. n. Chr., Wien.
• Nevett, L. 1999. House and Society in the Ancient Greek World, Cambridge.
• Nevett. L. 2010. Domestic Space in Classical Antiquity, Cambridge
• Reinders, H.R., W. Prummel (επιμ.). 2003. Housing in New Halos; A Hellenistic Town in Thessaly, Greece. Balkema publishers
• Westgate, R., N. Fisher, J. Whitley (ed.). 2007. Building Communities: House, Settlement and Society in the Aegean and Beyond [BSA 15].

Instructors: Yiannis Lolos (University of Thessaly) / Konstantinos Sbonias (Ionian University)

ECTS: 10

Category: Core

Brief Overview: Systematic archaeological field surveys began in Greece in the mid-1970s and have multiplied in recent decades. Their main goal is the reconstruction of the landscape history of the respective regions on a diachronic basis, mainly through the examination of surface material remains. The seminar course examines the methods, techniques, and theoretical approaches related to systematic surface archaeological field surveys in Greece and the broader Mediterranean region. Landscape projects, recording techniques and methods, as well as examples of interpreting past landscapes, are presented through examples from various periods of prehistory and Greco-Roman antiquity. Specifically, in this seminar, we will follow the entire process, from the initial selection of areas and research design, to the methods applied in the field, the processing of materials, and the interpretation of data, through specific examples. In the end, we will attempt to compare the archaeological histories of different regions as revealed by their surface surveys and to assess the overall advantages and limitations of surface research. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are important tools for mapping, processing, and visualizing spatial data, and within the framework of the seminar, participants will have the opportunity to become acquainted with one of the recent ESRI software packages. We will also examine various subsurface detection techniques using geophysical methods, which are often necessary for verifying and complementing the data from surface surveys.

Assessment: 10% Participation to the Seminar, 30% Oral presentation, 60% Final written essay

Indicative Bibliography:

• Alcock, S. 1993. Graecia Capta. The landscapes of Roman Greece, Cambridge.
• Alcock, S. E. 2022. Archaeologies of the Greek past: Landscapes, monuments and memories. Cambridge, CUP.
• Alcock S. E. & J. F. Cherry. 2004. Side-by-side survey: Comparative regional studies in the Mediterranean region, Oxford, Oxford Books.
Barker G. – D. Mattingly (eds) 2000. The Archaeology of the Mediterranean Landscapes, 4 vol, Oxford.
• Bintliff, J. 2012. The Complete Archaeology of Greece. From Hunter-Gatherers to the 20th Century A.D. Wiley-Blackwell.
• Cavanagh, W. et al. 2002. Continuity and Change in a Greek rural landscape: The Laconia Survey, Athens.
• Cherry, J.F., J.L.Davis, E. Mantzourani. 1991. Landscape Archaeology as long-term history. northern Keos in the Cycladic Islands from earliest settlement until modern times. Los Angeles
• Halstead, P. - Ch. Frederick (eds) 2000. Landscape and Land Use in Postglacial Greece.
• Sheffield Studies in Aegean Archaeology 3. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press. J
• ameson Μ.Η. et al. 1994. A Greek Countryside. The Southern Argolid from Prehistory to the Present Day, Stanford.
• Johnson, P. and M. Millett (eds.). 2013. Archaeological Survey and the City, Oxford.
• Knapp, A.B. (ed.). 1992. Archaeology, Annales, and Ethnohistory, Cambridge.
• Wagstaff J. M. (ed) 1987. Landscape and Culture. Geographical and Archaeological Perspectives. Oxford 1987, Basil Blackwell.

Instructor:To be announced (University of Thessaly) / Ioannis Kalliontzis (Ionian University)

ECTS: 10

Category: Select

Brief Overview: The course focuses on the introduction to specialized issues of Epigraphy, which are examined through two thematic axes: the first relates to thematic units of Epigraphy and the second to specific bodies of texts. The first category includes thematic sections such as literature (literary texts, epitaphs, the relationship between inscriptions and literary texts), legislation (legal texts, resolutions), religion (magical texts, curses, Orphic plates), the economy and the organization of of ancient Greek cities, the war, the sports competitions, the materiality of the inscriptions (materiality, palaeographic features, alphabets). The second category includes the examination of issues concerning a set of inscriptions, whether they concern their chronological classification (archaic, classical, Hellenistic, Roman) and their local origin or their bearer (vase, bronze plaques, etc.) or they concern specific thematic content or specific typology (legal texts, epigrams, magical texts).

Assessment: 10% Participation to the Seminar, 10% Laboratory work, 20% Oral presentation, 60% Final essay writing

Indicative Bibliography:

• BARR-SHARRAR, Beryl. The Derveni krater: Masterpiece of Classical Greek Metalwork. ASCSA, 2008.
• BERNABÉ, Alberto (ed.). Poetae epici Graeci: Testimonia et Fragmenta. Pars II. Orphicorum et Orphicis similium testimonia et fragmenta. Munich and Leipzig, 2004.
• BOYES, Philip J.; STEELE, Philippa M. Understanding relations between scripts II: Early alphabets. Oxbow books, 2019.
• COLLINS, Derek. The magic of Homeric verses. Classical Philology 103, 2008: 211-236.
• DAY, Joseph W. Archaic Greek epigram and dedication: Representation and reperformance. Cambridge University Press, 2010.
• DELL'ORO, Francesca. Après l’inscription de la coupe de Nestor: disposition du texte et formes de transtextualité dans les épigrammes de l’époque archaïque en Grande Grèce et Sicile. Gaia: Revue Interdisciplinaire sur la Grèce Archaïque 16, 2013: 307-332.
• EDMONDS, Radcliffe G. “When I Walked the Dark Road of Hades”: Orphic Katábasis and the Katábasis of Orpheus. Les Études Classiques 83, 2015: 261-79.
• FARAONE, Christopher A. & TOVAR, Sofía Torallas (eds). Curses in Context: Curse Tablets in the Wider Realms of Execrations, Commerce, Law, and Technology. Cambridge University Press for the Classical Association, 2022.
• GONZÁLEZ, Marta González. Funerary epigrams of ancient Greece: Reflections on literature, society and religion. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2019.
• HORKY, Phillip Sidney. The Imprint of the Soul: Psychosomatic Affection in Plato, Gorgias and the" Orphic" Gold Tablets. Mouseion: Journal of the Classical Association of Canada 3, 2006: 371-386.
• LANGDON, Merle K. The Dipylon Oinochoe Again. American Journal of Archaeology 79, 1975: 139-140.
• LYNCH, Kathleen M. The Symposium in Context: pottery from a Late Archaic house near the Athenian Agora. Hesperia Supplements 46. American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 2011.
• OSBORNE, Robin & PAPPAS, Alexandra. Writing on Archaic Greek Pottery. In: Z. Newby & R. Leader-Newby (eds), Art and Inscriptions in the Ancient World, Cambridge University Press: 2007.
• PAVEL, Catalin. Art and the Alphabet in the Times of the Dipylon Master. GAIA. Revue interdisciplinaire sur la Grèce ancienne 19, 2016: 25-56.
• SHAPIRO, Alan. Kalos-inscriptions with Patronymic. Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 68, 1987: 107-118.
• WAAL, Willemijn. Mother or Sister? Rethinking the Origins of the Greek Alphabet and Its Relation to the Other ‘Western’ Alphabets. In: BOYES, Philip J. & STEELE, Philippa M. Understanding relations between scripts II: Early alphabets. Oxbow books, 2020: 109-24.

Instructor: To be announced (University of Thessaly) / Andreas Kapetanios & Georgia Kordatzaki (Ionian University)

ECTS: 10

Category: Select

Brief Overview: The basic concepts and principles of Ethnoarchaeology are defined in the context of the origins and the evolution of this ‘subdiscipline’ of Archaeology. The shaping of its relationship with the methods and the theoretical framework of Ethnography / Social Anthropology, Archeology is described. It is explained how the disciplinary toolkit of History, becoming an integral part of this inter-disciplinary field, contributes in avoiding the pitfalls of circularity and anachronism. Certain examples from Greece, the Balkans, the Mediterranean, South America, and the Pacific are employed to substantiate each topic touched upon in the lectures and practicals. The case-studies construct a narrative through qualitative data, applying methods of archeology (material remnants, landscape palimpsest), historiographical research (epigraphic and archival sources, legal documents etc.) and social anthropology (ethnographic fieldwork involving participant observation, structured interviews and focus group discussions to record oral testimony). As categorical example, we examine comparatively the way in which people organise their societies, moving in space and shaping it by built structures (residential and/or productive clusters) and material symbols (works of art - landmarks). Conversely, we look into the ways in which physical elements affect social organisation, via production-practices and ideology systems (such as land-use/ownership, mental maps and reciprocity). By overviewing how societies perceive this relationship, we examine how the findings of such a comparative approach could be employed to interpret the material remains of ancient societies (artefacts: implements, utensils, artworks and built structures, and of course landscape organisation) and to link them to the corresponding social structures. The problems of such a methodology are highlighted and ways to resolving them are suggested. On the other hand, it is described how Ethnoarchaeology’s comparative and diachronic perspective allows for developing a critique of stereotypical interpretations of the past.

Assessment: 15% Evaluation results from the creative participation in the critical discussion during the lectures, 20% in the training in the field and in the laboratory , 55% final essay, and 10% its oral presentation.

Indicative Bibliography:

• Arthur, J. W., & Weedman, K. J. (2005). Ethnoarchaeology. In Handbook of Archaeological Methods: Vol. I (pp. 217–269).
• Beck, M. (2015). Ethnoarchaeology. In International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (Second Edition) (pp. 162–165).
• Charlton, Thomas H. “Archaeology, Ethnohistory, and Ethnology: Interpretive Interfaces.” Advances in Archaeological Method and Theory, vol. 4, 1981, pp. 129–76.
• Gosselain, O. P. (2016). To hell with ethnoarchaeology. Archaeological Dialogues, 23(2), 215–228
• Dornan, J. L. (2002). Agency and Archaeology: Past, Present, and Future Directions. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, 9(4), 303–329.
• Engels, F. [1884] (1942). The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State: In the Light of the Researches of Lews H. Morgan. International Publishers (Vol. 20).
• Fabian, J. (1983) Time and the Other, New York: Columbia University Press.
• González-Urquijo, J., Beyries, S., & Ibáñez, J. J. (2015). Ethnoarchaeology and Functional Analysis. In Use-wear and residue analysis in archaeology (pp. 27–40).
• Hodder, I. The Present Past: An Introduction to Anthropology for Archaeologists. Batsford studies in archaeology. Batsford, 1982.
• Hamilakis, Yannis. “Archaeological Ethnography: A Multitemporal Meeting Ground for Archaeology and Anthropology.” Annual Review of Anthropology, vol. 40, 2011, pp. 399–414.
• Ingold, T., (2000) The perception of the environment. Essays in livelihood, dwelling and skill, London/New York
• Johnsen, H., & Olsen, B. (1992). Hermeneutics and Archaeology: On the Philosophy of Contextual Archaeology. American Antiquity, 57(3), 419–436
• Lane, P. J. (2016). Ethnoarchaeology: A conceptual and practical bridging of the intangible and tangible cultural heritage divide. In The Intangible Elements of Culture in Ethnoarchaeological Research (pp. 77–91).
• Lancelotti, C., Pecci, A., & Zurro, D. (2017). Anthropic Activity Markers: Archaeology and Ethnoarchaeology. Environmental Archaeology, 22(4), 339–342.
• Kramer, C. (1979). Ethnoarchaeology. Implications of Ethnography for Archaeology. In Man (Vol. 14, Issue 4). https://doi.org/10.2307/2802162
• Mauss, M. (1966). The Gift: Forms and Functions of Exchange in Arachaic Societies, London: Cohen & West
• Polanyi, K.[1944] (2006). The great transformation. Boston: Beacon Press.
• Politis, G. G. (2015). Reflections on contemporary ethnoarchaeology. Pyrenae, 46(1), 41–83
• Renfrew, C., & Bahn, P. G. (2007). Archaeology essentials: Theories, methods, and practice. Thames & Hudson.
• Sahlins, M. [1972] (2004). Stone Age Economics, London: Routledge.
• Shahack-Gross, R. (2017). Archaeological formation theory and geoarchaeology: State-of-the-art in 2016. Journal of Archaeological Science, 79(March), 36–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2017.01.004
• Stahl, A. B. (1995). Has ethnoarchaeology come of age? In Antiquity (Vol. 69, Issue 263, pp. 404–407).
• Stanislawski, M. B. (1978). Pots, patterns and potsherds: ethnoarchaeology of Hopi and Hopi-Tewa pottery making and settlement. Discovery, 15, 15–25.
• Trigger, Bruce G. “Archaeology and Epistemology: Dialoguing across the Darwinian Chasm.” American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 102, no. 1, 1998, pp. 1–34.
• Tilley, Christopher, and Kate Cameron-Daum. “The Anthropology of Landscape: Materiality, Embodiment, Contestation and Emotion.” Anthropology of Landscape: The Extraordinary in the Ordinary, UCL Press, 2017, pp. 1–22.
• Watson, P. J. (1980). The Theory and Practice of Ethnoarcheology with special reference to the Near East. Paléorient, 6(1), 55–64

Instructor: To be announced (University of Thessaly) / Stathis Paulopoulos (Ionian University)

ECTS: 10

Category: Select

Brief Overview:The subject of the course involves the comprehensive discussion of concepts, thematics and methodologies within the epistemic field of Digital Humanities, as well as the theoretical and applied processing of ontologies, entities, and data management tools in Archaeological and Historical studies. Digital methods for research are overviewed: from digitisation and digital archives management, to documentation, metadata, and annotation, to the logical construction of databases and geospatial data, participants learn about digital tools and methodologies for organizing, managing, and visualizing research data. The divergence of the relevant methodologies as regards textual or material raw data is highlighted. Highlighting the discontinuities /changes and continuities in research-work within digital environments allows for the comprehension of epistemological repercussions of the digital era in humanities and the identification of pitfalls and potential remedies.

Assessment: 15% Evaluation results from the creative participation in the critical discussion during the lectures, 20% in the training in the field and in the laboratory , 55% final essay, and 10% its oral presentation.

Indicative Bibliography:

• Antonjevic S., (2015). Amongst Digital Humanists. An Ethnographic Study of Digital Knowledge Production, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan
• Bell, D. (2005). The bookless future: What the Internet is doing to Scholarship?», New Republic, 199-219.
• Benardou, A., Champion E., Dallas, C., Hughes, L. (Eds.). (2018). Cultural Heritage Infrastructures in Digital Humanities, Abingdon-Oxon and New York: Routledge.
• Chassanoff, A., Post, C. OSSArcFlow: Guide to documenting Born-Digital Archival Workflows, Educopia Institute.
• Crane, G., (1996). Building a digital library: The Perseus Project as a case study in the humanities. In Proceedings of the first ACM international conference on Digital libraries, 3-10.
• Darley, R., Reynolds, D., Wickham, C., (2014). Open Access Journals in Humanities and Social Science, London: British Academy. https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/publications/open-access-journals-humanities-and-social-science/ .
• Mahoney, A. (2000). Explicit and implicit searching in the Perseus digital library, Perseus Project, Tufts University, 1-6.
• Miller, A. (2018). Text Mining Digital Humanities Projects: Assessing Analysis Capabilities of Voyant Tools, Journal of Web Librarianship, 12 (3), 169-197.
• Mimno, D. (2012). Computational historiography: Data mining in a century of classics journals, Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage, 5 (1), 1–19. https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2160165.2160168
• Nigel, V., Chris, W. (Eds.). (2013). Debating Open Access, London: British Academy. https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/documents/1901/Debating-Open-Access-Introduction.pdf
• Orlowitz, J., Early, P., (2014/01/25). Librarypedia: The Future of Libraries and Wikipedia, The Digital Shift. http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2014/01/discovery/librarypedia-future-libraries-wikipedia/
• Pearce-Moses, R. (2005). A Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology, Chicago: Society of American Archivists.
• Peter, M. (2014). Open access: a perspective from the humanities, Insights, 27 (2), 166-170. http://doi.org/10.1629/2048-7754.89.

Instructor: Emeri Farinetti (Roma Tre University)

ECTS: 10

Category: Core

Brief Overview: Systematic archaeological field surveys began in Greece in the mid-1970s and have multiplied in recent decades. Their main goal is the reconstruction of the landscape history of the respective regions on a diachronic basis, mainly through the examination of surface material remains. The seminar course examines the methods, techniques, and theoretical approaches related to systematic surface archaeological field surveys in Greece and the broader Mediterranean region. Landscape projects, recording techniques and methods, as well as examples of interpreting past landscapes, are presented through examples from various periods of prehistory and Greco-Roman antiquity. Specifically, in this seminar, we will follow the entire process, from the initial selection of areas and research design, to the methods applied in the field, the processing of materials, and the interpretation of data, through specific examples. In the end, we will attempt to compare the archaeological histories of different regions as revealed by their surface surveys and to assess the overall advantages and limitations of surface research. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are important tools for mapping, processing, and visualizing spatial data, and within the framework of the seminar, participants will have the opportunity to become acquainted with one of the recent ESRI software packages. We will also examine various subsurface detection techniques using geophysical methods, which are often necessary for verifying and complementing the data from surface surveys.

Assessment: 10% Participation to the Seminar, 30% Oral presentation, 60% Final written essay.

Indicative Bibliography:

• Alcock, S. 1993. Graecia Capta. The landscapes of Roman Greece, Cambridge.
• Alcock, S. E. 2022. Archaeologies of the Greek past: Landscapes, monuments and memories. Cambridge, CUP.
• Alcock S. E. & J. F. Cherry. 2004. Side-by-side survey: Comparative regional studies in the Mediterranean region, Oxford, Oxford Books.
• Barker G. – D. Mattingly (eds) 2000. The Archaeology of the Mediterranean Landscapes, 4 vol, Oxford.
• Bintliff, J. 2012. The Complete Archaeology of Greece. From Hunter-Gatherers to the 20th Century A.D. Wiley-Blackwell.
• Cavanagh, W. et al. 2002. Continuity and Change in a Greek rural landscape: The Laconia Survey, Athens.
• Cherry, J.F., J.L.Davis, E. Mantzourani. 1991. Landscape Archaeology as long-term history. northern Keos in the Cycladic Islands from earliest settlement until modern times. Los Angeles
• Halstead, P. - Ch. Frederick (eds) 2000. Landscape and Land Use in Postglacial Greece.
• Sheffield Studies in Aegean Archaeology 3. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press.
• Jameson Μ.Η. et al. 1994. A Greek Countryside. The Southern Argolid from Prehistory to the Present Day, Stanford.
• Johnson, P. and M. Millett (eds.). 2013. Archaeological Survey and the City, Oxford.
• Knapp, A.B. (ed.). 1992. Archaeology, Annales, and Ethnohistory, Cambridge.
• Wagstaff J. M. (ed) 1987. Landscape and Culture. Geographical and Archaeological Perspectives. Oxford 1987, Basil Blackwell.

Instructor: Emanuele Bellini (Roma Tre University)

ECTS: 10

Category: Select

Brief Overview: The course aims to acquire an in-depth awareness of the issues relating to the management of digital cultural assets and to acquire the skills necessary to understand and guide humanistic IT projects which include the igitization, cataloguing, conservation, protection, enrichment, access and reuse of cultural assets. Digital. In particular, we will focus on aspects of management, security and reliability of records typical of digital archives and libraries, but also of the semantic web. The student will learn about enabling technologies such as internet architecture, databases, web servers, metadata standards, file formats, XML, persistent identifiers, etc. The course involves the acquisition of design skills (E-R), implementation and querying of CRUD operations on SQL databases (PostgreSQL/Mysql). HTML/CSS, Python programming and use of the DJANGO framework for the development of dynamic web applications will be developed. Finally, aspects of semantic web, ontologies and the wikidata tool will be introduced. The technologies will then be used to implement a humanities computing project chosen by the student.

Assessment:Individual Assignments.

Indicative Bibliography:

• Darley, R., Reynolds, D., Wickham, C., (2014). Open Access Journals in Humanities and Social Science, London: British Academy. https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/publications/open-access-journals-humanities-and-social-science/
• Foster, E.C. & S.V. Godbole (2014). Database systems (1st ed.). Boca Raton: Apress.
• Mimno, D. (2012). Computational historiography: Data mining in a century of classics journals, Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage, 5 (1), 1–19. https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2160165.2160168

Instructor: Rosana Valente (Roma Tre University)

ECTS: 10

Category: Select

Brief Overview: Material culture refers to the physical objects, artifacts, and structures created, used, or modified by humans, which provide insight into their beliefs, practices, and ways of life. The study of material culture is one of the starting points for reconstructing the complex dimensions of past societies, in conjunction with other systems of historical and archaeological sources, aiming to understand the behavior and choices of ancient humans as discerned through the analysis of produced artifacts (typology, chronology, distribution, diffusion). Archaeometric analysis of artifacts (pottery, ceramic objects, tools, and ornaments) also sheds light on human-environment relationships through investigations into the origins of raw materials (clay, stone, metal, bone). In addition to the contribution these studies offer to identifying cultural connections, chrono-typological classifications and the interpretation of similarities or differences in the distribution of artifacts in space and time shed light on social and economic organization, trade relations, production and circulation of goods, exchanges and cultural interrelations, as well as ideologies and symbolic expressions.

Assessment: 10% Participation on lectures, 40% Oral presentation, 40% Final essay writing, 10% Discussion on the essay.

Indicative Bibliography:

• Renfrew, C. and Paul Bahn, 2012, Archaeology: Theories, Methods, and Practice, London. 
• Skibo, James M. and Michael Brian Schiffer. 2008. People and Things: A Behavioral Approach to Material Culture.
• Schiffer, M. B. 2002, Behavioral Archaeology, New York.
• Cuomo di Caprio, N. 2017, Ceramics in Archaeology. From Prehistoric to Medieval times in Europe and the Mediterranean: Ancient Craftsmanship and Modern Laboratory Techniques, Rome.

Instructor: Emeri Farinetti (Roma Tre University)

ECTS: 10

Category: Select

Brief Overview:The course, comprehensive of lectures and lab activities, aims to get the students acquainted with the most significant good practices in landscape and digital archaeology, and with the theoretical approaches behind them. Major field techniques for collecting, positioning and processing archaeological data will be presented and discussed, including: GPS/GNSS positioning, total station survey, GIS mobile, drone flights and photogrammetry (terrestrial and UAV), geophysical prospections, A.I. applications, 3D modelling. An array of GIS landscape analyses (spatial analyses, DEM creation, cost-surface, least coast-path, multi-criteria analyses, network analysis) will be presented and discussed, with special focus on reflexive research environments, on the correct use of legacy data and the management of metadata. The topics of open science and data sharing and reused will also be addressed. Lectures and lab activities will be supported by experts from scientific institutions and local authorities (regional parks, national geological service, professionals, architects, geomorphologists, landscape planners).

Assessment: 50% Essay, 40% Public presentation and discussion of results, 10% Partecipation to the seminar.

Indicative Bibliography:

• Attema et al. ‘Good Practice to Survey’, in JGA 2020
• Alcock S. E. & J. F. Cherry. 2004. Side-by-side survey: Comparative regional studies in the Mediterranean region, Oxford, Oxford Books.
• Bintliff, J. L., E. Farinetti, B. Slapsak and A. Snodgrass (2017). Boeotia Project, Volume II: The City of Thespiai. Survey at a Complex Urban Site. Cambridge, McDonald Institute Monographs, University of Cambridge.
• Mark Gillings, Piraye Hacıgüzeller, Gary Lock (eds.) 2020. Archaeological Spatial Analysis. A Methodological Guide. Routledge.
• Proceedings of Aerial Archaeology Reserach Group (AARG) conference and Computer Applications in Archaeology (CAA) conference

Archaeology of the Sacred (FA 1133) - 10 ECTS - Select Field - 20 ECTS

Landscape and digital archaeology: Field Lab (FA 1131) - 10 ECTS - Select Field - 20 ECTS

Maritime Archaeology 2: Practice (FA 1134) - 10 ECTS - Select Field - 20 ECTS

Archaeological Materials: Field Lab(FA 1132) - 10 ECTS - Select Field - 20 ECTS

Archaeological Materials: Field Lab(FA 1132) - 10 ECTS - Select Field - 20 ECTS

To be announced

Field

Dissertation Guidelines

Students must complete a research dissertation in their final semester. Completing an MA dissertation (M.D.) is a mandatory component of the program, designed to assess a postgraduate student's ability to produce a substantial and original academic work.

During the third semester, all students undertake a supervised research project, resulting in an M.D. of 15,000–20,000 words. They also have the option to complete this semester at one of the three collaborating institutions in the Joint Master’s Degree (J.M.D.) program:

• Department of History, Archaeology, and Social Anthropology, University of Thessaly
• Department of History, Ionian University
• Department of Humanities, Roma Tre University

The M.D. dissertation is written in English.

For more details click here.