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AY5506: ANCIENT HEALTH AND DISEASE (2020-2021)

Last modified: 05 Aug 2021 13:04


Course Overview

This course provides students with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills needed in order to identify, and interpret, palaeopathological changes observed in archaeological human remains.  You will also gain an understanding of how such changes could have affected people in the past, and how, using a bioarchaeological approach, this data may inform the archaeological narrative.

Course Details

Study Type Postgraduate Level 5
Session Second Sub Session Credit Points 30 credits (15 ECTS credits)
Campus Aberdeen Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Dr Rebecca Crozier

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

None.

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

In seeking to understand past life-ways, human skeletons form one of our most important archaeological finds. The study of human remains can provide detailed evidence for past population structure, human health, past cultural practices and worldviews and beliefs as well as the lived experiences of individuals.  Building on the human osteology module, this course aims to provide students with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills needed in order to identify, and interpret, palaeopathological changes observed in archaeological human remains. You will also gain an understanding of how such changes could have affected people in the past, and how, using a bioarchaeological approach, this data may inform the archaeological narrative.

 

Paleopathology, or the study of disease in the past, is an exciting and dynamic multidisciplinary field of study.  Therefore, in addition to learning essential basic skills in the identification and interpretation of pathological lesions, this course will also provide students with an overview of more advanced techniques, such as aDNA. Since the successful study of skeletal remains requires a hands-on approach, this course incorporates a strong practical component, with two thirds of contact time spent in the skeletal laboratory in the Marischal Museum. The museum holds extensive archaeological human skeletal collections from a range of regions and periods, including a large collection from the major medieval towns of eastern Scotland. These collections will be part of teaching and student projects.  Each student project will involve working with an archaeological skeleton and identifying, interpreting and presenting the paleopathology of that individual.


Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 31 August 2023 for 1st half-session courses and 22 December 2023 for 2nd half-session courses.

Summative Assessments

(i) Lab reports (5 x 5%)

(ii) 1500 word essay (50%)

(iii) Final MCQ test (25% -online)

Resit (for students taking course in Academic Year 2020/21):

Resit of any failed element

 

Resit (for students taking course in Academic Year 2019/20 and C8 students):

Open book exam in week 11 or 12 of of term

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Course Learning Outcomes

Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualUnderstandAn overview of the history and significance of palaeopathological studies
ProceduralApplyUnderstand how to use this data to interpret past human health through time
ConceptualUnderstandKnowledge of the causes of human skeletal disease in the past
ProceduralApplyLearn how to identify, describe and diagnose pathological change in the skeleton and dentition.
ProceduralApplyLearn how to produce a report on an the ancient skeletal heath and disease of archaeological skeletons.

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