Last modified: 30 Oct 2025 14:46
This three week summer field school will give students the opportunity to develop skills in archaeological excavation. Students will gain hands-on experience with key excavation, survey and recording techniques, and will learn how to communicate the results of this field practice. During their participation in the field school, with the aid of experienced instructors, students will produce a portfolio of their own excavation and survey records and their contribution to the project will be assessed.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Summer School | Credit Points | 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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Over a period of three weeks, undergraduate students will participate in an archaeological excavation in North-east Scotland, learning the key skills in excavation, survey and recording practice. The course will introduce students to the key skills of field excavation and survey. Upon the culmination of the course, the students will have:
In-field, hands-on learning of these skills will be bookended with three days of lectures/tutorials where students will be taught the theoretical and methodological approaches to:
The excavation will feed into on-going research lead by members of the archaeology department. As part of the field-school, students will visit the key sites associated with the specific time period being investigated, with one field trip examining the local archaeology of the site being excavated and another field trip focusing on contemporary sites in the northeast of Scotland.
An indicative timetable for the course comprises:
Day 1: Greetings, lectures on theoretical aspects of survey and excavation.
Day 2: Field trip of the excavation site and local archaeological landscape.
Day 3–5: First week of excavation.
Day 6: Field trip to relevant local archaeological sites in the northeast of Scotland.
Day 7: Day off.
Day 8–12: Second week of excavation.
Day 13: Day off.
Day 14: Day off.
Day 15–18: Third and final week of excavation.
Day 19: Finds and sample processing.
Day 20: Report writing and illustration.
| Description | Value |
|---|---|
| The cost for each student will be £4000, which is all inclusive of housing, transport to site and equipment to undertake the excavation. | 4000.0000 |
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 20 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 48 | Feedback Weeks | 50 | |
| Feedback |
Duration: 1 hour A multiple choice question exam will be given at the end of a day of lectures/workshops. The results and feedback will be given to the students on the last day of the course. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Factual | Understand | The student will gain a good understanding of the aims, methodology and results of an approved field project. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 80 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 48,49,50 | Feedback Weeks | 52 | |
| Feedback |
Word Count: 500 A portfolio of what the participants have excavated, surveyed and recorded, as well as a short reflective summary of the field school will be submitted by the student. The results of this and feedback will be provided in week 52 via email. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Factual | Understand | The student will gain a good understanding of the aims, methodology and results of an approved field project. |
| Procedural | Apply | The student will acquire a theoretical understanding and practical skills in archaeological excavation and survey methods. |
| Procedural | Create | The student will gain an applied knowledge of the conventions of archaeological recording, including context sheets, plan, section, artefact and feature and drawing, Harris matrices, and site reports |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 100 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 3 | Feedback Weeks | 4 | |
| Feedback |
A 1500- word essay on the excavation site will be submitted by the student. The results and feedback will be given to the students in week 4 via email. |
Word Count | 1500 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Factual | Understand | The student will gain a good understanding of the aims, methodology and results of an approved field project. |
| Procedural | Apply | The student will acquire a theoretical understanding and practical skills in archaeological excavation and survey methods. |
| Procedural | Create | The student will gain an applied knowledge of the conventions of archaeological recording, including context sheets, plan, section, artefact and feature and drawing, Harris matrices, and site reports |
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