ANT 3184
Mortuary Archaeology (Class E-mail)
Dr.
Diane Chase
Instructor Contact| Instructor | Dr. D.Z. Chase | |
|---|---|---|
| Office | PH 403L | |
| Office Hours |
T-TR 9-10:30 AM or by appointment |
 |
| Phone | 407-823-2227 | |
| Class |
CL1 318 2:30-3:45 TR |
Goals and ThemesThe study of funerary customs and human remains plays a significant role in the archaeological interpretation of past cultures. Human skeletal remains reveal much about ancient health and diet; combined skeletal and other archaeological data may also be useful in reconstructing prehistoric population histories (demography). There are many different customs related to the treatment of the dead in both contemporary and past cultures. Bodies may be cremated, buried intact, exposed to the elements. Human remains are found in varying contexts in the archaeological record - they may be found in tombs, simple burials, or left abandoned on building floors. The amount of effort and expense of mortuary contexts is useful in attempting to identify status differentiation. Simple factors, such as body position, may also be useful to determine social groupings within a population. Finally, burial offerings may reveal information about specific individuals as well as culture-wide belief systems.
This course will provide exposure to the basic methods and data that are available for the archaeological interpretation of mortuary activities. Topics to be covered will include how data is collected, the basis of skeletal identification (age, sex, pathologies), and the ways in which the excavated contexts may be used to make broader interpretations. Key to this process will be a consideration of known variation in mortuary customs (past and present).
Texts
METCALF, P. and R. HUNTINGTON
1991 Celebrations of Death, Cambridge University Press, NY.
PEARSON, M.P.
2000 The Archaeology of Death and Burial, Texas A&M University Press. Columbia.UBELAKER, D.
1999 Human Skeletal Analysis, 3rd edition, Manuals in Archaeology Series, No. 2, Taraxacum, Washington.
Protocols
E-mail Protocols
1. Be sure to keep your e-mail address in the student list current so that you can receive updated information on the course.
2. Check e-mail and forums often - at least 2 times per week (more often would be better).
3. Be patient when you ask a question (either on the forums or in e-mail).
4. Use e-mail for questions that: a. are personal in nature or b. have been posted on the forum for at least 48 hours and have not been answered by another member of the class.
5. When e-mailing the instructor, always put the course prefix and number (ANT3184) in the subject heading, but feel free to add additional information afterwards that will let the instructor know the nature of your communication.
6. Be sure to sign all e-mail messages.
7. Do not use the class e-mails for inappropriate purposes such as chain letters or solicitations.
Forum protocols
1. Use the forums for questions that may be answered by others in the group as well as for posting assignments.
2. Respond to other class members' questions and postings if you know the answers or have something different to say.
3. Use the appropriate forums; do not post everything to the "Main" Forum.
4. Keep up with forum posting and reading; do not expect to receive full credit for postings that take place only during the last few days or weeks of the course.
5. Use the "reply" button rather than the "compose" button if you are replying to someone else and remember to "update listing" or "reload" to see what you have posted.
6. If a heading is not specified for a particular assignment, compose subject headings that clearly indicate the nature of what you are posting.
7. After initial postings - in which you are just getting comfortable with the forum - attempt to avoid comments such as "I agree" or "ditto" that add little to the discussion.
8. Cut and paste large blocks of texts into the forum rather than typing directly, but preview the information and add appropriate spaces before submitting so that your contributions are easily read by others.
9. Feel free to use the appropriate forum(s) (and chat) for conversations with other members of the class about topics that are of interest to you, but please be patient, considerate, and courteous at all times.
10. Enjoy the course.
Login and Password
Information:To access the "Student List" or "Class Login" portions of this course, students must follow UCF's log-in and password conventions. Standard web-based course protocols should be used for this course.
Academic Dishonesty:Academic Dishonesty will not be tolerated in any form. Violations of student academic behavior standards are outlined in The Golden Rule, the University of Central Florida's Student Handbook. See http://www.goldenrule.sdes.ucf.edu/ for further details.
