We have a new coruse on offer for next semester – Bone Chemistry and Bioarchaeological Analysis. It’s on advanced level so you need to have a bachelor course done before you can attend, but it’s open for students of all our four subjects (or the equivalent). It runs on half speed and amount to 7,5 credits so you attend over half the semster, it’s all online and the lectures are scheduled to the end of the day to make it practial for people already in the workforce. Since it’s brand new there’s usually some questions and hopefully the information on our home page give some of it, otherwise just get in touch.
Here’s the description:
The use of scientific methods in archaeological research is an ever-growing field that has in many ways revolutionised our knowledge of the past. Much of the current methodological development is linked to bioarchaeology and concerns various types of chemical studies of osteological material, such as DNA analysis, proteomics and isotopic analysis of various elements. These methods have been widely adopted in most archaeological disciplines and are used for dating as well as for providing information on diseases, diet, mobility, kinship and genetic origins, to name a few examples. This field of research, which is multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary, now accounts for a considerable proportion of published research. It has therefore become increasingly important for archaeologists and osteologists to know the basics of these methods, how the results can be interpreted, and how the methods can be combined with other methods in archaeology.
This course provides basic knowledge of various scientific analyses of human and animal skeletal material, and gives an insight into current methodological developments. It also covers sampling strategies and ethical considerations regarding destructive sampling and chemical analysis of osteological material. The course also includes non-compulsory visits to laboratories to introduce students to practical work. Furthermore, the course aims to strengthen the ability to work in a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary way in order to gain new knowledge about the past.