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Archaeology Field Schools
| Africa - Botswana - Khwebe Hills Archaeological Project |
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Archaeology Field School Location and Dates
Start Date
2010-06-26
End Date
2010-07-31
Archaeology Field School Location
Khwebe Hills area, Botswana
Archaeology Field School Tuition and Credits
Sponsoring College/Institution
Academic Credit
12
Archaeology Field School Tuition
UC Undergrads: $4,900 UC Grad Students: $5,350 Visiting Students: $5,350
Archaeology Field School Travel
$3,300
Additional Information on Tution/Room and Board/Travel Costs
Meals (estimate): $250 Spending money (estimate): $200
Archaeology Field School Description
This course has two goals; 1) to introduce students to the archaeology of the region and its field methods, and 2) to provide a practical working knowledge of survey, excavation, and analytical techniques used in archaeology. The primary aim is to enable students to better understand how archaeology is practiced in the field. The course will be held the Khwebe Hills, just south of the Okavango Delta region, in north‐west Botswana. Working with the University of Botswana and the National Museum of Botswana, this project will examine the archaeology of this region through a combination of survey and excavation. Previous research in the region has revealed a long history of occupation, from the Early Stone Age to the historic period, and students will have the opportunity to work on a range of sites from the prehistoric and historic periods. In addition, the region is famous for its outstanding natural beauty and ecological interest, with the Okavango Delta creating a rich habitat for wild game and birds. The course will last for five weeks, with a two day orientation in the nearby town of Maun, including a canoe trip into the Okavango Delta, after which students will move to the field camp in the Khwebe Hills, and take part in the day to day field research for the remaining period. This will include survey, excavation, mapping and finds processing/analysis, with students rotating between different aspects of the research to gain experience of a wide range of research activities. A series of lectures and classes will also take place during fieldwork, exploring targeted topics (e.g. ceramic analysis). During orientation, students will stay in the town of Maun, staying in furnished safari tents with electricity. On camp students will be camping, and responsible for providing their own tents. All meals during orientation and in camp will be provided. Students are responsible for providing their own food at all other times. Work in the field will be carried out Monday‐Saturday, with a half day on Saturday and a day off on Sunday, leaving time for students to visit town at weekends. In addition, there will be a long‐weekend break midway through the program, when students will have the opportunity to travel independently. The region has many areas of interest nearby, and students can easily travel to various game parks in the immediate vicinity (e.g. Moremi), or slightly further afield to other national parks (e.g. Chobe) or other visitor attractions (e.g. Makgadikgadi salt pans). Grading: Students will be assessed on field‐work contribution (50%) and a field‐work diary (50%). Course Readings: Suggested preliminary readings are listed below. In addition, digital course packs will be emailed to students prior to the fieldwork and students are responsible for printing them out and bringing them to Botswana Course Requirements: Meet every scheduled day. Survey: Students will take part in surveying the area for new sites. This will involve a range of skills including using a GPS, map‐reading and identifying archaeological features/artifacts Graduate Students with pre‐existing experience will be expected to take a leadership role in this activity, including recording new sites found. Excavation: Students will be involved in excavation of sites including digging and understanding stratigraphy, finds sorting and collecting, as well as recording. Graduate students with pre‐existing experience will be expected to take a supervisory role with responsibility for individual trenches (including all recording – context sheets, plans, section drawings), as well as guiding undergraduates working with them Recording: All Students will be taught how to carry out on site recording, including context sheets, plans and section drawings. In addition, students will be guided on the writing up of their field‐work for their (assessed) field‐work diaries. Cataloging: Students will participate in field sorting and cataloging of finds. Analysis and Processing: Selected afternoons will be spent processing finds and archaeological samples. This will include artifact washing, sorting, cataloguing and drawing/photographing; processing of botanical samples (flotation); processing of faunal remains. Field‐work diary: all students are expected to keep a personal record of their fieldwork involvement, which will be assessed for a final grade (50% for undergraduates, 25% for graduates)
Archaeology Field School Additional Information
Archaeology Field School Type
Field Archaeology
What is the daily schedule for the field school
26th June 2010 – Arrive Maun 27th June canoe trip to Okavango Delta 28th June Introductory lectures 29th June Move to Khwebe Hills field‐camp 30th June – 30th July Fieldwork (survey, excavation, analysis) and lectures/practicals, with half day on Saturday and a day‐off on Sunday. 16th ‐18th July Long weekend break (students responsible for own arrangements/travel) 31st July Departure
Number of years this Archaeology Field School has been in operation
2
Directors and Instructors
Dr. Ceri Ashley
Will there be additional organized activities?
Two excursions are planned within the course. 1) a canoe trip into the Okavango Delta during orientation, which will include a game walk (tracking animals, e.g. elephant, ostrich, wildebeest); 2) a further weekend trip to the Tsodilo Hills UNESCO World Heritage Site will be planned during weeks 2‐5, and which will visit the famous rock art sites. This program includes a long‐weekend break in the middle of the project (3 days) when students will be encouraged to travel independently to some of the local attractions (e.g. go on safari).
Archaeology Field School Contact Information and Website
Field School Website:
http://www.archaeology.ucla.edu/programs/africa/botswana-khwebe-hills-archaeological-research-project
Field School Contact Information
Be sure to let them know you heard about their program on ShovelBums!
Dr. Ceri Ashley
Field School Contact E-mail:
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Africa - Botswana - Khwebe Hills Archaeological Project
