The Department of Archaeology offers a one-year Master of Arts (M.A.) in the Prehistory of the East Mediterranean and the Levant. The M.A. is a taught course based on 180 credits worth of modules chosen from those currently offered. There is also a research dissertation component.

We offer a wide choice of subjects ranging from the Palaeolithic through to the Bronze Age, as well as modules relating to cultural politics and current archaeological theory.

The Master's Degree has been designed to provide a broad but comprehensive grounding in the prehistoric archaeology of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Cyprus and the Aegean world), and is suitable for students considering a professional career in archaeology or who may wish to proceed to a Doctoral degree. The course is equally open those who would like to study the subject for their own personal fulfilment.

The Prehistory of the East Mediterranean and the Levant is taught by internationally recognised specialists in the discipline, each of whom is an established academic in the Department of Archaeology at Lampeter. The course is taught as a series of background lectures, but with emphasis on seminars. The University Library and Department of Archaeology have an excellent collection of relevant reading material.

Course components

Prehistoric Landscapes of the Levant

This module presents a comprehensive overview of the human occupation of the Levant from the Lower Palaeolithic to the Neolithic, with emphasis on social and cultural landscapes. Up-to-date archaeological evidence is combined with recent developments in landscape theory to interpret how people may have constructed their landscapes according to different understandings of the world at different times. Topics include: From Africa to the Levant; Neanderthals and Modern Humans; Sedentism, Human-Animal Relations & Agriculture; Mortuary Practices; Prehistoric Art; Neolithic Architecture and Social Space.

The Archaeology of the Ancient Near East

This module examines evidence for the development of the urban civilizations of Egypt and the East Mediterranean to the end of the Bronze Age (3rd and 2nd millennia BC). The course will focus on issues of state formation, urban lifestyles, international contacts and trading networks, and the collapse of complex societies. The emphasis is on the archaeological record, but reference will be made to the textual sources from the literate societies of Egypt and Mesopotamia.

Food, Reproduction and Death

With an emphasis on current theoretical perspectives on the body and gender relations, this module reviews the archaeological and ethnoarchaeological evidence for food practices, sexualities and relationships between the living and the dead from a number of different Mediterranean, Levantine and Aegean prehistoric contexts.

Art and Representation in the Ancient Near East

The module examines the use of representations in the East Mediterranean basin, Egypt and Mesopotamia as a medium for expression of both identity and power. The primary focus is on how to read iconography. Specific issues include the representation of gender and identity, the iconography of kingship and power, and the imagined landscape. There will also be two case studies of syncretic art forms: such as minoanizing wall paintings from Egypt and the Levant and Roman mummy portraits.

Archaeology in Gaza: Recent Perspectives

The Gaza region played an important role in the political and economic life of the ancient Near East during the Bronze Age, lying as it does at the Palestinian terminal of the Ways of Horus, the main land route between Egypt and the Asiatic landmass. The Gaza region was the key point of contact, both economic and political, between Egypt and southern Palestine. This module evaluates the results of archaeological exploration in the Gaza region, with a particular focus on recent excavations (by the convenor) at el-Moghraqa. Specifically, it will focus on landscape archaeology in southern Palestine and indigenous consumption of imported exotica and esoteric knowledge.

The Politics of Archaeology in Israel/Palestine

Taught as a series of seminars and tutorials, this module focuses on the history of archaeology in Palestine and Israel. From its colonial beginnings in 19^th century Palestine, archaeology has often been used by different interest groups to provide support for particular social constructions of the past. This course examines the social, cultural and political contexts of these constructions, both external and indigenous, focussing particularly on the appropriation and use of the past, nationalism, and the politics of identity and heritage.

Cyprus in Prehistory

This module reviews recent developments and current thinking on the archaeology of prehistoric Cyprus. Excavations over the past decade have radically altered our perception of the island's internal development during the prehistoric period, in particular issues of island colonisation and the development of farming strategies. The module aims to introduce the student to the Cypriot archaeological record from the earliest human habitation of the island to the beginning of the Bronze Age, and will critically evaluate the various approaches that have been adopted for interpreting the evidence. It will examine a variety of themes such as island colonisation, early farming communities, the emergence of social complexity, belief systems, external contacts and migration.

The Bronze Age Aegean

This course examines the archaeology of the Bronze Age in the southern Aegean. The period under discussion covers the emergence of social complexity, urbanisation, the rise of the so-called palaces, the advent of literacy, and the development of long distance trade with the East Mediterranean. There is rich archaeological data, which have mainly been used to construct culture histories, but till recently there has been little theoretical debate. The module aims to introduce the student to the archaeological record using a thematic approach. The main issues covered are: settlement and economy; burial and society; long distance trade and exchange; religion and ideology; representations, dress and identity.

How to apply:

Further information

Enquiries should be directed to:

Dr. Kathy Fewster (Postgraduate Admissions Tutor)

Tel: +44 1570 422351 ext. 332

Email: k.fewster@lamp.ac.uk

Website: http://www.lamp.ac.uk/archaeology/ARCH/maresearch.html