Year
2024Credit points
20Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unitPrerequisites
Nil
Restriction: Approval of the Head of School or Course Coordinator
Unit rationale, description and aim
Practical experience and skills learnt in the field on an archaeological excavation are vital for trainee archaeologists as well as for historians and museum curators seeking to understand how material culture is found, uncovered, recorded and interpreted.
This intensive unit is held in Israel on an archaeological dig run jointly by ACU and partner institutions in Israel. Students are taught the basics of archaeological practice including excavation techniques, recording, cleaning and interpretation of finds and use of technology. Students learn from specialists and supervisors in archaeology and related disciplines in the field and in lectures. They have the opportunity to go on fieldtrips and weekend study tours to further immerse themselves in the culture and history of Israel. The dig experience requires a high degree of self-reliance, resilience, and the ability to follow instructions closely. It is an intensely bonding, physically demanding experience with people who share similar passions. Student safety and looking out for one another are absolute priorities.
The aim of the unit is for students to develop basic skills in finding, uncovering, recording and interpreting material culture while demonstrating the ability to work on the dig site effectively and efficiently as an integral member of the team.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
| Learning Outcome Number | Learning Outcome Description |
|---|---|
| LO1 | Articulate knowledge of the archaeological site to be excavated, its geographic context, history of excavation and objectives |
| LO2 | Work effectively and efficiently on an archaeological dig site as an integral member of the team, recording and reflecting on their daily learning in the field, explaining and critically interpreting what they have learnt |
| LO3 | Explain what they have learned from the dig |
Content
Topics and activities will include:
- Pre-trip reading
- Pre-trip briefing
- Training in safety on a dig
- Training in how to correctly use equipment
- Continual instruction and directed activity in the field
- Pottery and artefact washing
- Pottery readings
- Lectures by specialists in archaeology and related disciplines
- Excursions to other archaeological sites and places of cultural interest
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This 20 credit point unit has been designed to ensure that the time needed to complete the required volume of learning to the requisite standard is approximately 300 hours in total. To achieve a passing standard in this unit, students will need to attempt all assessments achieving 50% of the available marks for the unit overall.
The unit comprises pre-departure workshops and briefings, an intensive overseas field school in Israel, and a post-field school debrief session back in Australia.
The pre-departure workshops provide students with basic content knowledge, guidance and advice around key issues, debates and problems typically encountered in archaeological investigations. The workshops are also used to prepare students for the practical requirements of the trip, as well as the intellectual, emotional and physical challenges of undertaking field-based, interdisciplinary study overseas, away from home.
The excavation experience is ‘hands-on’ and very intense. On-site, students work in small teams under careful supervision which develops skills and knowledge as well as problem-solving, reasoning, communication and interpersonal skills. Cooperation and tolerance are further developed by living together in shared rooms in hostels, meals and communal activities such as being on time for transport and pottery washing. Students must display resilience in the face of physical hardship and tiredness while working for sustained periods. They participate in the thrill of discovery; finding and handling something last used thousands of years ago! Studies of field-based learning demonstrate that leaving the classroom and learning through first-hand experience makes learning more interesting, enjoyable and relevant to students. This has been found to lead to greater student engagement, deeper learning and increased effectiveness in achieving learning outcomes. Field-based learning has also been shown to create a collective mentality among participants which enhances students’ understanding of the importance of cooperation and teamwork. A final debrief session on return to Australia allows students to reflect on their learning experiences both during and after the completion of the field school.
Assessment strategy and rationale
A range of assessments will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with university assessment requirements. Because of the nature of a field school, there is only one opportunity to attempt each assessment task.
Assessment task one is a relatively lightly-weighted, investigative task designed to help students achieve, and demonstrate achievement of the first learning outcome. It is important for students going on a dig to understand the background and context of the excavation.
Assessment task two (reflexive task) primarily supports and tests achievement of LO2, though it also relates in part to LO1 and LO3. This task is the major component of the assessment. It requires students to keep a daily journal on the dig in which they record and critically reflect on what they have done and learnt. The unit coordinator will assess the journal and the extent to which it accurately represents the student’s learning to work effectively and efficiently on an archaeological dig site as an integral member of the team.
Assessment task three (summative task) assesses student achievement of LO3 though it also relates in part to LO1 and LO2. This task allows students to demonstrate the skills, understanding and knowledge they have acquired and/or developed during the unit through the construction of an appropriately referenced and sourced, evidence-based narrative or argument. The task also allows students to demonstrate their ability to communicate their ideas and arguments clearly in written form.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
Assessment Task 1: Investigative task The purpose of this task is for students to acquire and articulate knowledge of the archaeological site to be excavated, its geographic context, history of excavation and objectives for the next season of excavation. | 20% | LO1 |
Assessment Task 2: Reflexive task This task requires students to record and reflect on their daily learning in the field, explaining and critically interpreting what they have learnt through keeping a journal including learning how to work effectively and efficiently as an integral member of the team. | 50% | LO1, LO2, LO3 |
Assessment Task 3: Summative task This task enables students to explain what they have learned on the dig through the construction of an appropriately referenced and sourced, evidence-based, historical narrative or argument. The task also allows students to demonstrate their ability to communicate their ideas and arguments clearly in written form. This task may take the form of short answer responses, test/s, take-home exam, exam, reflective essay/poster or simulation exercise. | 30% | LO1, LO2, LO3 |
Representative texts and references
Dever, W.G., 2002. What Did the Biblical Writers Know and When Did They Know It?: What Archaeology Can Tell Us About the Reality of Ancient Israel. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Finkelstein, I. and Silberman, N.A., 2001. The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts. United States: Free Press.
Garfinkel, Y., Hasel, M.G., Klingbeil, M.G., Kang, H-G., Choi, G., Chang, S-Y., Hong, S., Ganor, S., Kreimerman, I., Bronk Ramsey, C., 2019. Lachish fortifications and state formation in the biblical kingdom of Judah in light of radiometric datings. Radiocarbon DOI:10.1017/RDC.2019.5.
Lehmann G, Niemann HM., 2014. When did the Shephelah become Judahite? Tel Aviv 41:77–94.
Mazar, A., 1990. Archaeology of the Land of the Bible, New York: Doubleday.
Sergi, O., 2013. Judah’s expansion in historical context. Tel Aviv 40: 226–246.
Ussishkin, D., 2004. The Renewed Archaeological Excavations at Lachish (1973–1994), Volumes I-V, Monographs of the Institute of Archaeology vol. 22, Tel Aviv University.
Ussishkin, D., 2015. Gath, Lachish and Jerusalem in 9th Cent. B.C.E. – an archaeological reassessment. Zeitschrift des deutschen Palästina-Vereins 131: 129–149.