Archaeology

Study mode:On campus Study type:Full-time Languages: English
Foreign:$ 25.1 k / Year(s) Deadline: Oct 15, 2024
6 place StudyQA ranking:3397 Duration:3 years

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If you’re fascinated by human evolution and biology, the emergence of the earliest civilizations, ancient cultures and languages, or how we interact with our heritage and environment, you can study it in our Archaeology course.

Archaeology at Cambridge

Our course encompasses Archaeology, Assyriology, Egyptology and Biological Anthropology. Its flexibility means you can either specialise from Year 1, or opt for a broad start before concentrating on up to two subjects from the second year.

  • Archaeology uses material evidence to explore the nature and development of particular societies and to explain the variations and commonalities of the human past.
  • Assyriology is the study of the languages, cultures, history and archaeology of ancient Mesopotamia (Sumer, Babylonia and Assyria).
  • Egyptology is the study of the history, languages, society, archaeology and religion of ancient Egypt.
  • Biological Anthropology explores human evolution, biology and behaviour, and the interaction between biology and culture.

Teaching and resources

Archaeology has been taught at Cambridge for more than a century and our staff are at the forefront of research, involving students through fieldwork and research projects.

Our excellent resources include the Cambridge Archaeological Unit, a well-equipped IT suite, purpose built laboratories and dedicated libraries. In addition, the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and the Fitzwilliam Museum provide access to extensive collections of primary sources of world importance.

Additional course costs

Year 1

  • Some of the archaeology papers include a compulsory field trip during the Easter Term (Department funds are usually available). Also available to those taking other papers as an optional field trip - Estimated cost £50
  • Two weeks of fieldwork during the summer vacation after Year 1 for students taking Archaeology or Archaeology and Biological Anthropology in Year 2 - Estimated cost £100

Year 2

  • Compulsory field trip for the Archaeology and Archaeology and Biological Anthropology tracks during the Easter vacation - Estimated cost £100
  • All tracks include four weeks of fieldwork or a four-week study tour during the summer vacation after Year 2 in preparation for their Year 3 dissertation. Costs vary depending on destination/location chosen and will be higher than £100 for students choosing to travel abroad (some College funds may be available) - Estimated cost £100

Careers

Our course offers the theoretical foundation and training in standard methods and specialised techniques required for academic and professional practice, and our graduates include leading figures in their discipline – Colin Renfrew, Louis Leakey and David Pilbeam to name just a few.

The intellectual versatility and transferable skills – such as critical thinking, text analysis, data handling and collaborative working – that our students develop also make them widely sought after by employers in many related and unrelated fields. Graduates have gone on to careers in the media, commerce, diplomacy, advertising, museums, conservation and health, among others.

In Year 1, you have between six and eight lectures and one or two supervisions each week, plus weekly language classes and/or practicals (where appropriate).

You’re assessed each year, principally through written exams but some papers include assessed practicals/fieldwork. Most students also write a 10,000-word dissertation in Year 3.

Year 1 (Part I)

You pick three from seven core archaeology, language and biological anthropology options (certain papers are advised for some Year 2 subjects) 

Your fourth can be another core paper, a psychology paper, or one from Human, Social, and Political Sciences (HSPS).

Years 2 and 3 (Parts IIA and IIB)

You can pursue one of four single-subject tracks (see below) or one of two two-subject tracks – Archaeology and Biological Anthropology or Assyriology and Egyptology 

Archaeology

Year 2 (Part IIA)

You take papers on theory and practice, data analysis, and the archaeology of a particular period or region. The fourth is either another period/region paper, a biological anthropology subject or one from Classics or HSPS.

Fieldwork consists of two weeks in the summer before Year 2 and a week overseas at Easter.

Year 3 (Part IIB)

You complete four weeks of fieldwork in the summer before Year 3.

All students study advanced archaeological thought, archaeology in the wider world and a Special Topic, plus one or two papers from options within this course, Classics or HSPS. All students also write a dissertation.

Assyriology

Year 2 (Part IIA)

You take four papers: Mesopotamian archaeology, Akkadian language, and two from other course options (one can be from Classics or HSPS). You also undertake a four-week study tour and/or fieldwork.

Year 3 (Part IIB)

You take advanced Akkadian language and Mesopotamian archaeology papers; and one on Mesopotamian history or culture, or Sumerian language. The fourth is one of around 20 options available or a dissertation.

Egyptology

Year 2 (Part IIA)

You take papers in Egyptian language and archaeological methods and concepts, plus two papers on society, religion and death in Ancient Egypt. You also undertake a four-week study tour and/or fieldwork.

Year 3 (Part IIB)

Alongside a core Egyptian language paper and two Egyptian archaeology papers, all students write a dissertation.

Biological Anthropology

Year 2 (Part IIA)

Three compulsory papers explore behavioural ecology, human origins, and health and disease. You select your fourth from options offered elsewhere in this course or HSPS.

Year 3 (Part IIB)

You take a theory and practice paper, and three more surveying current issues across biological anthropology and the other course subjects (you can substitute one of the last three papers for a dissertation or a paper from HSPS).

  • All applicants to the University of Cambridge must submit an application to UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) by the relevant deadline.
  • The Attestat o (polnom) Srednem Obshchem Obrazovanii (Certificate of Secondary Education) is not considered to be suitable preparation for a competitive application to the University of Cambridge. We strongly recommend that you undertake further study if you wish to apply for an undergraduate degree. Examples of the qualifications that would be considered suitable for admission to Cambridge are A Levels, the International Baccalaureate (IB), five or more Advanced Placement (AP) courses, or possibly the first year of an undergraduate degree at a university outside the UK. We recommend that you contact the College that you wish to apply to directly for further advice and guidance.
  • IELTS – normally a minimum overall grade of 7.5, usually with 7.0 or above in each element.
  • Cambridge English: Advanced – grade A or B.
  • Cambridge English: Proficiency – grade A, B or C.
  • Cambridge Commonwealth, European and International Trust

Your living expenses may be higher than for a Home student (eg if you stay in Cambridge/the UK during vacations). The minimum resources needed in Cambridge for the year (excluding tuition and College fees) are estimated to be approximately £10,080 in 2017-18 and £10,310 in 2018-19, depending on lifestyle (you should allow for increases in future years).

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