Geology Applied to Archaeology

Code: GEO14685M

6 ECTS

Duration: 15 weeks/156 hours

Scientific Area: Geology

Teaching languages: Portuguese

Languages of tutoring support: Portuguese

Presentation

This UC will allow the students to gain competences in the archaeological elements

Sustainable Development Goals

Educação de qualidade - Assegurar a educação inclusiva, e equitativa e de qualidade, e promover oportunidades de aprendizagem ao longo da vida para todos.

Vida terrestre - Proteger, recuperar e promover o uso sustentável dos ecossistemas terrestres, gerir de forma sustentável as florestas, combater a desertificação, deter e reverter a degradação da Terra e deter a perda da biodiversidade.

Learning Goals

1. Students should gain new skills in working with geological maps as a source of information on the positioning of geological materials;
2. Basic knowledge will be provided on how geological stratigraphy, in its chemical and mineralogical composition, constitutes a source of information on paleoenvironments;
3. Students gain new skills in the use of analytical means on archaeological objects;
4. It is expected that students be able to relate the archaeological artefacts with the availability and spatial distribution of geological materials. Therefore, they should be able to develop models of provenance.

A. Geological maps
1. Reading and interpretation of geological maps and other thematic maps.
2. Interpretative exercises and abstraction of the organization of lithic volumes and geological structures.
3. Geological mapping exercise in fieldwork (i.e. field trips).
B. Introduction to analytical solutions for archaeologists
1. Microscopy
i. Optical microscopy
ii. Electron microscopy
2. Chemical analysis
i. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis of soils, ceramics, alloys
3. Mineralogical composition
i. X-ray diffraction (XRD) of soils, ceramics and mortars
C. Soils and sediments
1. Soils, sediments and stratigraphy
2. Sediment chemical, mineralogical and physical properties
3. Micromorphology
4. Paleoenvironments
D. Products and raw materials
1. Lithic Materials
i. Building stones
ii. Microcrystalline Quartz
iii. Other Siliceous Rocks
Quartzite
Opal
Siliceous Shale/Slate/Schist
2. Artificial rocks
i. Mortars: Binder and aggregates
ii. Ceramics: Clays and temper
3. Color and pigments
4.

Teaching Methods

Teaching involves lectures, practical classes to study geological materials in archaeological artifacts and a field trip.
The classes will be presented by members of the faculty of the University of Évora, occasionally being invited guest speakers to teach specific topics in the form of seminars.
The evaluation will consider the laboratory work (80%) and writing a review paper (20%). The final assessment is made in the form of a final exam and can be made in any of the exam periods provided.