ARCHAEOLOGY AND PALEOLITHIC CULTURE

Course objectives

In consistency with the educational purposes of the whole teaching course, aim of the teaching unit is to give students a basic knowledge and comprehension skills in the field of PALEOLITHIC ARCHAEOLOGY AND CULTURE, with the help of advanced textbooks. Moreover, it will make the student able to apply the acquired knowledge in an expert and reflective way, making autonomous judgments, communicating ideas, problems and reflections in a clear and correct way, and developing the knowledge required to go further in the studies. Students will acquire a basic knowledge of human evolution during the Pleistocene, from African origins to the peopling of most continents, taking into account archaeological evidence, environmental changes, human adaptation, technological developments, and the emergence of symbolic behaviour.

Channel 1
ENZA ELENA SPINAPOLICE Lecturers' profile

Program - Frequency - Exams

Course program
The course aims to provide students with the basics for the study of the Paleolithic: Reference Chronology, Primate Archaeolology, Human Evolution, Hunter Gatherers, Archaeological Sequences, Main Research Topics. The aim is to provide a complete picture of the main topics of study in the context of the first human societies, from the first hominids to the end of the Pleistocene and their relevance for the purpose of understanding the most recent history of our species.
Prerequisites
None.
Books
Testi di riferimento, per un Syllabus completo consultare la pagina docente - Binford, L. R. (1962). Archaeology as anthropology. American antiquity, 28(2), 217-225. - Binford, L. R. (1980). Willow smoke and dogs’ tails: hunter-gatherer settlement systems and archaeological site formation. American antiquity, 45(1), 4-20. - Biondi, G e Rickards O, Umani da sei milioni di anni, Carocci 2012, cap. 4-8. - Bruner, E. “La mente oltre il cranio. Prospettive di archeologia cognitiva”, Carocci 2018. - Di Lernia, S. “Archeologia africana. Preistoria, storia antica e arte rupestre”, Carocci 2017. cap. 2, cap. 3. - Manzi, G. Ultime notizie sull'evoluzione umana (Intersezioni Vol. 483), Il Mulino 2017.  - Peresani, M. “Come Eravamo. Viaggio nell’Italia Paleolitica”, Il Mulino 2018. - Sardella, R- “L’era Glaciale. Come il clima influenza la storia naturale” Il Mulino, 2011. - Service, E. “The Hunters” Prentice Hall; First Edition edition (1966). - Schiffer “Behavioural Archaeology”, Academic Press, cap. 2, 19, 20. -Tuniz C. e Tiberi Vipraio P., Homo sapiens, una biografia non autorizzata, Carocci 2015. - Yellen, J. E. (1977). Archaeological approaches to the present: models for reconstructing the past (Vol. 1). Academic Press, cap. 1.
Frequency
Attendance is recommended. If unable, please contact the Professor.
Exam mode
Oral exam.
Lesson mode
Frontal lessons.
  • Lesson code1035573
  • Academic year2025/2026
  • CourseArchaeological Sciences
  • CurriculumArcheologia preistorica, classica, medievale
  • Year2nd year
  • Duration12 months
  • SSDL-ANT/01
  • CFU6