ARK2120 – Hunter-gatherer technologies from the Stone Age and Beyond

Course content

The course provides a general understanding of hunter-gatherer technologies, concentrating but not exclusively limited to lithic (stone) technology. The curriculum places the manufacture and use of technologies in relation to the social and cultural contexts of hunters and gatherers in the past, also drawing on insights from the ethnographic record. The course contributes a practical and theoretical introduction to the make and use of lithic material as well as a more general understanding of what technology is, and the role of various technological innovations within human societies.

In close combination with knowledge obtained from practical lithic exercises and classroom instruction, you will learn:

  • how technological knowledge was and is culturally transmitted.
  • how technologies work, and why technologies change - their cultural and social contexts.
  • to situate knowledge of technological traditions into broader models of social change and human behaviour.

You will also learn to:

  • identify and create lithic material.
  • recognise the main stages of lithic production.
  • recognise the various types of raw material types used in the manufacture of stone tools.
  • how lithic tools were manufactured at various points in the past.
  • how lithic tools were used and what they represent in the scheme of human survival strategies.

Instruction regarding the essential attributes of flakes, blades, knapping debris, cores and various tool types will be emphasised. You will also learn about other forms of human technology such as art, personal ornamentation and organic material.

This course has a very prominent practical component and much of the course work is organised as full-day seminars with hands-on activities in collaboration with the Museum of Cultural History. In the laboratories prepared bags of selected materials and accompanying work sheets will be distributed. Seminars are meant to be informal and invoke lively discussions of the selected material, the associated technologies and their social links.

Learning outcome

In this course you will:

  • Achieve basic knowledge about lithic technology, terminology and classification. Through the use of the cha?ne opératoire approach and dynamic-technological analysis, you will learn to recognize the main stages of production and to identify types of raw material used in the manufacture of artefacts.
  • Understand how and what we can learn from technological studies - its potential for knowledge about past hunter-gatherer life, society and cultural development. Learn how to relate the use of objects to their cultural context. You will develop a thorough understanding of the various stages in lithic technology and technology’s place within the wider society.
  • Obtain the relevant skills to scientifically study museum collections from any stone raw material using period worldwide and draw valid and defendable conclusions as to production and wider social aspects of manufacture and use of that assemblage.

Admission to the course

Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.

ARK1000 – Innf?ring i arkeologi and ARK1010 – Europeisk forhistorie fra paleolitikum til bronsealder or other introductory level courses in archaeology is recommended before taking this course.

Overlapping courses

Teaching

There will be approximately ?four lectures and five (full- or half-day) lab sessions (held at KHM ?kern), and a flint knapping seminar

It is compulsory to attend the lab sessions, because they are necessary to pass the qualifier.

This is how you apply for a valid absence from compulsory activities/compulsory attendance:?Absence from compulsory Activity/attendance.

Qualifier

The students must pass a qualifier based on the lab sessions. The qualifier must be approved before the students submit their final essay.

A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.

Examination

The final examination is an independent essay on a related topic

  • The length of your paper should be approximately 5 pages. We consider a standard page to be 2300 characters without spacing.
  • You must use a minimum of 10 assigned readings from the pensum to support your argument. A standard citation format will be provided for you to follow.
  • Do not write your name in your exam (term paper). Use your?candidate number.?It is a?four digit?number which you will find next to your exam registration in StudentWeb. You are given a unique candidate number for each exam.
  • The paper should have a front page stating your candidate number, the course code and name, and the semester and year.
  • The front page, bibliography and footnotes are not included in the page count.
  • Please remember to insert page numbers.
  • The students are responsible for their upload. Unreadable or unfinished documents will be graded thereafter.

Language of examination

The examination text is given in English, and you submit your response in English.

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.

Grade descriptions

More about examinations at UiO

You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.

Last updated from FS (Felles studentsystem) Apr. 12, 2026 7:59:51 AM

Facts about this course

Level
Bachelor
Credits
10
Teaching
Spring
Examination
Spring
Teaching language
English

Contact

Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History