Undergraduate Course: Digging Deeper: Understanding Archaeological Soils and Sediments (ARCA10110)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Soil and sediments play a fundamental (but often overlooked) role in understanding and interpreting archaeological sites. By delving deeper into how they are formed, classified and analysed, this course will provide foundational knowledge and an appreciation for how earth science techniques contribute to the reconstruction of past human environments and current world issues. |
| Course description |
This course explores soils and sediments as dynamic archives of past human activity and environmental change. Through a range of lectures, hands-on practicals and critical discussions, we will dig deeper into how archaeological sites form, how evidence is preserved, and how soil data is translated into interpretations of the past. By emphasising their role in real-world issues, the course connects archaeological soils to contemporary challenges such as climate change, land management and heritage conservation.
Alongside disciplinary knowledge, the course places strong emphasis on developing practical, analytical and critical thinking skills. You will gain hands-on experience in soil description, learn to interpret laboratory data, develop digital skills through the spatial analysis of soil datasets, and expand your abilities in academic communication. In short, the course aims to equip students with transferable skills and perspectives relevant to future careers in archaeology, heritage, environmental science and other related fields.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | It is reccommended students have passed ARCA08016 Archaeology of Scotland and ARCA08017 Archaeology in Action, or Honours entry to degrees in Classics, or equivalent. |
| Additional Costs | Students will be asked to cover the (optional) cost of printing their posters in plain A0/A1 format (£8/£5) for the poster session in Week 11. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 Archaeology courses at Grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. As numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 8,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 8,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 6,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Coursework (100%)
2,500 word Data Interpretation report (60%)
600 word Poster (40%) |
| Feedback |
Students will receive feedback on their coursework, and will have the opportunity to discuss that feedback further with the Course Organiser during their published office hours for this course or by appointment. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Explain how soils and sediments are formed and demonstrate how these processes influence archaeological stratigraphy and preservation
- Identify, describe and record soils and sediments using standard field methods
- Demonstrate knowledge of the laboratory and digital approaches used to investigate archaeological soils
- Conduct data visualisation and interpretation of soil datasets
- Critically evaluate how soil evidence is used to develop archaeological narratives and address global challenges such as heritage management and climate change
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Reading List
- Brevik, E. C. et al. 2018. 'Soils, climate and ancient civilizations', in Horwath, W. R. and Kuzyakov, Y. (eds) Climate Change Impacts on Soil Processes and Ecosystem Properties. Amsterdam: Elsevier, pp. 1-28.
- Cordova, C. E. 2023. 'Geoarchaeology and soils', in Goss, M. J. and Oliver, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment. 2nd edition, Volume 3. Oxford: Elsevier, pp. 20-28.
- Goldberg, P. and Macphail, R. 2006. Practical and Theoretical Geoarchaeology. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
- Holliday, V. T. 2004. Soils in Archaeological Research. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Karkanas, P. and Goldberg, P. 2019. Reconstructing Archaeological Sites: Understanding the Geoarchaeological Matrix. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
- Kibblewhite et al. 2015. 'Predicting the preservation of cultural artefacts and buried materials in soil', Science of the Total Environment 529: 249-263.
- Salisbury, R. B. et al. 2022. 'Making the most of soils in archaeology: a review', Archaeologia Austriaca 106: 319-344. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Upon successful completion of the course students will have acquired and/or be expected to demonstrate the following transferable skills:
- critically evaluate evidence and recognise uncertainty and equifinality in interpretations
- answer a research question by developing a reasoned argument based on quantitative analysis
- communicate knowledge effectively via visual and written means
- understand the relevance and application of academic knowledge to real-world challenges
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| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mrs Vanessa Reid
Tel:
Email: vanessa.reid@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Claire Brown
Tel: (0131 6)50 3582
Email: cbrown20@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
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