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This course is an introduction to archaeology and biological anthropology through the
study of human origins and prehistory. Prehistory is a broad and challenging period to study, spanning millions of years, from the early beginnings of hominin cultural expressions up to the emergence of early states. Topics include evolutionary theory, primate behaviour and evolution, the fossil record of human evolution, the emergence of symbolic and technological behaviour, and the development of food production and agriculture (domestication), with a broad comparative focus spanning Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Students will learn how archaeologists and biological anthropologists reconstruct the human past by integrating diverse evidence from fossils, material culture, archaeological sites, ancient environments, and biological and genetic research. The course will guide students through the methods, theories, and approaches used in the study of human evolution, prehistory, and the archaeological record. In the process, the course surveys human societies from the earliest hominins to the development of complex social formations in the ‘Old World’ (Mesopotamia and Egypt) and the ‘New World’ (Mesoamerica) Poslední úprava: Šmidtová Renata, Ing. (29.09.2026)
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POLICIES AND REGULATIONS Use of technology and recording of lectures. Students are prohibited from audio and/or video recording lectures in any format, without first obtaining permission from the instructor. Dr Jon Ross holds copyright over course materials, presentations, and lectures, which form part of this course. Students should not participate in personal electronic messaging or gaming during class time. When class is in session, the student can use all technology for educational purposes approved by the instructor. Absences from Exams. Students must be available for both mid-term tests and the final exam. Serious illness, death in immediate family, official university or religious obligations are the only accepted reasons for absence from an exam, and the appropriate written acceptable documentation must be provided (from your physician, clergy, university official, etc.). Non-legitimate reasons for missing class include but are not limited to chauffeuring friends, airplane reservations, family celebrations, meetings with other professors or advisors, work, and unsanctioned University activities. Written documentation must be provided immediately after the absence (next class) and will be kept on file. Unavoidable conflicts (e.g. a major religious holiday, or travel as part of a university program) must be drawn to the instructor’s attention in writing, together with supporting documentation from a responsible party (e.g. your physician, appropriate instructor, university official) by the third week of the course. Normally, make-up tests will not be given for other reasons. If you have any scheduling conflicts or other problems pertaining to the course, it is important that you notify me as soon as possible. Exams missed without a valid reason count as zero. Incompletes. Incompletes (time extensions) must be applied for before the last day of classes. Academic Integrity. Charles University takes academic integrity seriously. Academic integrity is a commitment to six fundamental values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage. "Academic Misconduct" means any conduct that has, or might reasonably be seen to have, an adverse effect on the academic integrity of the University, including but not limited to: (a) Plagiarism – the presentation or use of information, ideas, images, sentences, 6 findings, etc. as one’s own without appropriate citation in a written assignment, test or final examination. (b) Cheating on Quizzes, Tests, or Final Examinations – the circumventing of fair testing procedures or contravention of exam regulations. Such acts may be premeditated/planned or may be unintentional or opportunistic. (c) Inappropriate Collaboration – when a student and any other person work together on assignments, projects, tests, labs or other work unless authorized by the course instructor. (d) Duplicate Submission – cheating where a student submits a paper/assignment/test in full or in part, for more than one course without the permission of the course instructor. (e) Personation – writing an assignment, lab, test, or examination for another student, or the unauthorized use of another person’s signature or identification in order to impersonate someone else. Personation includes both the personator and the person initiating the personation. (f) Academic Fraud – falsification of data or official documents as well as the falsification of medical or compassionate circumstances/documentation to gain accommodations to complete assignments, tests or examinations. If you have questions or are uncertain about what is expected of you in your courses, you have several options: Ask your professor, instructor, or teaching assistant for assistance or clarification.Get support through CU Point: https://ukpoint.cuni.cz/IPSCEN-1.html Visit the code of ethics for information to help you understand academic integrity: https://cuni.cz/UKEN-731.html Suspected cases of academic misconduct will be handled in accordance with the regulations and procedures of the Faculty of Arts and Charles University Poslední úprava: Šmidtová Renata, Ing. (29.09.2026)
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Hard copies are available from the library in the Institute of Archaeology in Celetná
and check the weekly reading folder on Moodle: Colin Renfrew and Paul Bahn. 2020. Archaeology: Theories, Methods, and Practice. 8th ed. London: Thames & Hudson. Carol Ember, Melvin Ember, Peter Peregrine, Robert Hoppa, and Kent Fowler. 2018. Physical Anthropology and Archaeology Fourth Canadian Edition. Toronto: Pearson. Kenneth Feder. 2017. The Past in Perspective. Oxford University Press. Poslední úprava: Šmidtová Renata, Ing. (29.09.2026)
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For successful completion of this course, students are required to (1) attend lectures, (2) complete assigned readings, and (3) complete the term and final exams. The course grade will be determined based on the following: • Midterm Exam 40% November 9, 2026 • Final exam 60% TBA The midterm is 60 minutes in length and consists of a combination of 50 multiple-choice and true-or-false questions. The final exam consists of 75 questions to be completed in 90 minutes. Final grades are subject to departmental review. Grading Scheme 1 (Excellent) 81-100% 2 (Very Good) 71-80% 3 (Good) 60-70% 4 (Fail) 0-59% Poslední úprava: Šmidtová Renata, Ing. (29.09.2026)
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The following outline lists the major topics that will be covered by the course and are associated with the required readings. The approximate starting dates are tentative and we reserve the right to alter the timing of the course material if we deem it necessary (depending on how fast we move through the material in class). The midterm date, assigned reading, and order of the topics will not change. We maintain a course webpage on Moodle containing the course syllabus, which will be updated with other materials as the course progresses. 3 Course Schedule & Readings Week Topics Readings Part 1: How we study prehistory & understanding the archaeological record (what archaeologists ‘do’ and the process of archaeology)
Week 1 Oct. 5th Introduction to the course; the antiquity of humanity; defining prehistory; the development of archaeology as a scientific discipline Renfrew and Bahn Ch. 1
Week 2 Oct. 12th The (in)completeness of the archaeological record; what survives/what is left and preservation environments; site formation processes and taphonomy; the importance of context Renfrew and Bahn Ch. 2; Ember et al. Ch. 2
Week 3 Oct. 19th Field work: archaeological survey/reconnaissance and the process of excavation – locating sites and how we dig them Renfrew and Bahn Ch. 3; Ember et al. Ch. 2 Part 2: Primates and human evolution from early hominins to the first archaeological sites
Week 4 Oct. 26th Go ape! African roots: primatology; primate evolution; the human-chimpanzee last common ancestor (c. 6-9 mya); the basal/proto-hominins (c. 7-4 mya); What is a hominin and why did they emerge Feder Ch. 3; Ember et al. Chs. 7-8
Week 5 Nov. 2nd Dating early hominins and the radiation of the australopithecines, from anamensis to the megadonts (c. 4 to 2 mya); early hominin diversity in the changing world of the Pliocene Feder Ch. 3; Renfrew and Bahn Ch. 4; Ember et al. Ch. 9
Week 6 MIDTERM 1 (40%) Monday 9th Nov in C342, Celetná, 12:30-14:00 pm
Week 7 Nov. 16th No Lecture
Week 8 Nov. 23rd Origins of cultural behaviours and the beginning of the African Stone Age: The earliest stone tools (from c. 3.3 mya); who made them and what were they used for (experimental replication, butchery analysis, use-wear studies); hunters or scavengers (carcass access); meat availability and the expensive tissue hypothesis; early archaeological sites and what they may represent; the ‘human package’ delinked from Homo habilis (‘handy man’) Feder pp. 83- 88; Ember et al. Ch. 9 Part 3: Hominins go global! From Erectus to Behaviourally Modern Humans & the food producing revolution after the ice 4
Week 9 Nov. 30th Towards Modern Humans I (Lower to Middle Palaeolithic): Hominins go global; Homo erectus and archaic homo – the ‘muddle in the middle’; Homo floresiensis (‘the hobbits’); Homo naledi; Homo heidelbergensis; Glaciation – the world of ice Feder Ch. 4; Ember et al. Ch. 10
Week 10 Dec. 7th Toward Modern Humans II: Neanderthals, Denisovans, and the emergence of modern humans (350,000 – 40,000 ya) Feder Ch. 5; Ember et al. Ch. 10
Week 11 Dec. 14th Modern Humans and Behavioural Modernity: Symbolic expression and Upper Palaeolithic Art; the debated ‘Great Leap Forward’; expanding horizons; who were the first Americans and how did they get there; the megafauna extinction Feder Chs. 6; 7 (pp. 226- 243); Ember et al. Ch. 11
Week 12 No Lecture – Christmas Break Week 13 No Lecture – Christmas Break
Week 14 Jan 4th 2027 From food getters to food producers: plant and animal domestication (artificial selection) and the emergence of settled life; perspectives from SW Asia and the ‘New World’ Feder Ch.8; Ember et al. Ch. 12 FINAL EXAM (60%) January, TBA IMPORTANT DATES Start of classes Oct. 5th Midterm Nov. 9th Classes end Jan. 4th 2027 Final Exam TBA Poslední úprava: Šmidtová Renata, Ing. (29.09.2026)
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Communications I will maintain a course webpage on Moodle that contains the course syllabus and other relevant course materials, which will be updated as the course progresses. After each lecture, I will post the slides from that lecture on the webpage (note that some slides and images will be redacted). I welcome questions on course content in class and during office hours. If you choose to email me, please use your university account, provide your name in the email, be sure to note the course number (APA111093, APA555095) in the subject line, and please do not assume that your e-mail message has been received until it has been acknowledged. For privacy reasons, course-related correspondence should be sent from your official Charles University email account
TRUSTED WEB RESOURCES & USEFUL LINKS • Stay on top of the latest news from the Institute of Archaeology at Charles University: https://upa.ff.cuni.cz/en/ • The latest archaeological discoveries and headlines are available through Heritage Daily https://www.heritagedaily.com/; Archaeology Magazine https://archaeology.org/; and World Archaeology https://www.worldarchaeology.com/ • The Time Team YouTube Channel! Originally a highly popular British TV show filming three-day excavations presented by Sir Tony Robinson. Content now available on YouTube in addition to a weekly podcast available from wherever you get your podcasts: https://www.youtube.com/TimeTeamOfficial • The Leakey Foundation – a leading nonprofit dedicated to funding, supporting, and sharing the latest human evolution research: https://leakeyfoundation.org/about-us/ • The Smithsonian Institution leads several major excavations of key hominin sites (some of which we will be covering) and has some useful non-technical resources on human evolution: https://humanorigins.si.edu/research 5 • A ‘who’s who’ profile in the hominin fossil record from the Bradshaw Foundation: https://www.bradshawfoundation.com/origins/index.php • Sapiens of the Wenner Gren Foundation has a free archive of popular feature articles on archaeology and biological anthropology informed by leading experts with commentary on contemporary issues: https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/ • Journal of Human Evolution: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-ofhuman-evolution • The Human Earth Lab at Charles University: peoples, soils, and landscapes through time: https://humanearthlab.eu/en/index.htm Poslední úprava: Šmidtová Renata, Ing. (29.09.2026)
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