Prehistory Communities Palaeoecology

Introduce students to the problems of human adaptation to the environment along the Prehistory, as well as its ability to transform it.

Emphasize the value of interdisciplinarity in addressing the study of the environment and the relations with this of human societies over time.

Establish the dialectical nature of the relationship between human societies and the environment, as well as the changes that take place in that relationship.

The environment as a dynamic system.
The reconstruction of the past: geoarchaeology and preterit landscapes. The formation of the archaeological sites.
The reconstruction of the environment: paleobiological aspects (archaeobotany and zooarchaeology).
The environment and human societies, processes of mutual interaction: adaptation to- and transformation of the environment.

Baker, P., Worley, F. (2019). Animal Bones and Archaeology: Recovery to Archive. Historic England. https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/animal-bones-a…
Butzer, K. W. (1989). Arqueología, una ecología del hombre: método y teoría para un enfoque contextual. Barcelona, Ed. Bellaterra.
Buxó, R., Piqué, R. (2008). Arqueobotánica: los usos de las plantas en la Península Ibérica. Barcelona, Ed. Ariel.
Campbell, G., Moffett, L., Straker, V. (2011). Environmental Archaeology: a guide to the theory and practice of methods, from sampling and recovery to post-excavation. English Heritage.
https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/environmental-…
Cubas, M. (2020). ¿Qué nos cuentan las biomoléculas sobre el pasado? El análisis de lípidos y el estudio de la funcionalidad cerámica. https://youtu.be/huTUCY4e8NE
Chaix, L. Meniel, P. (2005). Manual de arqueozoología. Barcelona, Ed. Crítica.
De La Calle Valverde, J. (2011). El gesto analógico. Una revisión de las ‘técnicas del cuerpo’ de Marcel Mauss. Revista Latinoamericana de Estudios sobre Cuerpos, Emociones y Sociedad - RELACES. 7, pp. 75-87.
http://www.relaces.com.ar/index.php/relaces/article/view/126/107
Díaz, S. (2020). Aproximación a los modos de vida y muerte de las poblaciones prehistóricas a partir de la Antropología física. https://youtu.be/CEf12frG14E
Jacomet, S. (2006). Identification of cereal remains from archaeological sites. Basel University, Basel. https://duw.unibas.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/duw/IPNA/PDF_s/PDF_s_in_use…
Lema, V. C., Archila, S. C., Giovannetti, M. C. (2008). Arqueobotánica y teoría arqueológica. Discusiones desde Suramérica. Uniandes. http://atlas.umss.edu.bo:8080/jspui/handle/123456789/795
Margariti, Ch (2019). FIBRANET database, https://netlearning.gr/fibranet/
Martín-Seijo, M.; Rico Rey, A.; Teira Brión, A.; Picón Platas, I.; García González, I.; Abad Vidal, E. (2010). Guía de Arqueobotánica. pp. 1 - 122. Santiago de Compostela: Xunta de Galicia. https://www.cultura.gal/sites/default/files/documents/publicacion/Guia_…
Martin-Seijo, M (2020). ¿No hay más leña que la que arde? Antracología aplicada a contextos Prehistóricos. Red Colaborativa de Excelencia Docente mediante Clases Magistrales en la Red. Universidad de Valladolid.
https://youtu.be/MVqZxh2_S2I
Peña-Chocarro, L. (2020). Los recursos vegetales en Arqueología: semillas y frutos. Red Colaborativa de Excelencia Docente mediante Clases Magistrales en la Red. Universidad de Valladolid.
https://youtu.be/gTKTkmHH1Qc
Renfrew, C.E., Bahn, P. (2012). Arqueología. Teorías, Métodos y Práctica. Madrid: Ed. Akal.
Schiffer, M. B. (1987). Formation processes of the archaeological record. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press.
Schoch, W., Heller, I., Schweingruber, F.H., Kienast,F., (2004). Wood anatomy of central European Species. www.woodanatomy.ch
Schweingruber, F. H., & Börner, A. (2018). The plant stem: a microscopic aspect. Springer. https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319735238
Skeates, R., Day, J. (Eds.). (2019).The Routledge Ha

Skills and learning outcomes
Understanding the relevance of the environment in the evolution of human societies.
Become familiar with environmental and archaeological disciplines that affect the reconstruction of a palaeoecological approach to human societies.
To value the importance of interdisciplinarity when dealing with the integral study of the human past.

Lectures:
They will have the classic format of exposition of contents. Students will prepare personal notes from taking notes in the classroom, compulsorily supplemented with at least one reading for each of the topics, from the complementary bibliography offered in the classroom, or with a free choice always attending to scientific criteria.
Interactive classes:
In order to think meteorologically about the syntheses worked in the expository classes, it is intended to have a practical impact on the procedures that lead to such syntheses. The procedure will consist of an individual practical work based on material evidence delivered at the beginning of the interactive classes, referring to the Iberian Peninsula, which will serve as a common thread for the constructive process of information by the students. The presentiality of the interactive will have two categories: in the laboratory and in autonomous work.
Subjects:
- archaeological evidence. Primary treatment (description, drawing, photography)
- Interpretation of the evidence (technological, functional, chronological, territorial, social, economic, symbolic)
- Exhibition / debate
- delivery of the file of the archaeological evidence worked (through the Virtual Classroom).

Field trip:
A mandatory visit will be scheduled to the Museo de Historia Natural, USC.

ESSAY (7 points): All topics covered must be prepared and developed individually by the student. On the official date, time, and location of the exam, the student will submit the topic requested by the responsible professor. Personal effort, incorporation of additional readings, level of understanding achieved, and correct use of technical vocabulary will be assessed. Mechanical repetition of the classroom content and collective preparation of notes will be penalized. The project must be agreed upon with the professor in charge, NO LATER THAN OCTOBER 1, 2024

MANDATORY REPORT (3 points): Evaluation will depend on the originality of the work, proper use of sources, and the use of bibliography in English or another foreign language. It must be submitted by the student through the Virtual Classroom by the official exam date, as the deadline. The oral presentation of the work’s content should last a maximum of 15 minutes, on a previously agreed date and time. The ability to summarize and the formal aspects of the presentation will be positively evaluated.

GRADES

FOR THE FIRST ATTEMPT: The final grade will be the sum of the scores obtained in each section, with the following conditions:

Failure to submit the topic or the written work will result in a grade of "Not Submitted."
A minimum score of 3.5 points on the topic developed from the course material and 1.5 points on the optional work is required to sum the scores obtained. If the minimum score is not achieved in either section, the grade will be "Fail."
FOR THE SECOND ATTEMPT: The student must submit the section or sections that were not submitted or did not achieve the necessary grade, under the same conditions as the first opportunity, and must submit a report on practices equivalent to those carried out in class.

IN CASE OF OFFICIAL EXEMPTION: The evaluation will consist of a written exam (7 points) on a previously agreed bibliography, and a project equivalent to the interactive classes (3 points). The project must be agreed upon with the professor in charge, NO LATER THAN OCTOBER 1, 2024

Teaching activities of an expositive nature: 32 hours
Seminar interactive teaching activities in groups: 16 hours
Tutorials: 2 hours
Student Work: 70 hours
Total: 120 hours

Combinar la asistencia y participación en las clases teóricas y prácticas con el estudio personal, procurando llevar la materia al día.
Es recomendable el manejo funcional de alguna de las principales lenguas extranjeras

In the case of academic fraud defined in article 42 of the USC Coexistence Law of March 2023, the sanctions provided for in article 11 of plagiarism in academic works or exams or non-consensual use of Artificial Intelligence tools will be applied.