Archaeology AS Level

Archaeology AS Level
Students will study key themes in Archaeology in a dynamic and exciting teaching environment. There will be practical discovery and excavation of sites alongside an in-depth look at belief systems and ritual from either prehistoric Europe or the Roman world.

What does the course involve?
Archaeology is a fascinating subject that incorporates a variety of interests and skills relating to geography, history, geology, biology, chemistry, maths, sociology and anthropology.

Students will learn how archaeologists discover, excavate and analyse sites with emphasis on practicality and using the latest hi-tech equipment. Surveying, using resistivity meters and theodolites, metal-detecting, field-walking and excavation will all be practically explored.

There will be many opportunites to visit sites during the numerous field-trips which form an integral part of the course; previous locations have included Orkney, Ireland and Northumbria and in 2008 we will visit the Bay of Naples. Numerous day-trips supplement the Religion and Ritual unit, notably Avebury and Stonehenge.

The specialist teaching team maintain an ethos where a hands-on approach is essential to the understanding and appreciation of this exciting subject and extra-curricular activities are a hugely successful element in this respect. Experimental Archaeology is a growing interest of our own Archaeological Society and last year students designed and constructed their own full-size trebuchet. Our excellent results back up the effectiveness of this approach.

What will I study?
Units 1 and 2 run concurrently through the academic year: Unit 1 - The Archaeology of Religion and Ritual. Including belief systems and related activities, mortuary practices and their related structures, religious beliefs and ritual practices and ritual locations and specific structures.

Unit 2 - Archaeological Skills and Methods. Including discovering and recording sites and landscapes, archaeological excavation - rationale, processes and on-site recovery techniques - and post-excavation dating and site interpretation.

How is the course assessed?

• Examination at the end of the course

What else do I need to know?
Note on costs
Students may need certain pieces of equipment which they provide on a voluntary basis (trowels and similar). There will also be field trips which students will be expected to attend at their own expense.

What other costs are there?
Supplementary Costs
Band B (£50 - £150)

Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need any previous archaeological experience?
No, no previous experience is required.

Do I need to have GCSE History?
It can be useful, but this is in fact an excellent opportunity to learn new skills and study something you cannot study at school.

Is excavation involved?
We try to organise an excavation every year and have links to other academic institutions for placements during the summer.
Exam Board = AQA

This information is believed to be correct. Cirencester College continually updates and reviews its provision to ensure that it meets the needs of the community. Therefore the right to amend, change or delete learning programmes, accreditation routes or terms and conditions relating to entitlement to study is reserved at all times. We aim to provide open access to a comprehensive range of high quality education and training for the whole community over the age of 16 regardless of race, class, belief, language, gender, sexual orientation, disability, previous educational attainment or particular circumstances.

Entry Requirements

You will need grade C in FIVE of the following (inc. short GCSEs) : English Language or Literature/Humanities (History,Geography,RS,Sociology,Psychology)/Business/Science (Core and Additional OR triple)/Maths/Foreign Language - If that does not include GCSE English Language, you must take this course at college and achieve a C to progress to A2.
You must achieve a grade C in any GCSE taken which is directly related to this AS level unless a higher grade is specified.