Short course
World Archaeology
Course status:
Applications being accepted
Location:
Online
Dates:
14/09/2026 - 23/11/2026
Study format:
Online - live
Fees:
£430.00
This course provides a global perspective on the origins and development of past societies across the world including the well-studied civilisations of Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, Mesoamerica, The Mediterranean, and the Indus Valley, empires and kingdoms of sub-Saharan Africa, chiefdoms societies of Polynesia, and many more. When and how did these societies emerge and how come some of them faded into the distant past?
We explore a different geographical region every week, each time setting the scene with information on climate, the environment, and human migration patterns at the end of the Pleistocene era as the world emerged from the last glacial phase of the ice age. This period was characterised by melting ice sheets, warming temperatures and dramatic sea level rises. This was a critical phase of human history with precursors to agricultural societies emerging in some regions including in southwest Asia as exemplified by the enigmatic site of Göbekli Tepe, Turkey. At the start of the Holocene era 11,700 years ago the climate warmed significantly and we see clear evidence for the domestication of a range of plants and animals. After existing as small, mobile, hunter-foragers societies for millions of years, human agricultural societies emerged. We ask: when and where did they appear, did they emerge independently in different regions, how did agriculture spread, and what impact did it have upon people and society?
The development of agriculture is a fundamental reason for why many societies began to aggregate into villages, towns and then cities. Agriculture enabled the production of large amounts of food, which could then be stored. People became sedentary. A food surplus enabled economic, cultural and technological innovations to occur, such as pottery production, large scale architecture and the development of irrigation. Hierarchically organised societies formed as management systems became more complex leading in some instances to state formation, territories and empires. As we explore the different geographical regions we encounter a range of belief systems, funerary practices, evidence of writing, languages, art, sophisticating trading networks, large-scale warfare, and societal collapse.
World Archaeology is a fast-moving and inspiring subject that explores the richness of past human cultural diversity. The course will provide you with an array of information on the latest archaeological discoveries from around the world and on the newest scientific advances being applied in areas such as genetics, isotopes, radiometric dating, and satellite imagery analyses. However, many questions and mysteries still remain, which we will discuss each week. We also engage in themes such as the legacy of imperialism, colonialism, and slavery, the repatriation of human remains and material culture, environmental change, societal collapse, and consider how appreciation of our rich and diverse cultural past can be a source of hope for humanity in the future.
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Book your place online using the button below.
Programme details
This course begins on the 14 Sep 2026, which is when course materials are made available to students. Students should study these materials in advance of the first live meeting, which will be held on 21 Sep 2026, 16:00-17:00 (UK time).
Week 1: Course concepts and agriculture and state formation in Southwest Asia
Week 2: The emergence of Ancient Egypt on the Nile river
Week 3: The Indus Valley Civilisation of South Asia
Week 4: Prehistoric Europe and Mediterranean/Near Eastern states and empires
Week 5: Kingdoms and empires of Sub-Saharan Africa
Week 6: The Indo-European enigma and the Indian Ocean World
Week 7: Ancient East Asia from the Neolithic to Unification in China
Week 8: Food production and complex societal development in the Americas
Week 9: Polynesians and the remarkable colonisation of the Pacific
Week 10: Colonisation and Imperialism: the development of the modern world
Level and demands
This course is open to all, and no prior knowledge is required.
This course is offered at FHEQ level 4 (first year undergraduate level), and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours.
English Language Requirements
We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but we warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements, please see here.
Course aims
- To explore societal and cultural development around the world using the latest archaeological methods, perspectives and discoveries.
- Describe and explain the origins of agriculture and the domestication of plants and animals, and what impact this seminal development had upon human societies.
- When do we first see evidence for the development of social hierarchies in early societies? We examine themes such as burial differentiation, monumental architecture, the emergence of communal storage, the appearance of administrative buildings such as temples, writing, warfare, trade, and urbanism.
- Did early societies develop independently? What similar trends can we identify in them, and what makes them unique?
- Reflect upon how the examination of past societies is highly relevant today, with colonialism and imperialism, repatriation of human remains and material culture, and human responses to environmental change all major issues in our world.
IT requirements
Any standard web browser can be used to access course materials on our virtual learning environment, but we recommend Google Chrome. We also recommend that students join the live webinars on Microsoft Teams using a laptop or desktop computer rather than a phone or tablet due to the limited functionality of the app on these devices.
Programme details
This course begins on the 14 Sep 2026, which is when course materials are made available to students. Students should study these materials in advance of the first live meeting, which will be held on 21 Sep 2026, 16:00-17:00 (UK time).
Week 1: Course concepts and agriculture and state formation in Southwest Asia
Week 2: The emergence of Ancient Egypt on the Nile river
Week 3: The Indus Valley Civilisation of South Asia
Week 4: Prehistoric Europe and Mediterranean/Near Eastern states and empires
Week 5: Kingdoms and empires of Sub-Saharan Africa
Week 6: The Indo-European enigma and the Indian Ocean World
Week 7: Ancient East Asia from the Neolithic to Unification in China
Week 8: Food production and complex societal development in the Americas
Week 9: Polynesians and the remarkable colonisation of the Pacific
Week 10: Colonisation and Imperialism: the development of the modern world
Teaching methods
This course takes place over 10 weeks, with a weekly learning schedule and weekly live webinar held on Microsoft Teams. Shortly before a course commences, students are provided with access to an online virtual learning environment, which houses the course content, including video lectures, complemented by readings or other study materials. Working through these materials over the course of the week will prepare students for a weekly 1-hour live webinar you will share with your expert tutor and fellow students. All courses are structured to amount to 100 study hours, so that on average, you should set aside 10 hours a week for study. Although the course finishes after 10 weeks, all learning materials remain available to all students for 12 months after the course has finished.
All courses are led by an expert tutor. Tutors guide students through the course materials as part of the live interactions during the weekly webinars. Tutors will also provide individualised feedback on your assignments. All online courses are taught in small student cohorts so that you and your peers will form a mutually supportive and vibrant learning community for the duration of the course. You will learn from your fellow students as well as from your tutor, and they will learn from you.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course students will be expected to:
- describe the origins of a range of cultural traditions around the world drawing on the latest archaeological discoveries;
- develop an appreciation of how advances in archaeological science are transforming our understanding of past societies;
- present a comprehensive review of specified themes/controversies for the purpose of academic discussion and debate.
Assessment methods
You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first 500 words are due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.
Dr Richard Jennings
Richard is a Reader in Archaeology and Programme Leader of Human Evolution and Behaviour BSc at Liverpool John Moores University. He completed a D.Phil. at Oxford University on the Neanderthals of Southern Iberia and has also undertaken palaeolithic archaeological fieldwork projects in North Africa, the Caucasus, Arabia, the UK and in Ireland. He is passionate about human evolution and is excited about the question, what makes us human?
Assessment methods
You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first 500 words are due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.
Level and demands
This course is open to all, and no prior knowledge is required.
This course is offered at FHEQ level 4 (first year undergraduate level), and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours.
English Language Requirements
We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but we warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements, please see here.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course Fee | £430.00 |
Please use the ‘Book now’ button on this page.
