Archaeology

Information for New First Year Students

Our archaeology course offering present the student with a rich understanding of how archaeologists study and understand the human past, both locally and globally. Most of our research focus is on the archaeology of societies that lived in southern Africa within the last 2 000 years. Inside this period, we are specifically interested in the development of social complexity (how is political authority manifested, expanded and maintained), in interaction (how did societies interact, how was interactions controlled, manipulated and used, what were the consequences of interaction) and the management of our rich heritage.

The ultimate aim of the Archaeology at the University of Pretoria is a deeper understanding of the South African past and our present relationship to it - seeking to understand how processes of the past can enrich our experiences in the modern world.