Course: Hadrian's Wall - Life on the Frontier

Free online course from Newcastle University starting 15th June!

From the website: "This six week course offers a comprehensive introduction to Hadrian’s Wall and its people and raises fascinating issues concerning colonisation, cultural transformation, immigration, integration and imperialism. We will explore life in the region before the construction of the Wall, the arrival of the Roman army and its impact on the local population. Detailed case studies will consider the different features of the Wall and its surroundings, considering the way in which the frontier system evolved throughout the Roman period. The changing face of both the Roman army and indigenous populations is richly illuminated through archaeological finds and reconstructions. To appreciate the range and character of native people, soldiers’ families, slaves, merchants and migrants, we will examine their homes, dress, diet, rituals and religious beliefs.

Drawing on the very latest research, we will investigate how archaeologists interpret evidence, considering:

• the factors that determine the survival of evidence
• the different methods of archaeological prospection used to detect settlement locations and better understand their organisation
• the planning of archaeological projects
• excavation techniques
• and the detailed study of structures and artefacts.

As part of the course you can test your understanding of these methods with real case studies and participate in a series of archaeological experiments designed to help you appreciate the complexities of daily life on Rome’s most famous frontier."

Comment: Online course about Hadrian's Wall: Life on the Roman Frontier

A friend drew my attention to a free online course, which apparently mentions Ravenglass at some point! The course is called: Hadrian's Wall: Life on the Roman Frontier - Explore the archaeology of the most heavily fortified frontier in the Roman Empire, its people and their lives.

The course started on 22nd September, so is now in its third week, but you can still sign up and catch up with everyone else. It is run by Newcastle University, and one James Gerrard, who came and scanned the Bath house at Ravenglass, also appears talking about pottery!

From a quick look at the first couple of weeks, besides looking at the Wall, it also considers the general background to the Roman army, and also the civilians who would have been around too.  So it's not just about Hadrian's Wall, it also serves as a great introduction to the sort of Romans who may have also been at Ravenglass.  It's well worth at look at can be found here.

Course: Archaeology's Dirty Little Secrets

Archaeology's Dirty Little Secrets is a FREE online course run by Coursera.  Archaeology's Dirty Little Secrets is a MOOC, which is a Massive Open Online Course.

Here's the blurb for the course:  

In this class, we will ask and answer a series of questions about the role and practice of archaeology in the world today. If archaeologists are trained to investigate the past, what is left for us to study? Who gets to be an archaeologist? How and why do archaeologists hunt for “treasures”, and what do we do once we’ve discovered them? What can we know, and not know, about people in the past? What do archaeologists know about the past that most people would never guess – and why aren’t we telling you? Why are people entirely willing to murder each other over the fate of archaeological sites? Are Real Men alone capable of discovering the truth behind all this? 

Archaeology famously involves getting dirty in the line of duty. Students will experience its hands-on nature, through the use of numerous exercises and archaeological case studies. But there are other ‘dirty little secrets’ to learn about the field: not least how the stories archaeologists tell about the past have been used and abused, for purposes both good and bad. Our goal by the end of the course is to have you ‘thinking like an archaeologist’ and fully aware of the often-fraught politics of doing archaeology around the globe. 

Course Syllabus 
Unit #1: Just what are these secrets anyway? 
Unit #2: What has survived for us to find? And what have we lost?
Unit #3: So how do you find things? Archaeology ≠ just digging 
Unit #4: How do you get a date? (And why are dates so important?) 
Unit #5: What do you do with what you find? 
Unit #6: What is involved in the archaeology of people? 
Unit #7: Where does archaeology happen? Who can play? 
Unit #8: Who owns the past?  

Recommended Background Absolutely no prerequisites. Just be curious.

To accompany the course, there are Facebook (www.facebook.com/archsecrets) and Twitter pages (twitter.com/archsecrets)  if you want to interact further.

Check out further details about the course here. They also do courses on Roman Architecture and a host of other subjects including history and science and much more, so check out their course database.

Why not give it a try?