Archaeology Undergraduate Program

As a discipline, Archaeology involves understanding the past through the recovery, analysis, and interpretation of the material remains of human activities. As a concentration, the Archaeology Program in the Department of Anthropology provides students with opportunities to actively pursue field-, laboratory-, and museum-based research and learning. Because Archaeology is at the nexus of the Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Humanities, its practice is truly multidisciplinary. As such it encourages the development of unique analytical and critical skills that are assets to the pursuit of careers in health care, law, business, information technology, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and the private sector as well as in academia.


The concentration offers:
• Accessible faculty with diverse and world-wide research interests
• The chance to make unique contributions to our understanding of the multiplicity of the human past and how it relates to the present human condition
• A flexible course of study that ensures both breadth and depth of learning and training in archaeological methods
• Academic year and summer fieldwork possibilities in the USA and abroad
• Opportunities to work directly with Peabody Museum collections and staff and to participate in the design and mounting of exhibits
• Encouragement to study abroad while earning concentration credit
• A thesis honors track in which students formulate and conduct projects with guidance from archaeology faculty and Peabody Museum curators

Areas of study include:
Past complex societies of Latin America (esp. the Maya; peoples of the Valley of Mexico; Moche and Inka of western South America) and Asia (esp. the Near East, Central Asia, India/Pakistan, and China); North American archaeology (esp. the period of early Anglo-Spanish contact); past ideologies and the development of writing systems; the evolution of modern human behavior and the origins of agriculture; ancient landscapes using Geographic Information Systems; Archaeological science including the laboratory analysis and characterization of physical and biological materials.

The Archaeology Program of the Department of Anthropology encourages its concentrators to take advantage of the opportunity to study abroad while at Harvard. Interested students should consult the FAS International Programs website and contact the Archaeology Head Tutor or the Undergraduate Program Coordinator.

• Information on Secondary Field in Archaeology
• Annual Fall Letter to Archaeology Concentrator 2011


Archaeology Undergraduate Concentration Requirements 2011-12

- Concentration Spread Sheet
An "at a glace" view of the requirements for the archaeology concentration with and without honors, a joint concentration between archaeology and another field, a combined concentration with social anthropology, and the secondary field in archaeology.

- Archaeology Concentration Worksheet
Lists the requirements for Archaeology as a fillable pdf to help you plan your program.

- Archaeology Concentration Requirements
Lists the courses that fulfill various categories listed on the concentration worksheets, updated for 2011-2012.

- Combined Social Anthropology/Archaeology worksheet
Lists the requirements for a combined concentration within Anthropology as a fillable pdf to help you plan your program.

- Joint Concentration: Archaeology and another Department

Forms for the Archaeology concentration and for independent study courses in Archaeology:
- A91xr Supervised Reading and Research in Archaeology
- A92xr Research Methods in Museum Collections Enrollment Application Form
- A98xb Individual Tutorial for Archaeology Honors Concentrators (for Juniors)
- A99x Statement of Intent for Honors in Archaeology (for Seniors)

Revised: 6-September-2011