Archaeology University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

Overview

Key facts

University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg's Archaeology is the study of the human past through the analysis of material culture and other physical remains. Our research and teaching covers the whole temporal spectrum from the Early Stone Age to the historical past, and includes excavation archaeology and rock art studies.

Archaeology can be taken as a major subject within a BSc degree or a BA degree. 

Fields focussed on the analysis of archaeological remains, such as archaeofaunal, archaeobotanical and geoarchaeolgical analyses resonates with subjects in Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, and the GeoSciences.  

The vast time range of archaeology, which effectively covers the last 8 Million years in Africa, makes it an ideal companion subject for anyone pursuing the study of environmental change or human history.

It provides a general background to more modern historical topics as well as being a supplement to archival-based historical research for the last 500 years. It is also an excellent companion to anthropology because it offers insights into the different cultural systems of the past.