BA Ancient History / Course details

The Iron Age of Britain and Ireland is famed for its fabulous objects adorned with Celtic art: swords, shields and cauldrons, torcs and horse-gear, as well as technological marvels such as the chariot. It has also given rise to some of the first ‘named’ individuals we know from later prehistory as it entered the world of Rome: Commius, Boudicca and Cartimandua. In this module we will explore the reality behind these myths, during this fascinating millennium (c. 800 BC-100 AD): the invention of smithing iron, the creation of the hillforts which still dominate our skylines, the fabulous hoards of weaponry and horse-gear buried in pits and rivers, and the burials through which we can explore the lives and deaths of some exceptional figures from the past. We will examine conflict and violence, feasting and craftwork, agricultural labour and the sacrifice of both people and things. We will also critically explore the concept of the Celts, and examine the stories that are told about them by ancient and modern authors, with a particular focus on museum exhibitions and the role that artefacts play in the past and the present.

As part of this module, students will be trained to report professionally on archaeological finds and will learn how to create an enaging visual representation of an artefact from the Iron Age. To support this assessment, we will be undertaking a fieldtrip with a ‘behind the scenes’ handling session and sketching workshop, to an iconic Iron Age exhibition (e.g. the British Museum).

The aims of this module are to:

• Introduce students to the chronology of the Iron Age;
• Raise awareness of the importance of technological inventions, social transformations and material phenomena which characterise this period;
• Develop critical awareness of how sites, finds and texts are used to tell different stories of the Iron Age past, particularly in a museum context.

By the end of this module, students will have:

• A grasp of the key archaeological signatures of the Iron Age in Britain Ireland: settlements, burials, hoards and artefacts;
• An understanding of the ways in which these features have been used to analyse the regionally distinctive character of society, and aspects of personhood and power;
• An ability to use Iron Age archaeological evidence to explore agricultural change, craft skill, violence and belief;
• An appreciation of the myths and stereotypes which have shaped our understanding of this period and the contribution of experimental archaeology and creative partnerships to produce more subtle stories of the past.

By the end of this module, students will be able to:

• Critically debate key themes relating to the Iron Age (seminars, essay);
• Analyse and assess comparative and contrastive information and offer informed interpretations based on personal research (essay, artefact report);
• Identify, research and present a short professional report on an Iron Age artefact (artefact report).   

By the end of this module, students will have developed:

• Enhanced research skills to locate and interrogate primary archaeological material (seminars, essay, artefact report);
• An ability to critically review and synthesise scholarship on the Iron Age (essay, seminars);
• Creative skills in reporting upon and illustrating Iron Age material culture (artefact report).

By the end of this module, students will have enhanced:

• Their ability to work well as part of a team (seminars, fieldtrip);
• Their ability to conduct and report upon independent, primary research (essay, artefact report);
• Skills of observation, recording and reporting upon novel data (artefact report).

Armit, I. 2005. (2^nd edition). Celtic Scotland: Iron Age Scotland in its European Context. London, Batsford.

Collis, J. 2003. The Celts. Origins, Myths and Inventions. Tempus, Stroud.

Cunliffe, B. 2018. The Ancient Celts (2^nd edition). Oxford, Oxford University Press.

Garrow, D. and Gosden, D. 2021. Technologies of Enchantment: Exploring Celtic Art. Oxford, Oxford University Press.

Giles, M. 2012. A forged glamour: landscape, identity and material culture in the Iron Age. Oxford, Windgather Press.

Giles, 2020. Bog Bodies: face to face with the past. Manchester, Manchester University Press.

James, S. 1999 The Atlantic Celts - Ancient Peoples or Modern Invention? British Museum Press, London

Raftery, B. 1994. Pagan Celtic Ireland. Thames and Hudson, London.