Aims of the course
1. To offer a broadly chronological survey of Stonehenge and its environs between 7500 BC-450 AD.
2. To enable participants to place their own research interests within the broader context of developments in human society/culture since the end of the last Ice Age.
3. For participants to be able to assess mid to late Mesolithic and early Neolithic uses of the landscape in relation to the agricultural revolution in the Salisbury landscape.
Course content overview
The research work undertaken by my team in and around Blick Mead indicates that a significant
gap in our knowledge of the Stonehenge landscape’s ‘backstory is in the process of being filled. The course content will provide an opportunity to explore mid to late Mesolithic uses of the Salisbury Plain area in the area and possible adaption of various ‘domestication’ traditions.
The course will also examine the early to mid Neolithic monumentalisation of the area in relation to pastoral farming – in particular The Coneybury Anomaly, the Cursus, Long Barrows and the first phases of Stonehenge. It will go on to examine the uses of the landscape in its Bronze and Iron Age phases and across the Romano-British period.
The course will discuss the ‘big questions’ about Stonehenge and its landscape from just after the Ice Age to the end of the Romano-British period - What was it for? Where did the people come from who first used the landscape in the Mesolithic and who later built and used the Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments and lived amongst them in later times?
Teaching Week 1: Early post-glacial occupation of Salisbury Plain (the hunter-gatherers) c. 8500-4000 BC
By studying this week participants should have:
- Been enabled to place their own research interests within the broader context of developments in human society/culture from the end of the last Ice Age to the advent of farming c. 4000BC.
Teaching Week 2: Early to Middle Neolithic settlement patterns on Salisbury Plain (the first famers) c. 4000-3400 BC
By studying this week participants should have:
- Been able to place their own research interests within the broader context of developments in human society/culture from the end of the hunter gatherer period (Mesolithic) to the first farmers who built the first monuments in the Salisbury Plain landscape c. 4000 -3400 BC.
Teaching Week 3: The later Neolithic (Stonehenge pahses I-III) c. 3200-2500 BC
By studying this week participants should have:
- To be able to place their own research interests within the broader context of developments in human society/culture from the later Neolithic (Stonehenge Phase I) to the late Neolithic (Stonehenge Phase III) c. 3200 -2500 BC.
Teaching Week 4: Early Bronze to Late Bronze Age uses of the Stonehenge landscape, c. 2450-900 BC
By studying this week participants should have:
- To be able to place their own research interests within the broader context of developments in human society/culture from the early Bronze Age (Stonehenge Phase IV) to the late Bronze Age c. 2450 -900 BC.
Teaching Week 5: Iron Age and Romano British uses of the Stonehenge landscape, c. 800 BC-450 AD
By studying this week the students should have:
- To be able to place their own research interests within the broader context of developments in human society/culture from the Iron Age through the Roman -British period c. 800 BC-450 AD.
Schedule (this course is completed entirely online)
Orientation Week : 24-30 May 2021
Teaching Weeks: 31 May-4 July 2021
Feedback Week: 5-11 July 2021
Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours reading material, etc., although this will vary from person to person.
While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material).
Virtual Learning Environment
Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (discussion boards etc).
Certificate of participation
A Certificate of Participation will be awarded to participants who contribute constructively to weekly discussions and exercises/assignments for the duration of the course.
What our students say:
"I have enjoyed the course immensely. I have widened my knowledge and curiosity thanks to so many interesting perpectives and insights. I have a better understanding of the big picture about the Stonehenge landscape through time and also an improved knowledge about single aspects and places. This will help me in choosing which aspects to explore next."
"It has been a great experience which I hope to repeat again."
