Archaeology fascinates people of all age groups as it offers information on how people lived in the past and how they interacted with the environment. At the same time, it encompasses myths, riddles and hidden treasures. However, the perception that archaeology is only about digging up treasures is outdated. Modern archaeological research is highly interdisciplinary. Close cooperation between natural, life and social scientists as well as engineers is indispensable to investigate the roots of social, environmental and cultural phenomena, resulting in a better understanding of contemporary challenges and crises of our society. All these aspects form an excellent basis for including archaeology in school education.

Together with Kiel Science Factory (link), ROOTS set up an archaeological lab for school students: the archaeo:lab. The current program focusses on basic human needs, such as housing, clothing, food and social interactions, during the Stone and Bronze Age and includes aspects of human-landscape-interactions. The archaeo:lab program, developed alongside research methods and results of ROOTS, aims to offer the students an authentic insight into archaeological research. It has a modular structure and focuses on inquiry-based learning. An important feature of the school program is the distinction between knowledge and speculation which is emphasized in all modules. The visiting school classes spend a whole school day at the archaeo:lab. 

After a general introduction into Prehistory, the students investigate an outline of a Neolithic house, printed on a large tarpaulin. They map soils discolorations such as post pits, remains of wall ditches and a fire place. In the next step, they use their maps to discuss the possible appearance of the house as well as the function of the different rooms and draw comparisons with housing today. Another module deals with clothing. Here, the students learn about different natural fibers used for clothing production during the Neolithic, and how clothes were produced. Students can dye different fabrics using natural substances. The next module is concerned with nutrition. The students receive samples from a fictitious Neolithic fireplace and use floatation to separate the botanical remains from soil and ash. In the next step, they employ simplified identification keys to identify their findings under a binocular. The students reflect upon the rather restricted dietary options during the Neolithic, compare it with their own nutrition and discuss the point at which certain foodstuffs became available in Northern Germany. The module “social interaction” is concerned with ceramic shards. The students get samples from different archaeological sites and separate the shards from the soil. They sort and draw the shards and compare their shapes and patterns. As some patterns have been regionally restricted during the Neolithic, they can be used for revealing and discussing interactions between people from different regions. The fifth module focuses on the landscape the people lived in during the Neolithic. The students receive microscopic slides with pollen samples from fictitious Neolithic landscapes. Using a simple identification key, they identify the different plant species the samples contain. Based on the composition, the students infer the landscape types and discuss what the landscape might have looked like during the Stone Age and the implications it might have had for the peoples’ lives.

This program has been developed for students from 5th to 7th grade. During the project LeaP@CAU, parts of the program were pretested with teachers. It is currently adapted and expanded for other age groups. In the medium term, the IPN will carry out research to investigate the effect of the archaeological programs on students’ perception and knowledge of archaeological research. In connection to the educational concept of the archaeo:lab, a PhD project by David Hölscher (link) is running at the Kiel Science Outreach Campus (KISOC). It deals with the development, testing and evaluation of a digital guide to an archaeological landscape in Eastern Holstein.  

The archaeo:lab will open as soon as the SARS-CoV-2 hygiene restrictions will allow.

An article on the archaeo:lab apperead on the Uni-Zeit #106, see here

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Contact:

archaeo:lab @ Kiel Science Factory
Katrin Schöps
phone: 0431-880 5912
email: schoeps@ipn.uni-kiel.de

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Project by

Walter Dörfler wdoerfler@ufg.uni-kiel.de
Ilka Parchmann parchmann@ipn.uni-kiel.de
Katrin Schöps schoeps@ipn.uni-kiel.de