Universities and Online Degrees Guide

University of the Witwatersrand

Bachelor of Arts in Archaeology

The Bachelor of Arts in Archaeology in Arts is offered by University of the Witwatersrand.

Program Length: 3 YEARS.

Bachelor of Arts in Archaeology offered by the University fo the Witwatersrand

Archaeology is the study of human history through material remains, such as stone tools, food residue, rock art, pottery, and settlement plans. First-year students study the biological evolution of man, man’s past as a hunter-gatherer, and the origins of farming and urbanisation.

Through archaeology, you are able to search out and examine artefacts to gain clues about how various peoples and cultures developed and changed through the ages. 

Archaeologists examine many kinds of evidence, from DNA to pyramids, in their attempt to interpret the past. However, not all artefacts survive - some perish, some break - some clues are misleading and others misunderstood. The course at Wits takes an in-depth look at the nature of the archaeological record. Broadly it covers the way in which sites are found and recorded, the different dating methods available to archaeologists, the preservation of organic and inorganic material, classification techniques and interpretation.

First-year students study the biological evolution of man, man’s past as a hunter-gatherer and the origins of farming and urbanisation.

Archaeology spans both the Sciences and the Social Sciences/Humanities and, as such, makes an excellent general subject for undergraduates majoring in other subjects in either the Faculty of Science or the Faculty of Humanities.