Archaeology is one of the most interdisciplinary fields at Carleton. In our courses you’ll meet terrific students—from many different majors—who believe in the importance of studying the past to understand the present and to make plans for a better future. Archaeology is the only discipline to focus explicitly on the material worlds of humanity, and how things have shaped human existence across the globe. It is also the primary means of studying the past for the vast majority of human history (the written word has been around for only about 5,000 years; by contrast, the earliest tools made by human ancestors’ date to about 2.6 million years ago).
Through the Archaeology Program, you can:
- Take courses that interest you and fulfill College distribution requirements;
- Complete a minor in Archaeology by taking courses on the material histories from all over the world (see minor link for the full range of Archaeology Pertinent courses);
- Connect to study abroad programs, local and international field schools, and a variety of other fieldwork opportunities, both through Carleton and elsewhere.
Archaeology courses at Carleton examine the human past through its material remains, situated in their wider cultural and environmental contexts. In course projects, students analyze and interpret artifacts, sites, landscapes, and other signs of past human behavior in a variety of ways, and focus also on the role of the past in the present. A variety of courses provides students with the flexibility to plan their own programs. In addition to Archaeology courses, several other departments offer classes that count toward the Archaeology minor; these include Classics, Geology, History, and Sociology & Anthropology.