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Archaeology and Anthropology

Archaeology and Anthropology will no longer be offered as a tripos at the University from October 2013. Information on this page is being kept for reference only. Two new triposes will be offered by the University in place of Archaeology and Anthropology and Politics, Psychology and Sociology; these are the Human, Social and Political Sciences tripos and the Psychological and Behavioural Sciences tripos.

Fellows

• Dr Liliana Janik (Director of Studies, Archaeology and Anthropology Part I and Archaeology and Biological Anthroplogy Part II)
• Dr Simon Cohn (Director of Studies in Social Anthropology)

Details and statistics

• Number of students admitted per year (average over 2008-2010): 5
• Entry requirements: no specific A levels. Study of a modern or ancient language might be desirable for applicants wishing to study Egyptian or Akkadian language options within Archaeology but is not a requirement.
• Typical offer: A*AA
• Interview arrangements: usually 2 interviews; candidates are sent a reading list before the interviews and take an aptitude test based on this reading list. No detailed prior knowledge of archaeology or anthropology is required, but candidates are expected to show interest and commitment, and to explain why they have chosen this course.
• Course details: these can be obtained from the Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology website.

Archaeology and Anthropology at Girton

Girton has a larger number of Archaeology and Anthropology students (around 20–25) than most other Cambridge Colleges, and this provides the setting for active and lively discussions. What might be considered a small subject at other Colleges is a particularly significant one at Girton.

In the first year supervisions are held in College and the student group (of 6 or 7 students) is encouraged to work together. In the second and third year, students choose between one of the three main options and most of the teaching is based at the Faculty building on the Downing Site in the centre of Cambridge; but the College continues to play a vital supportive role through the work of the Directors of Studies and the well-stocked library. The College library reflects the importance of Archaeology and Anthropology at Girton and has a wide range of relevant books including all the standard texts. This takes pressure off the heavily-subscribed Faculty Library in the centre of town.

The Archaeology and Anthropology Tripos

The Archaeology and Anthropology Tripos offers a broad-based study of what it is to be human, and how we have become so. The Tripos is divided into three separate subjects: Archaeology (the study of the human past from material remains); Biological Anthropology (the study of human evolution and adaptation); and Social Anthropology (the study of other cultures). Archaeology differs from history in delving much more deeply into the past: far beyond the invention of writing (a mere 5000 years ago) to the origins of humans on the African savanna grasslands some 2.5 million years ago. Here it links up with Biological Anthropology which studies the evolution of humans from fossil evidence and modern techniques of genetic analysis. Social Anthropology approaches the question of being human through the diversity of societies and their beliefs and practices, drawing not only on classic ethnographies of traditional societies in Africa or Polynesia but also on issues of contemporary ethnicity and the impact of change.