Archaeology

About The Course

Quick Details

Uncovering the past - recent news

UWA archaeologists working with the Murujuga Land and Sea Unit Rangers recently found an engraved depiction of a single-masted sailing ship in a petroglyph site in the Dampier Archipelago. This discovery sheds light on early European encounters in the Pilbara. Meanwhile, UWA’s Professor Alistair Paterson is the Chief Investigator on the ARC Linkage Project ‘Shipwrecks of the Roaring 40s: A maritime archaeological reassessment of some of Australia’s earliest shipwrecks’, which won the 2019 Museums and Galleries National Award for research for Partner Organisation WA Museum.  

Other projects such as the ‘Kimberley Visions: rock art style provinces of North Australia', find documents and manage new archaeological sites in partnership with Aboriginal, government and funding agencies.   

Fieldwork opportunities for archaeology students

Zane Blunt

This is Zane. Zane began his Archaeology Honours degree this year following his Bachelor of Arts course, majoring in history and archaeology. 

Zane first discovered his passion for archaeology by watching Indiana Jones movies as a kid. It wasn't until much later that he realised what he had fallen in love with was, in fact, the study of archaeology.

"I had originally set out to become a history teacher when I started my undergrad and only took anthropology because it seemed interesting. I remember doing the readings for the very first unit, 'Introduction to Archaeology', and having a 'light bulb' moment of  'this is it, this is the thing I have been searching for'. I had always loved archaeology but I didn't know what it was or that it was something that could become a career."

As part of his honours project, Zane has travelled to the Dampier Archipelago to investigate how people responded to sea-level rise in that area over 10,000 years ago.

"The great thing about archaeology is that it combines so many of the sciences into a cohesive way of understanding past human behaviours."

For his honours project, Zane tested for plant fibres and blood on artefacts with techniques borrowed from biology and examined the elemental makeup of stone tools using specialist geology hardware and techniques. 

"Working with the archaeology department here at UWA has changed my life. We are so lucky to have some of the best archaeologists in the world here, and they have been nothing but supportive and encouraging throughout my degree."

"Archaeology isn't just about understanding the past. Archaeologists also work closely with Traditional Owners to help preserve and document some of the oldest and richest cultural practices and materials on Earth, and to help the stories of Australia's Indigenous people be heard."

Interested in Archaeology Honours? Visit, handbooks.uwa.edu.au/undergraduate/honoursdetails?code=HON-ARCGY

 

Put theory into practice

Why take a second major

• Expand your skills - Taking a second major either in a complementary area or in something like Economics or Business Law will show you have developed skills such as, teamwork, critical thinking, digital literacy and presentation skills – which are highly sought after in the workforce.
• Add it to your resume – Employers are looking for graduates who have skills in a variety of areas. Two majors will expand your career prospects and help you stand out amongst the crowd.
• Study your passion alongside your interests – Do you love Marketing? Law? History of Art? Pursue a career while studying something else you love! Your second major can be from any other faculty across the university.
• No additional time – Choosing two majors instead of one won’t add any additional time to your undergraduate degree. A standard bachelor degree consists of the same amount of units either way.
• Discover what you want to do while you’re doing it – Not sure what career you want when you graduate? It’s very common for undergraduate students to be unsure. Choosing two majors in different areas will give you the opportunity to explore multiple interests and see what fits best. Majors can be switched until the end of your first year without adding any time onto your degree.

Check out the popular combinations for this major to get some inspiration on complementary areas to study.