An archaeology of water has much to offer for our understandings of liquid histories. A closer look at evidence for bathing, swimming and libation allows us to observe a fluid archaeology rich with material that opens up new ways of thinking about acts of swimming, bathing and libation and on relationships between water and the body. Such an approach can lead us to consider how water shapes past lifeways with archaeological evidence that suggests recreation, cleanliness and ritual were expressed through water. Organised thematically, we will we engage with the unique relationship between water and the body with coverage of rock art (e.g. Cave of the Swimmers, Egypt), wall paintings (e.g. The Etruscan Tomb of the Diver, Italy), attic vases (the toilette), bathing houses (e.g. The Roman Baths, Bath), swimming pools (e.g. The Phoenician Island City of Motya), figurines depicting libation and holy wells. Through case studies of places and material culture we will contextualise our discussions with a Saturday visit to The Roman Baths in Bath and one or two of its nearby holy wells.
Embodied Waters: An Archaeology of Bathing, Swimming And Libation
This is an In-person course which requires your attendance to the weekly meetings which take place in Oxford.
Overview
Programme details
Courses starts: 23 Jan 2024
Week 1: Embodied Waters: Course Introduction
Week 2: Diving In: Approaching an Archaeology of Water
Week 3: The Toilette: An Archaeology of Bathing
Week 4: Plunge: An Archaeology of Swimming
Week 5: Divine Waters: An Archaeology of Libation
Week 6: Waterworlds: Locales of Immersion
Week 7: Fieldtrip to Bath: The Roman Baths and Holy Wells
Week 8: Water and ‘Cleanliness’: Fieldtrip Summary
Week 9: Excavating Water: The Materiality of Bathing, Swimming and Libation
Week 10: Water Embodied: Course Summary
Recommended reading
All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Continuing Education Library for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are welcome to use the Library for reference. More information can be found on the Library website.
There is a Guide for Weekly Class students which will give you further information.
Availability of titles on the reading list (below) can be checked on SOLO, the library catalogue.
Preparatory reading
- Splash!: 10,000 Years of Swimming / Howard Means.
- Roman Bath: A New History and Archaeology of Aquae Sulis / Peter Davenport.
Digital Certification
To complete the course and receive a certificate, you will be required to attend at least 80% of the classes on the course and pass your final assignment. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course Fee | £257.00 |
| Take this course for CATS points | £10.00 |
Funding
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Tutor
Ms Fay Stevens
Fay Stevens is an award winning and experienced lecturer in archaeology at Oxford OUDCE and other UK and International Universities. She is currently completing a PhD in archaeology and specialises in landscape and theoretical archaeology. She is Adjunct Associate Professor University of Notre Dame, London Global Gateway and Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, London.
Course aims
To provide an introductory approach to an archaeology of bathing, swimming and libation and use this basis to show how the skills and techniques covered in the classes can be used for further studies on the archaeology of water.
Course objectives:
- To familiarise students with an archaeology of bathing, swimming and libation and to develop an understanding of some of the key issues relating to embodied water in the archaeological record.
- To develop analytical skills in the interpretation of archaeological remains relating to bathing, swimming and libation and to show how the evidence relates to how we understand past societies.
- To encourage students to develop their interests through site visits and further study.
Teaching methods
The course will be taught using a range of teaching strategies and methods. This includes lectures, question and answer sessions, discussion, practical sessions, a field trip, as well as encouraging reflection, independent study and coursework participation. You will be inspired and encouraged to develop the ability to process and apply information through discussion as well as through written work, in order to cultivate skills in critical thinking, as well as your own interests in the subject through independent study.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course students will be expected to:
- demonstrate introductory knowledge of the archaeology of bathing, swimming and libation;
- have some critical awareness of the key issues relevant to embodied water in the archaeological record;
- be aware of how archaeological analytical techniques and interpretations can be used to better understand the archaeology of water and its relationship to the body.
Assessment methods
Assessment will be both formative and summative.
Formative: You have the option of submitting a short piece of writing for feedback. This is not a graded assignment but an opportunity to obtain feedback and direction in your scholarly work. It might, for example, be on the thinking behind an essay, or a book review that might form the basis of one of the three short written pieces. This work should be submitted mid-way in the term.
Summative: Submission of work for feedback and grading. You have a choice as to the assessment format and there are two options.
1. A collection of three short written pieces (e.g. book/site/artefact reviews of 500 words each, totalling c.1500 words) that can be spread throughout the term or submitted as a portfolio of works at the end of the course.
2. An essay or fieldtrip review (c.1500 words). The tutor will provide a list of topics, although you may select your own relevant topic. Guidance will be provided throughout the term.
Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form
Application
To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.
Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form (Word) or enrolment form (Pdf).
Level and demands
Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.
To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.
Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard.
Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.
Most of the Department's weekly classes have 10 or 20 CATS points assigned to them. 10 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4 usually consist of ten 2-hour sessions. 20 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4 usually consist of twenty 2-hour sessions. It is expected that, for every 2 hours of tuition you are given, you will engage in eight hours of private study.