BA in Archaeology

Our understanding of the majority of the human past, for which the written record is nonexistent or minimal, is based on a material record. Archaeology examines this record of human activity to recover and interpret information about past societies and cultures.

Tufts offers a general interdisciplinary undergraduate major in archaeology, incorporating courses from the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. Ideally, a student in archaeology will combine course work with first-hand experience in recovery, conservation, and interpretation of material remains.

Program Requirements and Policies

  • 11 courses are required for the Archaeology major. 
  • No major course may be taken pass/fail. 
  • Seniors are encouraged to write an interdisciplinary capstone (research paper).

Course Requirements

  • Four required courses
    • Anthropology 39: Gateway Course In Sociocultural Anthropology (may substitute ANTH 20: Global Cities or ANTH 27: Human Rights and Justice in Cultural Context)
    • Archaeology 27: Classical Archaeology (co-listed as FAH 19 and CLS 27)
    • Archaeology 30: Prehistoric Archaeology (co-listed as ANTH 50)
    • Earth & Ocean Sciences 2: Environmental Geology W/lab
       
  • Seven elective courses from History, Natural Science, and Art with the following distribution: 
    • Two (2) History courses taken from:
      CLS 26: Ancient Egypt
      CLS 37: History of Ancient Greece
      CLS 38: History of Ancient Rome
      CLS 47: Greece, Rome And China
      CLS 85: Special Topics in Ancient History
      CLS 142: The Rise of the Greeks
      CLS 143: Greeks And Barbarians
      CLS 144: Athens: Marathons to Socrates
      CLS 146: Ancient Greek and Roman Medicine
      CLS 147: Greece, Rome And China
      CLS 185: Seminar in Ancient History
      HIST 6: World Trade, 1000-2000
      HIST 13: Reconstructing Africa's Past to 1850
      HIST 17: The Americas
      HIST 23: Colonial North America & The Atlantic World To 1763
      HIST 40: History of Pre-Modern China
      HIST 50: History of Ancient Greece
      HIST 51: History of Ancient Rome
      HIST 72: World of Islam
      HIST 76: Ancient Egypt
      HIST 105: Greece, Rome, And China
      HIST 148: The Rise Of The Greeks
      HIST 149: Greeks And Barbarians
      HIST 151: Athens: Marathon To Socrates
    • Two (2) Natural Science courses taken from:
      ANTH 40 (formerly 20): Biological Anthropology
      ANTH 49: Gateway Course In Biological Anthropology
      ANTH 132: Myth, Ritual, And Symbol
      ANTH 150: Human Evolution
      ANTH 182: Human Physique
      BIO 7: Environmental Biology
      BIO 10: Plants and Humanity
      BIO 143: Evolutionary Biology w/Lab
      BIO 144: Principles Of Conservation Biology 
      CHEM 2: Chemical Principles W/ Lab
      CHEM 8: Environmental Chemistry
      EOS 32: Geomorphology
    • Three (3) Archaeology courses taken from:
      ARCH 26: Ancient Egypt
      ARCH 49: Archaeology Of Complex Societies
      ARCH 51: Special Topics In Archaeology
      ARCH 52: Special Topics In Archaeology
      ARCH 128: Mesoamerican Archaeology
      ARCH 160: Giza Pyramids: Archaeology, History, And Technology
      ARCH 163: Aegean Archaeology
      ARCH 164: Greek Art and Archaeology
      ARCH 167: Tyrrhenian Archaeology
      ARCH 168: Roman Art And Archaeology
      ARCH 187: Problems In Classical Archaeology
      ARCH 188: Problems In Classical Archaeology
      ARCH 190: Materials In Archaeology And Anthropology
      ARCH 191: Advanced Study Or Seminar In Archaeology
      ARCH 192: Advanced Study Or Seminar In Archaeology
      CLS 26: Ancient Egypt
      CLS 87: Special Topics In Old World Archaeology
      CLS 160: Computational Methods for the Humanities
      CLS 163: Aegean Archaeology
      CLS 164: Greek Art And Archaeology
      CLS 167: Tyrrhenian Archaeology
      CLS 168: Roman Art And Archaeology
      CLS 187: Problems In Classical Archaeology 
      FAH 103: Aegean Archaeology
      FAH 104: Greek Art And Archaeology
      FAH 105: Tyrrhenian Archaeology
      FAH 106: Roman Art And Archaeology