Major in History — Archaeology and Ethnology
This field explores the formation of human cultures and societies using both ethnological and archaeological methods. To this end, it uses a variety of methods, including artifact analysis and fieldwork, to reveal the historical and regional characteristics of human cultures.
Overview
The Archaeology and Ethnology Program within the Department of History provides students with the opportunity to reconstruct the history of past societies and cultures by utilizing primary material sources accumulated through fieldwork. The program's principal research interests include the archaeology of Japan in both prehistoric and historical periods, the archaeology of Western Asia, the archaeology and historical anthropology of the Pacific region, zooarchaeology, and the research methods employed in the field of archaeology.
A significant aspect of graduate school education is the completion of a thesis. Students may avail themselves of guidance from the faculty through weekly joint research sessions and private tutorials. Students have the opportunity to participate in fieldwork organized by the department staff, thereby acquiring practical fieldwork techniques as well as specific analyses and reporting methods. In addition to the courses offered through this program, a variety of related courses are available in collaboration with other faculties and research institutes for special languages, such as Hebrew and Akkadian, physico-chemical analyses, statistical analyses, and more.
Keio University boasts an extensive array of archaeological and ethnological materials amassed over many years, all of which are accessible for research purposes. Our objective is to cultivate researchers who can devise their own comprehensive research design while leveraging the technologies and resources available at Keio University.