chapter 8 archaeology

what is archeology

it studies the culture like socio-cultural anthro but in the past by examining artifacts, structures, and other material remains.

archeology is

the past tense of sociocultural anthropology

archeology

the study of past humans through their material remains

archeology and sociocultural anthro both:

seek to understand culture, social relationships, beliefs and practices

does it for societies who no longer exist by analyzing material culture instead of living people

archeology

paradox of archeological interpretations

archeologists CANNOT directly observe the past

paradox of archeologist interpretations

they must interpret meaning from material evidence which allows multiple explanations and different theoretical perspectives and sparks debate and uncertainty

archeologists are sometimes accused of

just telling stories

example of the paradox of archeological interpretation at work

megalithic monments in europe

megalithic monuments in europe

religion territorial markers soical inqequality and ideologies of life vs death

unlike historians archeologists cannot:

rely on written records

archeologists interpret by using":

analogy with known cases

archeology and pseudo use:

analogyarc

what do archeologists do to analogies

evaluates them

Formal analogy

based on appearance

this looks like this so it must be this

problem with formal analogies

looks can be deceiving

weak evidence

relational analogies

based on relationships and functions

relational analogies include:

mechanical constraints

use-wear

context

how objects actually work

why is relational analogies stronger

they explain how and why an object was used not just what it resembles

how archaeologists evaluate analogies

according to alison wylie

number and relevance of similarities

number and relevance of differences

diversity of sources

whether analogy is formal or also relational

experimental archaeology

recreating tools or activities

testing how thingswork

strengthens relational analogies

ethnoarchaeology

studying living societies to understand material patterns

ethnoarchaeology

helps link behavior to material remains

if i mention analogy i should also mention:

ethnoarchaeology and experimental archaeology

conflicts of the past

science vs cultural identity

conflicts of the past

preservation vs development

conflicts of the past

collecting vs loss of context

conflicts of the past

ownership vs stewardship

consequential ethics:

judge by outcomes

deontological ethics

judge by moral rules

how archaeologists find sites

reconnaissance survey

soil/crop marks, infrared, LiDAR

substance testing (augers, test pits)

remote sensing (GPR, seismic)

Excavation

three key perspectives on the value of the past

informational/scientific value

cultural/symbolic value

economic/aesthetic value

informational/scientific value

past is a non renewable database

archaeology sites = data about:

human behavior

social organization

environment-culture relationships

marginalized or undocumented groups

cultural/symbolic value

the past is part of living identity

helps groups define who they are and assert continuity and maintain traditions and support land claims or heritage

economic/aesthetic value

the past has monetary or visual value that includes

tourism

museums

collecting

antiquities markets (legal and illegal)

how three values lead to conflict

science vs culture

preservation vs development

collecting vs information

ownership vs stewardship

science vs culture

archeologists want to excavate for knowledge

descendant communities may want sites left untouched

preservation vs development

construction or agriculture destroys sites

economic growth vs heritage protection

collecting vs information

removing objects destroys context

“beautiful objects“ vs loss of scientific data

ownership vs stewardship

who gets to decide what happens to the past?

relative dating

puts things in order (older vs younger)

does not give a calendar year

relative dating answers what

which came first

which is older or younger

stratigraphy

lower layers = older

upper layers = younger

seriation

changes in artifact styles over time

similar styles are closer in age

association

objects found together are assumed to be roughly the same age

chronometric dating

gives an actual age or date (years ago)

uses physical or chemical processes

chronometric dating measures what:

radioactive decay

chemical change

time dependent process

radiocarbon dating (C-14)

used for organic materials

effective up to ~50k years

measures radioactive decay

potassium-argon / argon-argon

used for very old sites

often dates volcanic layers associated with fossils/tools

thermoluminescence / optically stimulated luminescence

dates when materials were last heated or exposed to light

often used on ceramics or sediments

what to say when archaeology is accused of just telling stories

mention systematic methods

it evaluates evidence

it tests interpretations