mod 1. what is archaeology

what is archaeology

study of past human cultures through recovery, analysis and interpretation of material remains of past behaviours in their contexts -

1. methods for recovering and analyzing material remains, 2. body of theory - interpreting remains in terms of human behaviour. it is fundamental and particular

Science

a method of discovering reliable knowledge about nature, followed by a process by which scientists collectively and overtime endeavour to construct an accurate representation of the world

7 components of critical thinking ERSEORL

empiricism, rationalism, scepticism, essentialism, over-generalization, reductionism, literalism

empiricism

evidence susceptible to ones senses (see hear touch smell), repeatable

rationalism

logical reasoning - a skill or discipline learned within an educational environment

scepticism

processing sceptical attitude, ability to question ones self, constant questioning of your beliefs, assumptions and conclusions

Essentialism

characterizing peoples complex lives and culture by one feature, like hunting or growing food

Overgeneralization

asserting without evidence that all groups or cases are like the one examined, such as hunters

reductionism

oversimplifying by identifying one factor that accounts for all others, ex -how one gathers food determines social relationships

literalism

taking at face value superficial appearances and the verbal statements of informants or anyone who provides you with information without corroboration (ones persons truth is not the kind we are after)

things that affect perceptions of archaeology

1. using old data, 2. cultural sensitivity, 3. looting, 4. political climate where research is conducted x` perceptions

cultural sensitivity

historically, archeology has displayed a lack of sensitivity, when using human and ritual remains. which has led to legislation of governing treatment (set of rules - NAGPRA)

in response

professionalism in archeology is created, education and training, to be applied

early societies in the speculative period

the bulk of knowledge is communicated through oral history - many tend to focus on supernatural for origin and explanation

draper sites (middle Iroquois)

15-16th century sites, an example of oral history and teachings of even older artifacts

medieval Europe

would collect arrow heads and Neolithic hammers

early civilizations antiquarians collectors

people who sought out artifacts to used. thutmoses directed excavations at the sphinx in 1401 - 1392 BC -> and left a record of what he did

First Museum of Antiquities

babylon, this guys daughter idk Bel Shalti Nanar (555-539 BC) created it, first public place where people could go and look at things that were recovered

Romans

interested in the past but elite mostly for personal gain of material items, historians not interested in material remains

chinese historian

Sima Qian, han historian, in the 2nd century and examined material culture, created the history of china to present day but after historians did not pay attention to material. culture

the renaissance

14th - 17th C. AD, increase in Antiquarianism & Romanticism - defined the social classes, elites would study local relics and focuses on monument - study of privileged texts of the bible, green and roman and the dark ages.

ex used genesis to calculate the beginning of earth 4004 BC ( this generated the idea that the earth was young and so were we)

the 18th century

intensive study of greek and roman texts, read for what they were ( each period of the past should be understood in its own terms) 'historical relativism'.

development - deciphering of languages (champollion, 1822) and napoleons invasion of Egypt (1798-99). another deciphering was by Rawlinson, 1849 to an old persian text of ancient king Darius and babylon language -> in US thomas jefferson did excavation and logical deduction from carefully excavated evidence

ephraim squier and Edwin Davis

1845-47, excavated and mapped over 200 mounds, but never accepted them for what they were -> fed into the idea that there is a lost race of mound builders

why is archaeology important?

help us learn about our common history on this planet, but knowing where we came from is not just interest­ ing; our past can help us understand our present. and make better choices in the future.

Archaeo­logy can also help give voices to people who have traditionally been ignored in the past

what is archaeology

the study of our human past using the material remains that have survived.

The clues to past human behavior are enigmatic —broken, decomposed, and often missing—and piecing together these bits of infor- mation to make sense of the activities of our ancestors is a challenge.

types of archaeology

Technology, subsistence, economy (to name a few), historical, classical

historical archaeology

archaeology practiced in combination with the written record—as its name suggests, borders on the field of history and usually refers specifically to the archaeology of civilizations of the Renaissance and Industrial Era, where archaeology can complement the written record and provide more insight about our own recent past.

classical archaeology

concerned with the literate Mediterranean civilizations of Greece and Rome. Departments of Classics teach the litera- ture, architecture, language, and archaeology of the Classical civilizations.

Cultural resource Management (CRM)

Two important laws in the United States, passed in the 1960s.

The US Environmental Protection Agency requires an environmental impact study to determine whether important cul- tural remains are in danger of destruction prior to the start of federally funded construction.

Pseudoscience

is a technique for creating “truth.” Pseudoscience is the name given to the myriad of stories and explanations proposed by charlatans, swindlers, and true believers.

It is false science, based either on deceit or belief, founded in perception, not observation, often involving the paranormal.

Evolution

example of a scientific theory that is based on observable facts. It is a fundamental theory in the biological sciences, describing the mechanisms that cause changes in the plants and animals of the Earth over time and explaining the development and current state of life on Earth through the idea of natural selection. formulated by the naturalists Charles Darwin (1809–1882) and Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913).