Lecture 5: theoritical approaches in urban archeology

what was the Moümîya medicine?

medicine based on petrol either from the ground or extracted from mummies

what was the cabinet of curiosity?

a cabinet containing all the mysteries of the world: human skills, painting, gems, etc

what was unrolling?

buying mummies from Egypt and watching doctors unrolling the mummy

who was Schliemann?

• an archeologist who discovered the city of Troy

• he changed the perception of archeology and made it popular

why was Schliemann controversial? (4)

• Schliemann believed that the city of Troy existed somewhere on Turkey

  • he dug without governmental approval

• he also faked treasures: he added some to make it seem more wow

• he also lied about where exactly he found those treasures

• he also only took notes of what he found interesting, destroying many sites without records

who was Hiram Bingham?

• the man who claimed to have discovered Machu Picchu

• in truth, it was the locals who told him where the city was

why were people against Hiram’s expedition in Machu Picchu? (4)

• he hired workers that were working for rich people (they weren’t happy)

• he was stealing treasures (but that’s unsure)

• he destroyed sites and ruins

• he dug without permit

why do we say that archeology missions are a multidisciplinary study?

because during expeditions, we also focus on geology, topography, anthropology….

who was Howard Carter?

• he discovered Tutankhamen’s chamber

• most importantly, he changed the mentality of archeology: we dig for history and not only treasures

• he collected everything, even dust

• there was still a bigger focus on objects, but it was better than before

what are the stages of unilinear social evolution? (3)

• savagery: hunter-gatherers

• barbarism: Neolithic revolution caused by invention of agriculture

• civilization: Urban revolution made the change

what is a revolution according to Childe?

a socioeconomic progress, population growth, transformation

explain what Marxism is

• it’s a critique of social inequality resulting from the industrial revolution and capitalism

• capitalism deprives the rights of the worker

• it creates a vision of the future based on the past

why was Marxism used in Childe’s theory?

• Marxism is a model used to examine society and understanding how it changes

• Childe wanted to understand the organization of cities and its change

why do we say that history is the patterned sequences of the modes of production?

• it means that history goes from one mode of production to the other: feudalism to capitalism to communism

• history isn’t random or accidental: it follows a pattern that we can look back on

• → what changes is the organization of societies (how we produce things)

according to Marx, modes of production = base + superstructure. define the components

• modes of production: how society is organized

• base: means of production (people, material, knowledge)

• superstructure: institutions, relations of productions

what was Marx’s issue with capitalism?

workers were working for someone else and lost their selves: they don’t profit of their work, meaning that the value of the worker decreased over time (works more for less money)

define “ideology’

set of beliefs and attitudes with function to conceal class distinctions and make them seem natural (a lie to hide inequality)

how can revolutions happen?

when class consciousness is in place: the workers realize that they have more power

explain the notion of revolution

transformation in the mode of production

explain Childe’s stages: how the people survived and what was the social division

• savagery:

  • hunting, gathering, fishing

  • kinship

• barbarism

  • agriculture and farming

  • no formal division, still kinship

• civilization

  • irrigation

  • social classes based on surplus

what are Childe’s traits of early cities? (10)

1. large, densely populated

2. economic specialization (of professions)

3. taxation: paid to ruler/religious figures

4. monumental architecture: big buildings to connect gods and kings and where we put surplus

5. class division

6. writing and recording: only accessible to certain

7. math, science, astronomy: allowed control over agriculture

8. arts

9. trade

10. new political and economic order

true or false: arts appeared with cities

false: it already existed before (UNESCO caves)

true or false: trading was reserved for elite

false: most trading objects were for industrial purposes

how did the development of math, science and astronomy help the rulers?

they could control agriculture (when to collect, when it will rain)

what are the stages of multilinear evolution?

• bands: nomads

• tribes: nomads, but more of them

• chiefdom: villages

• state: cities

why was the multilinear evolution created?

as a critique of Childe’s unilinear and it was less controversial

the multilinear evolution focuses more on […] than the unilinear

social and political complexities + groups sizes

who was Emile Durkheim?

• the father of sociology

• he also critiqued capitalism and the industrial revolution, but in a more optimistic way than Marx

• he believed in solidarity: with the right institutions, we could all coexist and work together even if we are different

what are the concepts of Durkheim? (3)

• organic systems metaphor of society: society is interconnected in parts: if you change one part, you change the entire system

• solidarity: you integrate multiple segments

• collective consciousness: we all share the same consciousness to live together easily

explain the “organic systems metaphor of society”

• society is interconnected in parts: if you change one part, you change the society

• we see society as a large group (unlike Marx who saw it as an economic system)

explain “solidarity”

• solidarity is a moral phenomenon

• we integrate multiple parts of society

explain “collective consciousness”

unlike false consciousness (hide difference in social classes), collective consciousness helps us live together by sharing some ideas (like religious)

what are the kinds of societies according to Durkheim? (2)

• mechanical solidarity: positive, homogeneity, low density

• organic solidarity: negative (not in a bad way), heterogeneity, population increase and high division of labour

explain “mechanical solidarity”

• positive because it’s based on homogeneity of values

• low density

• consensus

explain “organic solidarity”

• negative because it’s based on heterogeneity of values, morals, religions

• high density (that’s why everyone is different)

according to Durkheim, which is better between mechanical or organic solidarity?

organic, because we create true accommodations of difference, we find solutions for everyone

why is Durkheim important in archeology?

• his model showed us what a society is

• we tend to forget that people don’t share the same consciousness