Intro to Archaeology

ANTH 105: Human Evolution Overview

  • Curious Questions in Human Evolution
    • What makes us human?
    • How do humans share so much DNA yet appear different?
    • Are humans still evolving?
  • Course Availability
    • Offered every semester.
    • Fulfills requirements for "Understanding the Past" and "Analyzing the Natural World."

Test Results

  • Students Performance Overview
    • Five students earned 50 points.
    • One student earned 15 points (indicated with an emoticon).
    • Average score was 36 (72%).
  • Retest Information
    • Information on retesting was disseminated for those wanting to improve grades.
  • Class Schedule
    • No discussions scheduled for today or Friday.

Introduction to Archaeology

  • Office Location
    • My office is Machu Picchu in Cuzco, Peru.
  • Overview of Archaeology
    • Study spans various methods, theories, and dating techniques.

The Four Fields of Anthropology

  • Overview of Anthropology Fields
    • Cultural Anthropology:
    • Study of cultures and societies of humans and their recent past.
    • Ethnography presentation of living cultures.
    • Archaeology:
    • Examination of past societies and cultures via material remains.
    • Materials studied include tools, food remains, habitation sites.
    • Linguistic Anthropology:
    • Study of language structure, evolution, and contextual applications.
    • Physical Anthropology:
    • Also known as biological anthropology; focuses on human evolution.
    • Considers both past and present variations in humans.
  • Teaching Scope
    • The course focuses on three of the four fields listed above.

Current Research Focus

  • Research on Incas (AD 1000-1500)
    • Fieldwork conducted in Peru (2 months yearly).
    • Active projects near Machu Picchu supported by institutions such as National Geographic, NSF, and UIC.
    • Engages in surveys, excavations, and archival research using 16th-century Spanish documents.

Definition and Purpose of Archaeology

  • Definition
    • Derived from Greek: "archaeo-" meaning ancient, and "logos" meaning study.
    • It encompasses the study of human past through material evidence, often referred to as "the archaeological record."
  • Archaeological Goals
    • Reconstruction and interpretation of past cultures.
    • Utilization of physical remains.

Differences Between Archaeology and History

  • Primary Sources of Study
    • Archaeologists utilize both material artifacts and written documents.
    • Historians predominantly rely on written records.
  • Scope of Study
    • Archaeologists investigate a broader range of past societies, including those without written documentation.

Misconceptions About Archaeology

  • Clarification
    • Archaeology does not focus on fossils or dinosaurs.

Thinking About Archaeology

  • Importance of Artifacts
    • Items discovered must offer insights into the past, not just be collected.
    • Emphasizes a mindset of inquiry regarding the significance and context of findings.

Scope of Archaeology

  • Local vs. Broader Questions
    • Local history offers insights into specific events; university archaeology addresses broader, thematic questions.
  • Topics of Major Concern
    • Investigation of state development, human-environment interaction, cultural identity through time, ancient movements, and technologies.

Artifacts and Context

  • Attention to Artifacts
    • Research encompasses a wide array of data points beyond individual artifacts.
    • Context is critical; it refers to the original environment of artifacts.
  • Importance of Context
    • Context includes the locality, soil, layer of recovery, and surrounding artifacts for comprehensive understanding.

Archaeology Sites

  • Crime Scene Analogy
    • Archaeological sites are likened to crime scenes; disturbance alters understanding of events at the site.

Art Market and Looting

  • Archaeologist’s Dissent
    • Strong aversion towards art markets due to their connection to looting.
    • Looting destroys the context, compromising archaeological integrity.
  • Consequences of Looting
    • Artifacts lose cultural significance and context when extracted by looters.

Archaeologists’ Objectives

  • Activities per Archaeologist
    • Surveys conducted for site investigations and map preparation indicating locations of past human activities.
    • Excavation aimed at uncovering artifacts within their contextual layers.
  • Methodological Approach
    • All actions are slow and meticulous to avoid destroying site context.

Lab Work and Publication

  • Importance of Laboratory Analysis
    • Extensive lab work is necessary for the examination and reconstruction of artifacts from fieldwork.
  • Dissemination of Findings
    • Presenting research outcomes through written publications and presentations is vital for knowledge sharing.

Ethical Considerations

  • Archaeologists’ Ethics
    • Explicitly do not engage in sales of artifacts, uncover without permission, or retain artifacts post-research.

Fieldwork Focus Areas

  • Dual Focus of Archaeological Research
    • Surveys and excavations require different methodologies.
  • Surveying Methodology
    • Regional surveys accumulate evidence of artifacts and sites by traversing areas and mapping findings.
    • Studies extend to historical patterns (e.g., population shifts in Cuzco from AD 1000 to AD 1300).

Technological Advancements in Surveys

  • Evolution of Survey Techniques
    • Aerial and satellite imagery advance archaeological searches and locational accuracy (e.g., Google Earth findings).
    • New technologies like LiDAR enhance site detection.

Excavation Types

  • Types of Excavations
    • Vertical Excavation:
    • Involves digging deep to gather insights across multiple time periods.
    • Understanding chronology and cultural changes.
    • Horizontal Excavation:
    • Broad examination of a single time period's use of space.
    • Focus on site functionality.

Dating Methods in Archaeology

  • Dating Techniques Overview
    • Relative Dating: based on stratigraphy and the law of superposition—older items lie deeper than younger.
    • Absolute Dating: includes methods like Radiocarbon dating and dendrochronology.

Radiocarbon Dating Process

  • Mechanism of Radiocarbon Dating
    • C-14 decays to N-14 post-mortem; applicable for organic materials up to 30,000 years old.
    • Organic substances provide quantitative age estimations via radiocarbon measurement.

Key Archaeological Terms

  • Terminology for Understanding
    • Archaeology, Context, Relative Dating, Stratigraphy, Radiocarbon Dating, Dendrochronology, Survey, Excavation (Vertical and Horizontal).
  • Archaeology vs. History: Knowledge on this distinction is essential.
  • Context's significance: Stay educated about how context influences discoveries.
  • Emerging Technologies: LiDAR and Ground-Penetrating Radar revolutionize archaeological methods.

Components of Archaeological Sites

  • Main Components of Archaeological Sites:
    • Artifacts: Objects created or modified by humans.
    • Ecofacts: Unmodified natural items affected by human use (e.g., animal remains, pollen).
    • Features: Immovable structures providing significant contextual information.

Preservation Conditions

  • Factors Affecting Preservation
    • Extremes of temperature or moisture favor preservation: cold, dry, or wet conditions.
    • Example: The Ice Man, Ötzi, preserved for 5000 years due to a cold environment.

Surveying Pros and Cons

  • Benefits of Regional Surveys
    • Economical for gathering data over broad areas.
    • Yield general information about many sites.
  • Limitations of Surveys vs. Excavations
    • Surveys provide a less detailed picture than the deep analysis of excavations which are more resource-intensive.