1,2, and 3 Flashcards
what is archeology
It is the study of the human past through material remains
-Human span 6 million years
-learn how they built their homes to learn how they lived
Why study archeology
-to protect/preserve culture
-learn how modern diversity occurred
-symbolic value of artifacts that could impact the past
-reviews ancient practices and learn practical knowledge
-confront common misunderstanding about the pasts
The history of Acheology
1.Antiquarianism
2.Early scientific archelogy
3.Anthropoligical Archeology
Antiquarianism
It occurred in an era called the age of speculation which was 14th to 19th centuries
At this time people were interested in antiques
-collected Greek and roman artifacts
-recorded ancient sites(not interested in mundane objects)
Early scientific Archeology
-using evidence to create explanations
-standardization of method
-robust recordation
Standardization of Archeology events
-1738:Marcell venturi Hercularium
-1748:Karl Weber at Pompeii
-1784:Thomas Jefferson
Standardization of Archeology events:1784:Thomas Jefferson
-not first burial mound excavated
-first to be systematically excavated
-buried mounds of Monacan tribe: mass graves of bury bone that were long decomposed
Solidification of Archeology as a scientific endeavors:18070s-1800s
-August pitt River in England
-Sir Flinder Petrie at Stone Henge and in Egypt
-Heninrrch Schlamana at Troy(Hissarlik)(Not professional)and proved troy was a city using systematic archeology
Anthropological Archeology
Anthropology is the study of man: Physical, cultural, physiological aspects and their interrelationships
Archeology is the study of mans past and is the anthropology of extinct people
Fours Disciplines of anthropology as subdisciplines
-Culture anthropology: Study living people
-Archeology: study the past and non human ancestors
-Biological Anthropology: Forensics anthropology “Bones”
-Linguistic anthropology: Study of ancient languages
Modern archeological Research does what
-Reveals: the the form of the past by making descriptions of material remain(What did a cooking pot look like)
-Lifeways: Dtermine the function of material remains
-Understand change: by understanding the cultural process of change though time(Why they build different shape home at different times)
Goal of Modern archeological Research
The primary goal is to derive and process different remains using methodology and other sciences
Specializations
-ethnoarchaeology’s
-zooarchaeology
-conservators
-paleobotanist
-epigrapher
-paleoanthropologists
Archeological times
1.prehistory/pre-contact
2. history’s 1600s
-depends on where you are in the world
-America has protohistory where colony were ebing settle but no native conact
Prehistory
-The study of the past before written records
-Medium of study:The material record recovered through archeloglogy(The maetrial interpeation of artifcats bones,paltn remains, pollen , cities,)
History
-The study of the human past
-Medium of study: Written documents or accounts of contemporary people
-historical records have biased
-(Letter or poetry)
What is considered writing
Petroglyphs are considered writing: art could have meaning
-Some petroglyphs are consider writing but not clear
-Arab art on wall is writing
What is culture
Culture set of beliefs, norms and rules that distinguish one group from another
-It a cumulation resources that provides the means for non genetic adaption tot he environment
fish change to changes by genetic adaption while human used culture which is a nongenetic adaption to adapt to a changing environment
Archeological culture
Archeological culture: It is defined as a group of sites( and by extension the people that once lived there)Linked via a similar material
-Concerned with material culture
-Artifacts that constituted the material/remains of former societies
Artifacts
They are object that are human made or modified and are portable objects
Five class of archelogy
1.Artifatcs
2.Ecofacts
3.Features
4.Sites
5.Regions
Ecofacts
They are organic and enviormental remains that have not been mad eor modified by humans
-plant remains
-animals bone(not modified)
-pollen
Features
They are non portable artifacts such as puts, walls, buildings, trash pits, harths, (Petroglyph on a large rock)
Sites
A place where artifacts, ecofacts, features are found togther
-can be as huge of a sity
-simple scatter of stones on the ground as lythic debris
Site examples
-surface scatter
-open-air sites
rock shelters
-residential site
-worshope
-hamot
-village
-fortified city
burial ground
Archeological region
A large spatial cluster of archeological data usually a region incorporates many archeological sites
-Cuyahoga valley
-region can be made using river or naturally boundaries like mountains
-divides region by archeological cultures
-settlement patterns
How was archeological record formed
Archeologist study site formation processes. These processes affect the way in which archeological material came to be buried
System for how Material was put into the archeological record
1Aqusition
2.Manufacture
3.Use
4.Discard
-Within systemic(living) context, behavioral processes describe how artifacts, ecofacts,features, and site are created , used and abandoned or lost
-These can fall out of systemic (living context) and goes to archeological context
Activities that come to be in the record
-Discard
-Recycling
-Loss
-Caching
-ritual intendent
-Deliberate Destruction
-Accidental Destruction
Transformation process
Archeological context
-Refers to precise location of a piece of archeological data
-Context=Matrix+Provenience+Asscoiation
-Most data lost when artifact is moved
Matrix
An artifacts consists of the material surrounding which is the matrix. It is the physical medium
-They record color and texture
-Muncell’s chart(Clay silt, sand)
Provenience
An artifacts provenience is the horizontal and vertical position within a matrix. How deep is it?
Association
An artifacts association refers to its occurrence together with the archeological remains. Association used for dating artifacts.
Assemblages
Collection of artifacts found in the same context
-may be artifacts from a whole site
-an area within a site or feature
Type of context
1.Primary(It is an undisturded setting)
-Use-related(Throw away after use by people that used it
-Transposed(Moved by primary user to trash dump)
2.Secondary(It is a disturbed setting by later activity)
-natural(moved by tree roots or burrowing animals or tilling)
-use related(moved by later human for recycle )
Example of primary and Seconday context
1.Burial(Primary)(use related because material were used at the time to create a burial)
2.Tilling field(Secondary)(use-related)
3.Dump(Primary)(transposed)
4.Rodent burrow(Secondary)(Natural)(Disturbed site by natural causes)
What do you need to record when collecting different items
The whole point of recording is to make interpretation to find patterns that could determine function
-provenience
-material type
-dimensions
-color
-decoration
-description
-manufacture
-damage/completeness(half artifacts is hard to interpret)
-object type(Help interpret function
