Chapter 1: Who? History of Archaeology Flashcards
Divide the history of archaeology into 4 phases (mention the name of the phase and indicate the time frame).
Speculative Phase (C. - 1850)
Modern Archaeology (1850 – 1900)
Classificatory – Historical Period (1900 – 1960)
New Archaeology (1960 – Current)
Why did archaeology only emerge in the 19th century?
No guidelines in place to understand the pass.
No systematic attempt in place for archaeology, just excavated wherever.
What three major developments in the research into the past triggered the birth of modern archaeology around 1850?
Discovery of antiquity of human kind (DAHK)
- humanity was around much longer than creation (bible)
3 age system (stone, bronze, iron, based on his collection)
Charles Darwin published his book in 1959 “The Theory of Evolution” on natural selection.
In what sense was the decipherment of hieroglyphics by Champollion important for the understanding of Ancient Egypt?
Allowed them to understand what the ancient Egyptians thought and what things they did, made them less godly and all knowing.
Why is Heinrich Schliemann less important for archaeology than, say, General Pitt Rivers, despite his great discoveries?
Heinrich Schliemann made a lot of assumptions on the skeletons or treasures he found based on the culture and people that lived during the period.
Focused too much on finding treasure, its hard to say whether the validity and true historic findings are 100% accurate.
General Pitt Rivers did total recording (recorded everything in a dig).
What three achievements were made by Sir Arthur Evans in his excavations at Knossos, Crete, from c. 1900 onwards?
Minoan civilization (3100-1450 BCE)
Linear A (undeciphered, Minoan); Linear B (Mycenean, deciphered by Michael Ventris in 1952)
‘Restoration’ of Athens’ Palace (recreated the palace and put a roof on it, did not decipher what was new and what was old).
In which way did Sir Arthur Evans still look like Heinrich Schliemann when interpreting material remains?
Still looks at myth and legends as though they’re facts (Minoan civilization based on the Minotaur).
When and by whom was the tomb of Tutankhamun discovered?
1922, Howard Carter
Why was the tomb discovered this late, although all the other tombs in the Valley of the Kings were long known, and why was it still intact?
Tomb was built uner a ramp, and was small and hard to see, the burial was rushed and in such a small area because he died so young.
Who is the prehistorian in the 20th century and what did he contribute to archaeology?
Gordon Chiles:
- Doemstication of animals
Asked two questions:
- What period do the artifacts date?
- Who did they belong to?
What three achievements were made in archaeology after World War II?
- Ecological approach
- C-14 dating
- Technological advances (computers specifically).
In which 2 ways were some archaeologists dissatisfied with the discipline in the 1950s and 1960s?
Traditional archaeological explanations were too vague and based too much on cultural influences.
Needed to start asking more difficult questions with how excavation techniques were evolving.
- Less attention on deciding on a date, rather what can the artifact tell us about human life in the past.
The answer to this dissatisfaction was New Archaeology. Write down the 7 points in which New Archaeology disagreed with traditional archaeological theory and practice.
Explanation vs description (explain the finds)
Cultural process vs cultural history (not based on historical explanation dominated by texts). What material remains tell you.
Deductive vs inductive (thesis you confirm or refute).
Testing vs authority (tested rather than believe what someone says, back it up with evidence).
Project design vs data accumulation (start from a research question, what you want to do and goals to reach during a season).
Quantitative vs qualitative (data sampling, accumulate as much data as possible to tell you more about the past).
Optimism vs pessimism
Who was the big name in Archaeology?
Lewis Bindford
What is post-processional archaeology?
New theories and interpretations since 1960s responding to new archaeology, Main Characteristics:
- No objective truth, no one way to explain or interpret archaeological data (interpretive archaeology’)
- More emphasis on human side of the story.
- Less focused on the history or texts.
- Looking for context in artifacts - More pessimistic, post critical
