History of the Field Flashcards
Who developed the laws of stratigraphy, and when?
Nicholas Steno, 1669
Who produced the first geological map of England, and when?
William Snitch, 1799
What was Charles Lyell’s contribution to archaeology?
in 1830, published “Principles of Geology,” bringing uniformitarianism to a wider audience, allowing this idea to be applied to the human past
Who introduced the three-age system, and when?
C.J. Thomsen, 1816
What are the three conceptual foundations for studying the past?
- the antiquity of humankind
- the principal of evolution
- the three-age system
When did historical archaeology begin to develop in North America?
1850s
Who were the pioneers of historical archaeology, and what made their excavations unique? (2)
- Father Felix Martin and James Hall set themselves apart by informing themselves with historical accounts before excavating
- the excavations were meant as a means for substantiating what their documents told them
Who was Father Felix Martin, and what major excavation did he perform? (4)
- Jesuit priest from Montreal
- investigating documents concerning a mission in St. Marie
- the mission had been evacuated after 10 years of occupation due to attacks by the Iroquois and waves of smallpox
- by documenting his findings in the excavations, he was able to create an accurate map of the site
What excavation did James Hall perform? (3)
- excavated Myles Standish House in 1856
- meticulous notes
- datum points
Which federal policies support archaeological sites? (2)
- the Antiquities Act of 1906 established legal protection and public support for the nation’s archaeological and historic sites
- the Historic Sites Act of 1935 made it official U.S. policy to preserve historic sites, and it empowered the National Parks Service to obtain, preserve, and restore these sites for the public
When did the formative period of historical archaeology begin, who initiated it and what did it focus on? (3)
- J.C. Harrington
- 1930s
- architectural focus; sites of historical significance
When did the professional period of historical archaeology begin, who initiated it and what did it focus on? (3)
- Dr. John Cotter and the National Historic Preservation Act
- 1966
- anthropological/artifact focus
What did early excavations for historical archaeology focus on? (2)
- sites belonging to notable historical figures or nationally important historical events
- this is still common today
What is theory?
the set of principles on which historical archaeology is based
What are the two major theories of archaeology?
- processual
- post-processual
What questions does theory address? (4)
- How do we order the facts?
- What should be studied?
- What can be studied?
- What is the role of archaeology?
Who was Franz Boas, and what was his contribution to archaeology? (4)
- father of modern American anthropology
- German-born American 1858-1942
- moved the field from ‘armchair anthropology’ to fieldwork and the scientific method
- anthropology as ‘science’
What is 19th-century ‘unilinear evolutionism,’ and what did it assume? (2)
- all societies evolve through the same stages to ‘civilization’
- assumed that human society had evolved through a series of stages: savagery to barbarism to civilization
What did Franz Boas propose in response to unilinear evolutionism? (2)
- no one culture ‘more evolved’ than another
- historical particularism: each society is a product of its own history
What is functionalism?
cultural traits generally have an adaptive function
Who proposed configurationalism?
Margaret Mead and Ruth Benedict
What is configurationalism?
modification to functionalism and historical particularism proposing that cultures are subject to their own historical past and the diffusion of cultural traits, but also traits are integrated
What is a good case study of configurationalism? (6)
- diffusion of the horse among Native Americans
- an example of a relative advantage
- background: Spanish invaded 1519, introduced the horse to Plains Native Americans
- chased buffalo into other tribes’ lands
- caused warfare
- warring tribes on horseback utilized new fighting technologies like tomahawks and headdresses
How did anthropology and archaeology eventually overlap? (2)
- around the time that Boas was developing his four-field approach, archaeologists and historical archaeologists were still largely historians
- when more and more archaeologists joined anthropology departments in the 1920s-50s, this ushered in anthropological archaeology as we know it today
What did Lewis Binford propose in 1962?
archaeology is anthropology
What is processualism?
using archaeology to explain findings in terms of cultural and social processes that caused them
What are the seven characteristics of processualism?
- explanatory
- cultural processes
- deductive
- testing
- project design
- quantitative
- optimism
What is Neo-Marxist post-processual archaeology? (2)
- purports that archaeologists have a responsibility to use what they learn about the past to change the present for the better
- this is a strong contrast to the scientific objectivity that the processual approach requires
What is post-positivist post-processual archaeology? (2)
- rejects the systematic approach of the scientific method, which is key to processualism
- instead, recognizes possible effects of biases and therefore incorporates both quantitative and qualitative approaches
What is phenomenological post-processual archaeology?
stresses individual experiences as the best way to understand the past
What is hermeneutic post-processual archaeology? (2)
- the focus is the uniqueness and diversity of each culture
- purports there is never a ‘correct’ interpretation of a culture; each observer is entitled to their own unique interpretation of the past
