methods of social analysis Flashcards
how do we identify social organisation in the archaeological record
Site settlement, burials, monuments and public works, written records, ethnoarchaeology
site settlement analysis
analyse the scale of the society by looking at settlement patterns
predominantly survey
site settlement analysis - using it to
understand if they were
- mobile foragers
- State level society
- Its social organisation through ethnoarchaeology
mobile forager in a nut shell
small sites
non permanent
sedentary societies
burials focus on
individuals
burials study
the remains
burial grave goods
- Present?
- Utilization/symbol, decorative
burial context
tomb, cairn, headstone, nothing?
how much energy was put into it
burials social differentiation
elaborate burials
with decorative and symbolic graves
burials elaborate burials of children
have not earned high status, rather inherited high status
burial context
special burial construction
different preparation of the body
separate area
monuments and public works
important indicator of social organisation
generally built to be conspicuous
temple probably had previous class or a leader or chiefdom
written records
generally indicative of state-level societies
records of commercial transactions are most common kind of written record
using records to say that they are making differences in what potters are doing or agricultural differences
ethnoarchaeology
the study of present peoples behaviours and material culture, the way they are represented in the archaeological record
caring for cultural heritage - why
- Preservation of history
- Identify and belonging
- Cultural exchange and tourism
- Education and research
- Aesthetic values
