Week 1: American Archaeology, Past, Present, and Future Flashcards
Timeline of archaeological method theory:
- Early description and classification
- Culture history
- Processual archaeology
- Post-processual archaeology
- Historical processualism, processual-plus, and more
What were the first scientific excavations in the U.S?
Mound near Monticello, possibly ancestral to Monacan Indians, associated with Thomas Jefferson
The first descriptive efforts…
Making sense of variation in the archaeological record
Old World…
-Antiquity of the world
-Origin of Species (1859)
-Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age
New World…
-Moundbuilder expedition (1882-1894)
-Attempts to order archaeological cultures
Moundbuilder myths in America
-Youthful America and a “young earth” mentality drives myth making
-Desire for deep, “classical” history
-Political leaders like Andrew Jackson and Sam Houston embrace myths to rationalize American expansion
Cyrus Thomas and the BAE Mound Expedition
-1881
-Massive archaeological survey of Eastern North America; field agents report back to Thomas
-Thomas concludes from evidence that Native Americans built the mounds
Culture history: Descriptive approach
Generate trait lists, influenced by Boas and historical particularism
What is culture history?
Describing and classifying archaeological “cultures”
Culture history: Inductive research
Generalizations based on many observations
Culture history: Normative” view of culture
-Abstract rules (norms) govern culture
-Changing artifact styles represent changing norms
-Not explanatory
What is an example of stratigraphic excavations in middens?
A.V. Kidder at Pecos Pueblo: develops Pecos classification system (Basketmaker, Pueblo I-V)
Stratigraphic excavation allows you to see _____ over time
Change
Great Depression archaeology…
Large scale excavations designed to put unemployed people to work
What are some examples of Great Depression archaeology?
Ocmulgee, Georgia; Peachtree Mound, North Carolina; Shiloh Mound, Tennessee
