Controversy Of Archaeology

The emergence of agriculture was a major stepping stone in human history. During this birth of agriculture, also known as the Neolithic revolution, humans began inhabiting permanent settlements, grow their own crops, and domesticate both plants and animals for food (Weisdorf, 2005). Considering humans have been hunter-gatherers for the majority of their approximately 7 million years of existence, the emergence of agriculture in the Old World only occurring 10,000-5,000 years ago, marks a significant transformation in food sustenance techniques (Weisdorf, 2005). However, this turning point in history is associated with both positive and negative implications. There is much controversy over whether or not the introduction of

He could see, through his excavations, that there were separate groups of humans that he came across and therefore the phrases urban and industrial revolution came about. Childe didn’t merely describe and correlate the culture sequences he attempted to account for their origin as well (Renfrew and Bahn, 2012:36). Not only could Childe notice different cultures but “in 1942, Childe used the distribution of tombs on Rousay to estimate the size and distribution of population on this Scottish island during the Neolithic period (Trigger, 2006:376),” and later on whilst he was excavating at sites such as Skara Brae the “analysis of the community and the estimation of population size became much easier (Renfrew and Bahn, 2012:190).” Throughout his life “as early as 1925, Childe had employed a functional view of culture to facilitate his culture-historical analysis (Trigger, 2006:397),” this concept of culture –historical approach is still being considered and thought about in archaeology today. “During the years of 1928 and 1957 Childe revolutionised specific words relating to the past. These terms became important, not just for archaeologists but also historians and more importantly the public. This terminology that was introduced allowed for clear stages that can be seen throughout the chronological timeline of the past (Greene, 1999:97).” These words such as, urban

Archaeology is the study of the ancient past, through the recovery and analysis of material culture. During the development of archaeology, various different kinds of scientific techniques have been established to aid in archaeological investigation. Recent archaeological techniques and processes such as Scanning Electron Microscopy, Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) and Radiocarbon Dating are utilised to help better understand a civilisation, specifically the site of Lindow Man. These modern methods have supported in recognizing Lindow Man’s identity and important information regarding his death such as his appearance, his stomach content, what he had eaten prior death and his age. This information has since helped lead scientists to believe in

Death by Theory, written by Adrian Praetzellis, is an engaging and informational book written in a novelistic way that engages the reader to think critically about archaeology. Compared to other forms of informational text about archaeology, Death by Theory teaches archaeological theory by telling a story that incorporates the different theories of archaeology in a realistic setting. While standard textbooks about the theory of archaeology can come off a bit dry, Death by Theory skips the standard definitions and applies this in a way that aids the reader in understanding how these theories and terms can be applied in an actual archaeological setting. This text illustrates the adventure of plucky archaeologist Dr. Hannah Green and her nephew Sean Doyle as they seek to explain an unusual archaeological site while dealing with real life archaeological struggles. The protagonists deal with an egotistical colleague of Dr. Green who sought her out as a consult on a particularly strange archaeological case. All the while dealing with cults, the media, and incompatible data.

This essay will aim to cover several archaeology techniques and methodologies that would have been used during excavation of archeological sites, in particular the New Kinord site. These methods will provide an insight into a wide range of information that I am interested in discovering. These include what the inhabitants of the site did for a living, their diet and how the term of occupation can be determined.

Archaeologists are now able to come together with natives and learn about the past as a team, getting more insight into ceremonials, traditions, sacred ritueals, everyday workings, and lifestyles of native peoples. Respecting the grounds and artifacts of these indigenous people is respecting their heritage- our universal heritage. The unfolding of information allows archaeologists to gain perspective on the people and land before the white

The Equifinality of Archaeological Networks: an Agent-Based Exploratory Lab Approach. Journal of Archaeological Method & Theory. Mar2015, Vol. 22 Issue 1, p248-274. 27p.

What are the 5 areas of independent domestication of plants (food production)? 10. What are the 4 areas that are possible sites of independent domestication of plants? 11. What 3-4 other areas received "founder packages" from Southwest Asia? CHAPTER 6: To Farm or Not to Farm 12. Why did hunter-gatherers evolve to become farmers in some areas and not in others? CHAPTER 7: How to Make an Almond 13. What does "plant domestication" mean? 14. Why is it important to understand when and why people became farmers? 15. What made some plants easier and more attractive to domesticate than others?

Modern scientific methods and testing have made it possible for both historians and archaeologists and also

The history of archaeology plays an important role in the controversial issues surrounding the science. Archaeology has only recently become a concrete science. Although mankind has always had an interest in the past, the root of archaeology is believed to have started in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. During this time period, artifacts were mainly sought after for collecting. The upper class of the Renaissance period collected artifacts from places such as Rome and Greece to display in their homes as art. As time went on, the lure of historical art and artifacts increased. “Classical archaeology” is the direct result of this curiosity. The “classical archaeologists” were mainly wealthy men that collected artifacts for their homes and studied where they

Finding an arrowhead is a dream every child has held at one time or another. The ones who hold that dream the longest become archaeologists. Studying the lithic material from a site can seem tedious and dull, but the information that can be gleaned from it is invaluable. The type of lithic material can provide insight into the lifestyle, tool production, trading habits, and a possible time period of habitation. We aimed to discover some of this information from the items recovered during the two weeks of excavation at the East Carolina University Summer Ventures Archaeological Field Methods class.

Towards the mid 19th century, methods in excavating Pompeii and Herculaneum changed due to the concerns associated with the preservation and conservation of the site. As a result of this, archaeologists such as Giuseppe Fiorelli and Amedeo Maiuri developed new methods and approaches towards the excavation of Pompeii.

Participation by archaeologists in the indigenous construction of heritage remains a difficult and controversial issue (McGuire 1992:37, Nicholas and Andrews 1997a:12, 1997b:277; Trigger 2006:177-189). Following the critical theory of Habermas (1971:14-22, 1973:32-40) and its use in archaeology (Leone et al. 1987:283-292; Lyons 2005:1; Wylie 1985:138), archaeological practice is clearly a socio-political action in and for the present (Tilley 1989:105). Collaborative research with stakeholders may influence interpretation and results for social and political gain (McGhee 2008:580-581). This influence may

There are many similarities in the ethical statements/codes of the SAA, SHA, AIA, and RPA. The ones that pertain to this case are as follows: it is the responsibility of archaeologists to work for the long-term conservation and protection of the archaeological record (SAA 1, AIA 1, RPA 1.1-e). The buying and selling of objects out of archaeological context is contributing to the destruction of the archaeological record around the world, and these items should not be traded, sold, bought, or bartered as commercial goods (SAA 3, SHA 6, AIA 2, RPA 1.2-e). Within reasonable time, the knowledge archaeologists gain

In the realm of archaeology, beginning in the fall of 2016, I have performed research for Kacy Hollenback, PhD, at Southern Methodist University. Dr. Hollenback is a Northern Plains Indian archaeologist who hired me to assist her with a project analyzing soil samples taken from the floors of Hidatsa earth lodges in North Dakota. Her goal in collecting these samples is to determine where within each earth lodge household activities occurred. Based on the chemical content of the soil cores, Dr. Hollenback hopes to deduce where the food was prepared, where the residents slept, where the rituals were performed and where weapons were sharpened, among other activities. She collected the samples from an earth lodge along the Knife River in North Dakota. This earth lodge was in the same settlement that was originally the historic Sakakawea’s home.