Archaeology

Is it Ethical? Ethics concerning archaeology have been a problem that has concerned people for a very long time. Only recently in the last half-century has it become an actually issue for archaeologists themselves but the people from around the world who treasure hunters and robbers have stolen sacred artefacts and remains from places of extreme cultural or religious significance has been an issue since the medieval ages. A prime example of one of these archaeologists is famous (or infamous) Giovanni

1. Number one is not actually a question but I would like to expand on my thoughts about that statement. Having absolutely no background or experience in Archaeology I am guilty of equating the field with people like Lara Croft and Indiana Jones as the authors discussed in their writings. After reading the first chapter and introduction I can definitely see that those two characters are actually portrayed more as Antiquarians or treasure hunters. I did know that archaeologists focused on sights and

At first glance, the study of archaeology may be perceived as the study of ancient artifacts, discovering tombs, or even just treasure hunting. However, archaeology has very large impacts in the world today. Firstly, archaeology is vastly important because it is very relevant to how we understand human history today. The study of archeology is not just important because it contributes to museums and writes history books. Without the work, projects, and excavations conducted by archeologists, we would

Research Programs Fekri Hassan’s research program involves a little bit of trait-centered archaeology. According to Gibbon (2014) this type of research program pertains to identifying traits of an archaeological culture or past culture. In addition, this type of research program involves “associating components in newly excavated sites with a named archaeological culture…and refining the chronological context of the culture” (Gibbon 2014). This is evident throughout Hassan’s (1986; 2007a; 1988;

Phytoliths are a durable floral microfossil formed by silica absorbed by a plant during its life. Although the usefulness of phytoliths in archaeology has been known for nearly a century, the field (independently) has not attained much popularity. Despite the fact that the yields of evidence and information from phytoliths are truly amazing, the field itself is at times more tedious than dendrochronology, causing a delay in the development of the use of phytoliths, as well as the lack of recognition

Hodder argues that Processual, or New, Archaeology is flawed and that we must look at approaches used before its adoption and integrate parts of those approaches into the study of archaeology. He points out that Symbols in Action helped him to develop three ideas regarding how to do this. First, we must consider that material culture has meaning. Second, that the individual is important to the development of theory in archaeology; and finally that archaeology is most closely related to history and

Time and Chronology in Archaeology Why is it important for archaeologists to establish chronologies and what are the strengths and weaknesses of absolute and relative dating methods in their establishment? By Liam Cornish In this essay will discuss what chronologies are and why they are extremely important to archaeology. It will also discuss the different types of chronologies as well as the varying methods of establishing them. Time can be determined in different ways, absolutely and relatively

Archaeology and archaeological findings are rarely, if ever, politically neutral. As stated by Quetzil E. Castañeda, “Once the archaeologist produces an interpretation of the past, that knowledge has a political life of its own” (as quoted in McGuire, 2008). Even if archaeologists pursue their research with no political intent, their work can be cited and used to support political agendas. Meaning, once archaeologists present the information to the public, whoever is able to access it is free to

relevant information happening in today’s world. Archaeology is widely used in several forms of media such as books, comics, television series, movies, and the news. While the media exposes and educates its audience, can their information be trusted? Although the goal of some news outlets such as Fox News and CNN is to provide relevant information to their audience, how accurate are those information? In this paper, we will examine how archaeology is represented in several news outlets such as Fox

‘How have archaeological investigations added to our knowledge of the ancient world?’ Archaeology offers us a very unique perspective on human history and their culture which has contributed immensely to our understanding of both the ancient and the recent past. Archaeology helps us to understand not only when and where people lived on this earth but also why and how they lived. It examines the changes and causes of changed which have occurred in human cultures over time, it seeks patterns and