Arch CH 1

Context is important to archaeologists because... ... prevents mistakes in interpretation ... allows us interpret relationships between objects in space and time. ... spares us from having to consider stratigraphic sequences ... puts us in the minds of people in the past.

... allows us interpret relationships between objects in space and time.

Which of the following dates is the youngest? -950 BP -1950 BP -1025 BCE -1025 CE -950 AD

1025 CE

Stratigraphy

A site's physical structure produced by the deposition of geological and/or cultural sediments into layers, or strata.

New Archaeology

An approach to archaeology that arose in the 1960s, emphasizing the understanding of underlying cultural processes and the use of the scientific method; today's version of the "new archaeology" is sometimes called processual archaeology.

Artifact

Any movable object that has been used, modified, or manufactured by humans; artifacts include stone, bone, and metal tools; beads and other ornaments; pottery; artwork; religious and sacred items.

Archaeologists are often involved with the general public because: A. Archaeology is of tremendous public interest; the public wants to know about the past. You Answered B. Archaeology depends on public support for its livelihood, and so consequently it owes something back to the public. C. Both A and B. D. None of the above; archaeologists avoid the public because the public might loot their sites.

C. Both A and B.

The year AD 1859 was an important year in the history of human thought because it was the year that: A. Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species. B. The scientific community declared support for the remote antiquity of humankind. C. Both A and B. D. None of these.

C. Both A and B.

Which of the following statements is true of the state of archaeology in the twenty-first century? A. The "New Archaeology" of the 1960s has for the most part been uncritically accepted by nearly all archaeologists, and currently dominates archaeological thought. B. Archaeology today, as it was throughout the entire history of archaeology, is heavily dominated by white males, with virtually no involvement by woman and other minorities. C. Whatever public interest and involvement that archaeology once experienced has dramatically diminished; archaeology as a discipline is at the risk of extinction. D. Archaeology is today very diverse, representing many different theoretical perspectives; there is no single, defining, dominating trend.

D. Archaeology is today very diverse, representing many different theoretical perspectives; there is no single, defining, dominating trend.

Which of these statements are true: 1. A.V. Kidder disliked culture historical approaches to archaeology and was a New Archaeologist. 2. Kathleen Deegan uses a culture historical approach to archaeology as her primary approach. A. only statement 1 is true B. only statement 2 is true C. both statement 1 and statement 2 are true D. neither statement 1 nor statement 2 are true

D. neither statement 1 nor statement 2 are true

Potsherd

Fragment of pottery.

Antiquarian

Originally, someone who studied antiquities (that is, ancient objects) largely for the sake of the objects themselves, not to understand the people or culture that produced them.

Midden

Refuse deposit resulting from human activities, generally consisting of sediment; food remains such as charred seeds, animal bone, and shell; and discarded artifacts.

Classical Archaeology

The branch of archaeology that studies the "classical" civilizations of the Mediterranean, such as Greece and Rome, and the Near East.

Culture history

The kind of archaeology practiced mainly in the early to mid-twentieth century; it "explains" differences or changes over time in artifact frequencies by positing the diffusion of ideas between neighboring cultures or the migration of a people who had different mental templates for artifact styles.

What makes an archaeologist an archaeologist?

❂ Archaeologists reconstruct and explain the past by "thinking from things," using their analyses of material remains as the basis for knowledge of the past.

Who were the antiquarians, and why include them in a history of archaeology?

❂ For better or worse, these looters helped spark an interest in the ancient world. They built museum collections that inspired later generations to create the profession of archaeology (which would reject the methods and attitudes of antiquarians).

Why is the study of the past controversial?

❂ People typically use their vision of the past to justify their actions in the present. The assumption that Great Zimbabwe was built by Europeans justified Europeans' taking southern Africa. Th e archaeologist can (and should) question such mistaken beliefs. ❂ New World prehistory is largely studied by people of European descent, setting up inevitable and important disagreements about the past and its use in the present.

How was the rise of archaeology connected to the discovery of humanity's "deep" antiquity?

❂ Studying the past depends on recognizing a past. ❂ Although many early scholars were aware of the classical civilizations, the discovery in France of human artifacts with extinct animals made evident the need to study that past in great detail, without ancient documents as a guide.

What trends have characterized archaeology over the last century?

❂ The evolution from antiquarianism to professional archaeology has involved the movement from thinking about things to thinking from things. ❂ Archaeologists have always sought to build cultural chronologies, reconstruct ancient societies, and explain why cultures change over time. Today we can see they were initially successful with the first objective, then the second, and eventually the third. Along the way, archaeologists have increasingly borrowed information and techniques from many fields—geology, zoology, mathematical statistics, astronomy, climatology, and others—as they develop ways of making solid inferences from material remains using solid scientific methods. ❂ Archaeology is today a diverse field that covers both prehistoric and historical eras. Archaeology is concerned with bringing knowledge to a broader public, with making research relevant to contemporary society, and with understanding the opinions and needs of indigenous and descendant communities.