What is Archaeology?
Classic
AD250- AD900
Post
AD900-AD1541
1.Remote Sensing Techniques
Aerial photos, high resolution aerial photos
University of Pennsylvania Dep. of Antrho
Chalchuapa Arch. Project, Verapaz Arch. Project, Quirigua Project, El Mirador Project, Mirador Acropolos Project
Excavation continued...
Contribute to a solution for an important research problem
Excavation
Must consider time, money and labor that can be committed to the endeavor. -Shed light on human past:understand cultural and evolutionary processes in general
Arlen and Diane Chase
Original Research at Santa Rita Corozal Belize -26 years at Caracol - Most recently they tested the use of LiDar in archaeology
Experimental Arch.
Recreating the archaeological record -lithics, ceramics, conservation techniques ex. flintnapping
John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood
Rediscovered 44 maya sites -"incidents of travel" 1839-1842 sold 12 copies published 1941
Maya Archaeologist
Refers to scholars who specialize in the research and study of the ancient Maya through fieldwork
Law of Superposition
Stratigraphy (relative) lower layer is oldest etc.
Archaeology is destructive
Therefore we must be careful to document EVERYTHING. (drawings, photos, catalog and analyze artifacts, report findings to whoever is funding you)
Association
archaological items that co-occur together
Clearing excavations
associations and function, areal excavation, stripping excavations
Edward H. Thompson
bought Chichen in 1894, Museum burned in 1920 -"principle of abundance" 1886 -dredged cenote in 1904
Mortuary Archaeology
burial practices
Forensic Archaeology
cause of death
Absolute dating
chronometric dating: dates for materials based on solar years, centuries, or other units of absolute time "BP", Radiocarbon
Mesoamerican "Triumvirate"
consistant staple foods/diet: corn, beans, squash (chile pepper)
Archaeological Concepts
context, law of superposition, law of association, primary contexts vs, "fill", dating: absolute vs. relative, models, sampling/seriation/sequence building
Cultural Resource Management
contract archaeologists make up around 40% of all archaeologist in the U.S. Many regulations are in place based on state
Law of Association
cross dating, relative
Relative dating
designating an even object or fossil as being older or younger than another
Willard Libby
developed radiocarbon dating Said atomic bomb ruined everything, so we can only date things until 1945
3.Natural Agents
drought and soil erosion
Direct history Approach
ethnohistory, historic documents
Ethnography and Linguistics
interviews and contemporary documents
2 Types of Archaeology: Pre-Historical
looking at artifacts where written record DO NOT exist
2.Documentation
maps, folklore, placenames and local lore
Ethno Archaeology
observing contemporary cultures to understand formation processes and past culture life ways. Ethnography for archaeological purposes
4.Accidental Discovery
plowing, strip mining
Mayas Had
pyramids, ballcourts, blood sacrifice, calendars
Mayanist
scholoars who specialize in the research and study of the ancient maya (armchair archaeology)
Penetrating excavatiosn
sequence and time depth: trench, tunnel
Geoarchaeology
soil science and formation
Archaeology Methodologies
survey, mapping, excavation, sampling and testing,
"garbology"
term coined to describe rathje's research in oxford english dictionary -retrieve and analyze fresh and land filled refuse -resource waste, diet, nutrition, and disease vectors -risk of household hazardous wastes -what is really filling up our landfills (DIAPERS) -legacy we leave for future archaeologists
Context
the imputation of "meaning" based on matrix (physical medium surrounding the archaeological materials)
Bioarchaeology
the study of human remains, emphasizing the preservation of cultural and social processes in the skeleton: mummies, burials, sometimes forensic cases
Provenience
three dimensional locations
Variants and combinations
understanding
Mayas didn't have
wheel, pack animals; horses and cattle (introduced by spanish) , wheat
What does archaeology study?
-Material remains in order to describe and explain human behavior. (tools, pottery and other features such as hearths and enclosures that remain as the testimony of earlier cultures)
What do anthropologists do?
-Study of every aspect of human existence in all times and places
Guatemalan Highlands
...
4 Fields of Anthro
1. Cultural 2. Biological Archaeology 3. Archaeology 4. Linguistic
3 Phases of Archaeology
1. Scientific Recovery 2. Analysis 3. Interpretation
Archaeology
1/3 or less of Anthropologists -the study of the past through the use of material culture, human remains, nonhuman remain, written records, architecture and geography
Sylvanus G. Morley
1883-1948 WWI was a spy, womannizer, hieroglyphic records
William Rathje
1973 Garbage Studies wanted to test validity of interview-survey techniques (people to tend to lie)
Pre
BC1200-AD250
Frequency Seriation
Battleship curves (gravestones)
Modern Countries that make up Maya Region
Belize, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador
Picking a site
Ground survey: soil marks, vegetation growth
William Fash
Harvard: studied under Gordon R. Wiley -25 years with Barbra Fash at Copan, honduras -His research efforts are devoted to illuminating all aspects of ancient Maya lifeways and culture history
Sites
Hunting campsites, kill sites, village sites, cemeteries
Somethings to know...
It's Maya not Mayans (mayan only refers to language)
Historic Arch.
Looking at artifacts where written records DO exist
Current Archaeologiests
Robert Sharer: author of our text
Probe.. Strip.. Penetrate
Test pit, or sondage: sample of what is there
Highlands vs. Lowlands
Valley of Mexico (Maya) Valley of oaxaca (olmec)
Arthur Demarest
Vanderbilt University: studies the use of achaeology, paleoecology, and epigraphy to better understand the Maya -A little controversial: Cancuen, Guatemala
Obsidian Hydration
Volcanic ash less than 1% of Water. Maya used nodes to get blades