March 21st, Lecture #11: Antiquarianism & Early Archaeology
How much money was dedicated to recovering archaeological data before the destruction of Cahokia?
$4 million, hundreds of archaeologists dedicated their time - CRM
When was Monk's Mound built/the height of Cahokia?
1050-1250 AD
What was the estimated population of inner Cahokia?
15,000 people
When do we see the earliest examples of archaeological intellectual curiosity?
1830s
When did people start visiting Mesoamerica for archaeological purposes?
1840s (Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan - Stephens and Catherwood)
How much of Wisconsin's mounds have been destroyed?
80% of the original 20,000
What is man mound an example of?
A Baraboo, WI effigy mound from around ~1000 AD, example of development damaging North American cultural landscape
What is an effigy mound?
A raised pile of earth built in the shape of a stylized animal, human, or other figure
What is serpent mound in Ohio an example of?
An effigy mound from around ~300 BC
Who was Jacques Boucher de Perthes?
Aspiring archaeologist, borrowed ideas from Lyell to determine stratigraphic association of archaeological artifacts, went to Abbeville Gravels in France during the 1830s, found that there were lithics in direct stratigraphic association with the remains of megafauna - arguments were not accepted for another 30 years
Who were some of the most important contributors to development in 19th century scientific thought?
Darwin + Origin of Species, Charles Lyell + Principles of Geology (1830 publication) - one of the earliest examples of the interdisciplinary nature of archaeology
La Madeleine rock shelter example
Engraved mammoth tusk found in France in 1864, showed that the artist lived alongside these animals
In the 19th century, how did thought around antiquarianism and geology change?
Interest in the prehistoric past was growing, earth was determined to be very old, people believed that the past was knowable through science
How did Lyell divide the tertiary period?
Into epochs based on changing proportions of types of fossilized marine shells in layers (a paleontological seriation)
Who was James Ussher?
Irish Anglican bishop (1582 - 1656), calculated that the earth was created on October 23rd, 4004 BC - Adam and Eve were driven from Paradise on Monday, the 10th of November 4004 BC
What did Foster, president of the Chicago Academy of Sciences, say in 1873?
It was totally bs to say that Natives built the mounds
What is the largest mound in the country?
Monks mound in Cahokia
What is antiquarianism?
Obsession with things of the past - artifacts as "relics" and "curiosities" (eg., Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities in London)
What is uniformitarianism?
Popularized by Lyell, says that the processes that modify the earth's surface today have occurred at the same rates and in the same manner throughout earth's history, and these processes (sediment formation, compaction, erosion, etc.) account for all of earth's geological features
Where and when did Jefferson excavate his mound?
Rivanna River, Virginia in 1784 - may be one of the first archaeological digs - estimated there could be 1,000 people buried in the mound
What did Boucher argue about the materials he discovered?
Said they were "antediluvian" - his "figured stones" and artifacts were from before the flood (figured stones thing was a meme and made more people doubt him)
Example from the Christmas catalog
Selling of egyptian his and her egyptian sarcophagi including mummified remains - 1971
What law was Lyell the first to apply?
The law of superposition
Who were the mounds often attributed to ("myth of the moundbuilders")?
Vikings (1787), Egyptians (1833), Atlanteans (1876)
What did Cyrus Thomas say in the 1890s?
Wrote in a 700-page report on mounds for the Bureau of American Ethnology - "it is proper to state at this point, however, that the author believes the theory which attributes these works to the Indians . . . to be the correct ones."