Antiquarianism (1500-1800)

Bernard de Montfaucon

-15-volume book series on antiquities in figures

Jacob Spon

-1647-1685 -First person to use the term archaeology in the modern sense -Published a visual guide to classical antiquities

Comte de Caylus

-Aristocrat -Comparative novel of objects from Egypt, Etruscan, Roman, and Greek

Egyptology and Assyriology

-1st systematic study of Egyptian antiquity began with Napoleon's invasion in 1798 -Archaeological expeditions grew in popularity in 1st half of 19th C -Excavation of tombs searching for texts, treasures, and monuments -Archaeological remains only means to understand the civilizations

Classical Archaeology

-Based on the translation of latin texts -Interest spread from texts to material objects -Early excavations at Herculaneum and Pompeii

William Camden

-Britannia, published in 1586 -Survey of what was known of England during Roman period

Prehistoric Archaeology

-Didn't emerge until the end of the 19th C -Slow recognition of prehistoric tools -Highly influenced by European colonization of the Americas, Africa, and Australia -Made similarities between Indigenous cultures and prehistoric Europeans

National Archaeology

-Dissatisfaction with legends being the only source for national history -History could be known from monuments and artefacts -England, France, Germany, and Scandinavia as leaders -Description of monuments within home country and assigning them to different periods -Collection of folklore to synthesize information and find new sites

Mercatus

-End of 16th C -Metallotheca -Suggested that thunderstones were not of supernatural origin

Antiquarianism

-Prevalent from 1500s-1800s -Empiricist analysis of material culture -Emphasized stylistic, typological, and chronological features of archaeological remains -Mostly after pretty, shiny objects -Study, collection, and display of antiquities -Beginnings of true archaeological research: views objects as source of historical information

Johann Winkelmann

-Studied Greek and Roman sculpture in Italy -Wanted to find a method to date classical art: stylistic definition of different periods -1717-1768 -The styles: Old/Primitive, High Classical (Phidias), Refined (Praxiteles), Decay/Roman Copy -Demonstrated it was possible to date materials without consulting the written record

Antiquarian Approach

-Systematic classification based on features -Development of topological site maps -Establishment of typologies -Establishment of stylistic classifications for artistic and chronological value 1. Recover the object 2. Place object on map 3. Create collection relevant to object 3a. Classify object by style and type

Antoine de Jussieu

1st to draw comparisons between thunderstones and Indigenous tools in the Caribbean and Americas