Archeology: The Science
of Trash
By Ron Eisenman
Cartoon
Archeology Goes To The Movies
Definition
Archeology is the scientific study of past
human culture and behavior, from the
origins of humans to the present.
The aim is to reconstruct human societies
that can no longer be observed firsthand,
in order to understand and explain human
behavior.
Objects of Study
Archaeologists study the material remains of previous
human societies such as the fossils (such as preserved
bones and teeth) of humans, food remains, the ruins of
buildings, and human artifacts—items such as tools,
pottery, and jewelry.
Fossil: any trace or impression of an organism of past
geologic time that has been preserved in the Earth’s
crust. Bones, teeth, shells, horns and woody tissues of
plants are the most common type
Artifact: any object made or altered by humans
History
The discipline of archeology began in the
19th Century
Most early sites were in Europe, Egypt,
and Southwest Asia
Today, highly trained archeologists
excavate sites all over the world which
cover the earliest human history to the
present
The Archeological Record
Most objects have disintegrated over time.
The prospects for an item to be found in the archeological record
depend on the following factors:
– Soil conditions
– Nature of the original material
The most common items include durable items such as potsherds (small
fragments of pottery), tools or buildings of stone, bones, and teeth (which
survive because they are covered with hard enamel).
Delicate objects are rarely found
– Temperature: Ice and cold temperatures slow decay
– Humidity: Low humidity encourages preservation, ie, King Tut’s flowers
and robes
– Human activity
Paradox: Assuming a site is preserved and discovered, it is
destroyed as soon as it is touched.
Specialties
Since the archeological record is so incomplete,
archeologists must use other kinds of
information and educated reasoning to fill in the
gaps.
Archaeology is a multi-disciplinary team effort
relying on expertise in diverse fields, including
physical anthropology (the study of human
biology and anatomy), geology, ecology, and
climatology (the science of weather patterns).
Sub-specialties include exotic fields like
zooarchaeology, paleoethnobotany, and
geoarchaeology.
Specialties
Prehistoric archeology (or
paleoanthropology)
– Early human remains
– Stone Age
– Early Farming
Historical archeology
– Classical Civilizations
– Biblical archeology
Underwater archeology
Industrial archeology
Urban archeology
Forensic archeology
Survey
Site: any place containing
archeological remains of
human activity
How are sites discovered?
– Luck
– Ground surveys: soil
marks, vegetation
– Aerial photography
– Satellite imaging
– Exposure from erosion,
earthquakes, floods
– Documents, maps, and
folklore
– Conspicuous mounds or
ruins
Type of Sites
Living or settlement
sites
– Early settlements were
open-air lake or
riverside camps, rock
overhangs, or caves
– Near water, game, and
farming opportunities
Kill sites
Ceremonial sites
Burial sites
Battlefields
Stonehenge
Excavation
Sites are excavated according to
plan- there are no second chances
2 methods:
– Horizontal excavation: for larger
areas
– Vertical excavation: for smaller
areas and emphasis on
chronology (see next slide)
Grid systems and stakes are used
to record the exact location of
where an object is found in
relation to another object
Digging is carefully done using
hand trowels, screens, brushes,
and picks. Flotation may also be
used
Site maps, photographs, scale
drawings are used
Vertical Excavation
The distinctly colored and textured layers visible in the excavation wall represent different
episodes in the shelter's long history of intermittent human occupation. Generally speaking,
the dark layers are associated with intense occupation, while the light colored layers are
mostly cave dust and roof spalls from periods when the shelter (or just this part of it) wasn't
used by humans
Sorting the Evidence
The materials are
processed in a
laboratory
3 hours of tedious lab
work for one hour of
fieldwork
Analysis of human
skeletal materials
explains many
aspects of life
Goals
Modern archaeological studies have three major
goals:
1. Chronology: to establish the age of excavated
materials
2. Reconstruction: to model what past human
campsites, settlements, or cities—and their
environments—might have looked like, and
how they might have functioned
3. Explanation: to create scientific theories about
what people living in the past thought and did.
Dating
Chronology- Relative Dating
Relative dating: establishes the
date of archaeological finds in
relation to one another.
Law of Association: an object is
contemporary with the other
objects found in the same
archaeological level
Law of Superposition: The lowest
occupation level on a site is older
than those on top of it.
It is possible to date materials by:
– Comparing the object itself
with known dates of similar
objects
– Palynology: examination of
pollen grains and vegetation
– Knowledge of paleontology
and the nearby animal
remains
Chronology- Absolute Dating
Absolute dating: determines
the year in which an artifact,
remain, or geological layer was
deposited.
– Historical documents or
objects of known age that
confirm the date, or both.
– Dendrochronology, or tree- Tree ring dating
ring dating. (More recent)
– Radiocarbon dating (40,000-
1500 AD)
– Uranium Thorium Dating (1
MYA-300,000)
– Potassium-argon dating
(oldest to ¼ MYA)
Writing was invented in Mesopotamia around 3200 BC
Reconstruction and Explanation
Settlement: The study of
the nature of human
occupation of a site.
– How long? What kind of
activities took place?
Organization? What
materials were used?
Where did the materials
originate? Trade with
outsiders?
Burials
– Reveals much about an
individual and the larger
society
Reconstruction and Explanation
Food: provides clues about
environment, economics, and
technology
Textiles: one of the most
important products of human
skill for over 1 million years.
Disease (Paleopathology):
Clues to genetics, natural
environment, and social
conditions
Warfare
Valuables
Ritual and religion
Archeology Careers and Resources
http://www.museum.state.il.us/ismdepts/
anthro/dlcfaq.html
Sources
http://history-world.org/archeology.htm
http://www.museum.state.il.us/ismdepts/
anthro/dlcfaq.html
Past Worlds: Atlas of Archaeolgy
Anthropology by Haviland