Ancient Lives: An Introduction to Method and Theory in Archaeology

by Fagan, Brian M.

• ISBN13: 9780321047908
• ISBN10: 0321047907
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-02-01
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Summary

A core text for courses in Introductory Archaeology, Method and Theory in Archaeology, and Physical Anthropology and Archaeology (as one of two texts). This wide-ranging, authoritative introduction to the most fundamental principles, methods, and theoretical approaches of archaeology is designed for the complete beginner. Using first-person experience, a conversational narrative, and unique, truly global coverage reflected in examples from all parts of the world, it paints a compelling portrait of archaeology, science, and the past. It provides students with a basic grounding in the conceptual, technical, and ethical aspects of the subject; the career opportunities it offers; and some of the spectacular, and not-so-well known, discoveries that illuminate our past.

Table of Contents

Preface	xv
Author's Note	xxi
What Happened in Prehistory?	xxii
PART I: INTRODUCING ARCHAEOLOGY
What Is Archaeology?	2	(27)
How Archaeology Began	6	(7)
The Discovery of Early Civilizations	7	(1)
Discovery: Austen Henry Layard at Nineveh	8	(1)
The Origins of Humankind	8	(2)
The Origins of Scientific Archaeology	10	(3)
Archaeology	13	(1)
What Do Archaeologists Do?	14	(2)
Doing Archaeology: A Short Guide to (Some of) the Diversity of Archaeologists	15	(1)
Why Is Archaeology Important?	16	(8)
Mysteries of the Past	18	(1)
Doing Archaeology: Pseudoarchaeology, Or You Too Can Be an Armchair Indiana Jones!	18	(1)
The Powerful Lure of the Past	19	(1)
Archaeology and Human Diversity	20	(2)
Archaeology as a Political Tool	22	(1)
Archaeology and Economic Development	23	(1)
Who Needs the Past?	24	(3)
Site: Inyan Ceyaka Atonwan, Minnesota	26	(1)
Summary	27	(1)
Key Terms	27	(1)
Guide to Further Reading	27	(1)
The World Wide Web	28	(1)
Culture and the Archaeological Record	29	(33)
The Goals of Archaeology	31	(3)
Constructing Culture History	31	(1)
Reconstructing Ancient Lifeways	32	(1)
Discovery: The Folsom Bison Kill Site, New Mexico	33	(1)
Explaining Culture Change	33	(1)
The Process of Archaeological Research	34	(5)
Doing Archaeology: An Archaeologist's Ethical Responsibilities	36	(1)
Research Design	36	(1)
Data Acquisition	37	(1)
Analysis	38	(1)
Interpretation	38	(1)
Publication and Curation	39	(1)
Culture	39	(3)
Cultural Systems	42	(1)
Cultural Process	42	(2)
Site: The Ain Ghazal Figurines	43	(1)
The Archives of the Past: The Archaeological Record	44	(2)
Context	46	(5)
Doing Archaeology: Archaeological Sites	47	(4)
Time and Space	51	(4)
The Law of Association	51	(1)
The Law of Superposition	52	(3)
Preservation Conditions	55	(4)
Waterlogged Sites: Ozette, Washington	56	(1)
Dry Sites: Chinchorro Mummies, Northern Chile	56	(1)
Cold Conditions: The Ampata Nevado Mummy, Peru	57	(1)
Volcanic Ash: Ceren, San Salvador	58	(1)
Summary	59	(1)
Key Terms	60	(1)
Guide to Further Reading	60	(2)
How Old Is It?	62	(29)
Cyclical and Linear Time	63	(1)
Relative Chronology	64	(9)
Discovery: Human Sacrifice at Teotihuacan, Mexico	65	(1)
Stratigraphy and Relative Chronology	66	(1)
Site: Koster, Illinois	66	(1)
Artifacts and Relative Chronology	67	(6)
Absolute Dating	73	(16)
Historical Records, Calendars, and Objects of Known Age	74	(4)
Cross-Dating	78	(2)
Obsidian Hydration	80	(1)
Tree-Ring Chronology	80	(1)
Doing Archaeology: Principles of Tree-Ring Dating	81	(2)
Radiocarbon Dating	83	(1)
Doing Archaeology: Principles of Radiocarbon Dating	83	(3)
Potassium-Argon Dating	86	(1)
Other Dating Methods	87	(1)
Doing Archaeology: Principles of Potassium-Argon Dating	87	(2)
Summary	89	(1)
Key Terms	90	(1)
Guide to Further Reading	90	(1)
How Did Cultures Change?	91	(31)
Culture History	93	(3)
Constructing Culture History	94	(1)
Synthesis	94	(1)
Discovery: Hallucinogenic Plants in the Pecos River Valley, Texas	95	(1)
A Hierarchy of Archaeological Units	95	(1)
Descriptive Models of Cultural Change	96	(5)
Inevitable Variation	96	(2)
Doing Archaeology: A Hierarchy of Archaeological Entities	98	(1)
Cultural Selection	99	(1)
Invention	99	(1)
Diffusion	99	(1)
Migration	100	(1)
Analogy	101	(4)
Ethnoarchaeology and Experimentation	105	(2)
Ethnoarchaeology	105	(1)
Experimental Archaeology	106	(1)
The Scientific Method in Archaeology	107	(3)
Doing Archaeology: Deductive and Inductive Reasoning	109	(1)
Processual Archaeology	110	(5)
General Systems Theory	110	(1)
Cultural Ecology	110	(2)
Multilinear Cultural Evolution	112	(2)
Site: Guila Naquitz Cave, Mexico	114	(1)
The Archaeology of Mind	115	(3)
Postprocessual Archaeology	115	(1)
Cognitive-Processual Archaeology	116	(2)
Summary	118	(1)
Key Terms	118	(1)
Guide to Further Reading	119	(3)
PART II VANISHED WORLDS
Ancient Environments	122	(30)
Long-and Short-Term Climatic Change	124	(1)
Geoarchaeology	124	(1)
Long-Term Climatic Change: The Great Ice Age	125	(9)
Glacial Geology and Sea Levels	126	(1)
Discovery: Akrotiri, Santorini, Greece	126	(2)
Deep-Sea and Ice Cores	128	(2)
The Pleistocene Framework	130	(4)
Pollen Analysis	134	(3)
Doing Archaeology: Pollen Analysis	135	(2)
Holocene Environmental Reconstruction	137	(10)
Centuries-Long Climatic Changes: The Younger Dryas and the Black Sea	138	(2)
Short-Term Climatic Change: El Nino	140	(3)
Tree Rings: Studying Southwestern Drought	143	(2)
Doing Archaeology: Climate Variability in the Ancient Southwest	145	(2)
Reconstructing Humanly Caused Environmental Change	147	(2)
Site: Environmental Archaeology at Easton Down, England	148	(1)
Summary	149	(1)
Key Terms	150	(1)
Guide to Further Reading	150	(2)
PART III DISCOVERY
Finding the Past	152	(32)
Finding Archaeological Sites	154	(2)
Chance Discoveries	156	(2)
Discovery: African-American Burial Ground, New York	156	(2)
Field Survey	158	(6)
Approaches to Archaeological Survey	160	(1)
Doing Archaeology: Basic Types of Ground Survey	161	(1)
Sampling in Archaeological Survey	162	(1)
Doing Archaeology: Probability Sampling Schemes	163	(1)
Remote Sensing	164	(5)
Aerial Photography	164	(2)
Nonphotographic Methods	166	(3)
Assessing Archaeological Sites	169	(7)
Recording Sites	169	(2)
Maps	171	(1)
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)	172	(2)
Assessment: Surface Investigations	174	(2)
Site Survey	176	(1)
Subsurface Detection	176	(5)
Site: Teotihuacan, Mexico	177	(1)
Nonmechanical Detection	178	(1)
Mechanical Detection	178	(3)
Summary	181	(1)
Key Terms	182	(1)
Guide to Further Reading	182	(2)
Digging Up the Past	184	(42)
Discovery: The Dead Sea Scrolls	186	(1)
Excavation Is Destruction	186	(2)
Organizing Archaeological Excavations	188	(2)
Multidisciplinary Research Teams	189	(1)
Planning an Excavation	190	(1)
Research Designs	190	(3)
The Koster Site	191	(2)
Types of Excavation	193	(4)
Total and Selective Excavation	193	(1)
Vertical and Horizontal Excavation	193	(4)
How Do You Dig?	197	(4)
Tools of the Trade	200	(1)
Stratigraphic Observation	201	(3)
Doing Archaeology: A Personal Excavation Kit	202	(2)
Archaeological Recording	204	(5)
Doing Archaeology: Site Records	205	(4)
Analysis, Interpretation, and Publication	209	(1)
Examples of Archaeological Excavation	210	(7)
Small Forager Site: Koobi Fora, Northern Kenya	210	(1)
Complex Open Sites, Caves and Rock Shelters: Gatecliff Rock Shelter, Nevada	211	(1)
Large Occupation Mounds: Catalhoyuk, Turkey	212	(1)
Forts, Earthworks, and Burial Mounds: Maiden Castle, England, and Other Sites	213	(2)
Middens, Shell or Otherwise	215	(1)
Underwater Archaeology: Uluburun, Turkey	215	(2)
Fragile Objects	217	(1)
Burials and Human Remains	217	(2)
Structures and Pits	219	(1)
Summary	220	(3)
Key Terms	223	(1)
Guide to Further Reading	223	(3)
PART IV RECONSTRUCTING PAST LIVES
Artifacts of the Ancients	226	(38)
Artifact Analysis	228	(12)
Discovery: Celebrating Finds at Carchemish, Syria	228	(1)
Classification	229	(2)
Typology	231	(2)
Types	233	(5)
Doing Archaeology: Archaeological Types	238	(1)
Quantitative Methods	239	(1)
Ancient Technology	240	(21)
Stone	240	(6)
Doing Archaeology: Lithic Analysis	246	(1)
Clay (Ceramics)	247	(4)
Doing Archaeology: Ceramic Analysis	251	(1)
Metals and Metallurgy	252	(1)
Site: Ancient Wine at Abydos, Egypt	253	(5)
Bone, Wood, Basketry, and Textiles	258	(3)
Summary	261	(1)
Key Terms	262	(1)
Guide to Further Reading	262	(2)
How Did People Live?	264	(33)
Studying Subsistence	266	(1)
Animal Bones (Zooarchaeology)	266	(15)
Taphonomy	267	(2)
Studying Animal Bones	269	(1)
Comparing Bone Assemblages	270	(1)
Doing Archaeology: Identifying Animal Bones	271	(3)
Species Abundance and Cultural Change	274	(1)
Game Animals	275	(1)
Seasonal Occupation	275	(3)
Domestic Animals	278	(1)
Slaughtering and Butchery	278	(3)
Plant Remains	281	(5)
Site: Olsen-Chubbuck Bison Kill Site, Colorado	282	(2)
Flotation	284	(1)
Plant Phytolith Analysis	284	(1)
Doing Archaeology: Flotation of Plant Remains	285	(1)
Interpreting Plant Evidence (Paleoethnobotany)	286	(1)
Birds, Fish, and Mollusks	286	(4)
Birds	286	(1)
Fish	287	(1)
Mollusks	288	(2)
Subsistence Data from Rock Art	290	(2)
Discovery: Recording the Behistun Inscription, Iraq	291	(1)
Ancient Diet	292	(3)
Summary	295	(1)
Key Terms	295	(1)
Guide to Further Reading	295	(2)
Settlement and Landscape	297	(29)
Settlement Archaeology	300	(2)
Discovery: Catherwood and Stephens at Copan, Honduras, 1839	300	(2)
Households	302	(6)
Earthquake at Kourion, Cyprus	304	(1)
Excavating a Household	304	(1)
Ceren, El Salvador	305	(3)
Communities	308	(7)
Doing Archaeology: Winter Houses at Keatley Creek, British Columbia	310	(1)
Larger Communities	311	(3)
Site: The Creation of the Aztec World at Teotihuacan	314	(1)
Distribution of Communities	315	(5)
The Savannah River Valley, Southeastern United States	316	(1)
The Basin of Mexico Survey	317	(1)
Geographic Information Systems at Roman Wroxeter, England	318	(2)
Population	320	(3)
Collapse at Copan, Honduras	320	(2)
Doing Archaeology: Studying the Maya Collapse at Copan, Honduras	322	(1)
Summary	323	(1)
Key Terms	323	(1)
Guide to Further Reading	323	(3)
PART V INTERACTIONS
People of the Past	326	(29)
An Individual: Otzi the Ice Man	327	(2)
Social Ranking	329	(5)
Doing Archaeology: DNA and Archaeology	330	(4)
Gender: Men and Women	334	(5)
Discovery: The Sepulcher of the Maya Lord Pacal, Palenque, Mexico	335	(1)
Grinding Grain at Abu Hureyra, Syria	336	(1)
The Engendered Past	337	(2)
Ethnicity and Inequality	339	(6)
Ideologies of Domination	339	(1)
Artifacts, Social Inequality, and Resistance	340	(4)
Site: War Casualties at Thebes, Egypt	344	(1)
Trade and Exchange	345	(8)
Types of Exchange and Trade	346	(2)
Sourcing	348	(1)
Doing Archaeology: Obsidian Sourcing	349	(2)
A Unique Portrait of Ancient Trade: The Uluburun Ship	351	(2)
Summary	353	(1)
Key Terms	354	(1)
Guide to Further Reading	354	(1)
The Archaeology of the Intangible	355	(29)
A Framework of Common Belief	356	(4)
Discovery: Hiram Bingham at Machu Picchu, Peru	358	(2)
Ethnographic Analogy and Rock Art	360	(3)
Doing Archaeology: Copying South African Rock Paintings	361	(2)
The Archaeology of Death	363	(1)
Artifacts: The Importance of Context	363	(5)
Site: The Shrine at Phylakopi, Greece	367	(1)
Artifacts and Art Styles	368	(3)
Doing Archaeology: The Ancient Maya World through Glyphs	377
Sacred Places	371	(4)
Astroarchaeology and Stonehenge	375	(2)
Southwestern Astronomy and Chaco Canyon	377	(4)
Summary	381	(1)
Key Terms	381	(1)
Guide to Further Reading	381	(3)
PART VI RESOURCES
So You Want to Become and Archaeologist	384	(14)
Archaeology as a Profession	385	(7)
Deciding to Become an Archaeologist	386	(1)
Doing Archaeology: The Personal Qualities of an Archaeologist	387	(1)
Gaining Fieldwork Experience	388	(1)
Career Opportunities in Archaeology	388	(1)
Doing Archaeology: Fieldwork Opportunities	389	(2)
Academic Qualifications: Graduate School	391	(1)
Thoughts on Not Becoming a Professional Archaeologist	392	(2)
Our Responsibilities to the Past	394	(1)
Doing Archaeology: A Simple Code of Archaeological Ethics for All	395	(1)
Summary	395	(1)
Guide to Further Reading	396	(1)
Useful Addresses	396	(2)
Glossary of Terms	398	(8)
Glossary of Sites and Cultures	406	(6)
References	412	(1)
Index	413