Abstract
Archaeology is often defined as the study of the past through material culture. As we enter the Anthropocene, however, the two parts of this definition increasingly diverge. In the Anthropocene the archaeological record ceases to be observed from a distance, but is something we exist within. It is not an assemblage of material culture, but a hyperobject of vast temporal and geographical scope, in which ecofacts increase in prominence and the role of artefacts recedes. This article examines the archaeological record as a hyperobject and argues for an expanded definition of archaeology for the future past. It argues for a shift from the study of objects towards a broader archaeology that includes immaterial Anthropocene culture.
Highlights
The human species has recently begun to reckon with the consequences of its impact on the Earth
Object-oriented ontology is significant for the present discussion, as it has identified a type of previously unacknowledged object, which Morton (2013) names hyperobject
The Anthropocene is not defined by human impact on the environment, and by the unintended creation of a hyperobject that is changing the climate through the persistence of objects
Summary
Object-oriented ontology is significant for the present discussion, as it has identified a type of previously unacknowledged object, which Morton (2013) names hyperobject It describes entities of vast temporal and geographical scope, such as black holes and global warming. This is especially evident with radiation (Hudson 2014: 84; Pétursdóttir 2017: 196) In this period of asymmetry, ecofacts, hyperfacts and dark artefacts allow for an understanding of Anthropocene cultures. The Anthropocene, hyperobjects and the archaeology of the future past affecting the DNA of species through temperature change, ecosystem stresses and increased UV radiation (Caldwell et al 2007). Seventy-five per cent of the effects of global warming will persist for 500 years—and 7 per cent for 100 000 years (Morton 2013: 58–59) It will shape the social, political and cultural development of our species. It is through radiowaves that humans may contribute something to deep time, far outlasting physical structures
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