Archaeological Practice Research Articles

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN THE PRACTICE OF ARCHEOLOGY AND THEIR POLITICAL DIMENSIONS

In the context of contemporary issues, archeology faces complex challenges that go beyond technical and scientific aspects, entering its political dimensions. This article aims to present a bibliographic review and meta-analysis of current issues that permeate archaeological practice, with special emphasis on its political implications. In this review, we intend to analyze how political dimensions shape archaeological practice, impacting issues such as the interpretation of archaeological sites, decision-making about excavations, management of cultural heritage and relations with local communities, minorities, quilombolas and indigenous peoples.

Digital Twins in the Archaeological Practice: Search for New Opportunities

The article deals with the problem of using digital twins in Russian archeology. The definition of the concept of “digital twin” is given. The article describes the experience of using digital technologies in archaeological research. Several approaches have been identified: the creation of digital models of objects, the development of geographic information systems, the formation of new approaches to the storage and use of data, the use of digital twins for complex research or restoration procedures. The technical and essential problems of using digital twins in archeology are emphasized.

Итоги заседания Совета отделения Российского исторического общества в Омской области

At the meeting of the Council of the branch of the Russian Historical Society in the Omsk region, the main results of the activities of the branch in the Omsk region were presented. Chairman of the Branch Council I.I. Krott introduced those present to the results of scientific historical research, achievements in the popularization of historical knowledge and historical education. Presentations were made by the director of the Historical Park “Russia - My History” O.A. Bezrodnaya, Dean of the Faculty of History, Philosophy and Law of Omsk State Pedagogical University E.V. Chernenko, director of the Museum of Archeology and Ethnography of Omsk State Pedagogical University M.A. Grachev and other heads of educational institutions, museums and historical projects supported by the History of the Fatherland Foundation. During the presentations, the main problems of historical education and historical science in the Omsk region were identified. The first problem is related to the lack of a concept for presenting historical material for schoolchildren as part of the preparation of a textbook on the history of the region, as well as generalizing scientific research on the history of Omsk and the Omsk region. In 2023, a team of historians has already done some work: a working group has been created to prepare a textbook, and the existing educational and methodological background has been analyzed. The second problem is the abandonment of archaeological practices and the reduction of hours for teaching archaeological disciplines in historical pedagogical areas. This situation in pedagogical universities was caused by the strengthening and expansion of the pedagogical and educational core. The exception is Omsk State Pedagogical University, which has preserved archaeological practices, and Omsk State University named after. F.M. Dostoevsky, organizing, in collaboration with archaeologists from the Omsk branch of the United Institute of History, Philosophy and Philology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, expeditions to explore the Tara fort. The third problem is identified in the field of implementation in the educational process of the concept of teaching the history of Russia for non-historical specialties with the inclusion of sectoral and regional history. Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, co-chairman of the Russian Historical Society K.I. Mogilevsky noted that eight textbooks for higher education are currently being prepared for publication, based on the concept of teaching Russian history for non-historical specialties, with the inclusion of material on industrial history. The last meeting of the Council showed the significant work carried out by research institutes, educational institutions, museums and archival organizations in the Omsk region to develop historical science and education, and at the same time identified a number of serious problems, the solution of which requires the consolidation of the historical community on a single discussion platform.

Survey Déjà Vu: Lessons Learned from the Archaeological Re-mapping of a Métis Overwintering Settlement

Although the advantages of archaeological remote sensing have long been known, the techniques have still not been fully incorporated into standard archaeological practice. Drawing upon the example of an archaeological remote sensing survey conducted in April 2022 and subsequent excavation in July 2022 at the Chimney Coulee site (DjOe-6) in Saskatchewan, we demonstrate the value of the integration of remote sensing methods early and throughout an entire project. Over the span of five days, we were able to use drone-based light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and orthoimagery, ground-penetrating radar (GPR), and magnetic gradiometry alongside more traditional archaeological survey methods to survey the site and locate two probable late nineteenth-century Métis cabins. The use of remote sensing techniques allowed for the efficient identification of future excavation areas and comparisons to previous mapping work and generated new questions about the site. This paper provides a methodological example of non-invasive archaeological survey for non-specialists and demonstrates how students and early career researchers can play an important role in the advancement of Canadian archaeology by experimenting with new ways of conducting archaeological survey and mapping.

Dutton's Dirty Diggers: Bertha P. Dutton and the Senior Girl Scout Archaeological Camps in the American Southwest, 1947–1957

Dutton's Dirty Diggers: Bertha P. Dutton and the Senior Girl Scout Archaeological Camps in the American Southwest, 1947–1957

Ukrainian-romanian stages for student archaeological practice

Cross-border cooperation between institutions of higher education is one of the goals of modern education, an important component of didactic and research activities. Over the past 30 years, such an initiative has been implemented several times during archaeological practices for students of Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University and «Ștefan cel Mare» University of Suceava. During this time, four student exchanges took place. The main practice bases in 1993 were the settlements of Chornivka in Ukraine and Târgu Frumos in Romania, in 1994 – the settlements of Revne and Siret, and in 2006 and 2007 – the Khotyn fortress and the settlement of Fetești – La Schit. The periods of joint practice lasted for 10 days, were related to the solution of certain organizational issues and allowed to realize a number of important educational goals.

North isn’t necessarily up: map projections, the politics of cartography and their relevance to archaeology

Maps and mapping are indispensable tools within archaeological practice. However, they are also tools that have historically been employed relatively uncritically by archaeologists. Maps are used functionally, with little attention paid to the subtler impact of certain decisions in relation to form and appearance. This article serves as a companion to ‘A global perspective on the past: the Institute of Archaeology around the world’ piece earlier in this volume, briefly explaining the theoretical principles underpinning decisions taken in that piece. In particular, the relevance of developments in the field of critical cartography and their application to large-scale archaeological mapping are considered. Map projections, their history, relevant uses and the impact of the choice of projection are discussed, as well as the significance of map orientation. In particular, it is demonstrated that the normalised ‘north up’ visualisation of our planet is a very specific and surprisingly recent development with an important history and subconscious implications. The way in which space is visualised has a subtle impact on the way we understand and, therefore, behave in the world around us. As such, it is contended that a self-conscious and reflexive attitude to the way we visualise space is a crucial consideration in our understanding of both the present and the archaeological past.

Scholarly Networks, Gender Sociology, and Knowledge Production in Aegean Survey and Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology

Scholarly Networks, Gender Sociology, and Knowledge Production in Aegean Survey and Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology

Probing the Gendered History of Aegean Survey Archaeology

Probing the Gendered History of Aegean Survey Archaeology

From Ethnic Determinism to Epistemic Optimism: A Critical History of the Recent Past of Serbian Archaeology

Although the history of Serbian archaeology has recently been a vivid field of study from various standpoints, the focus of this research has mainly been upon the early phases of the discipline, while the last thirty years have rarely been discussed. Additionally, the more extreme abuses of archaeological practice for political purposes, although minority positions, but still evident in the recent past, are mainly avoided. Therefore, this paper presents a critical discursive analysis of the recent history of Serbian archaeology in the context of the wars and crises of the 1990s and the post-conflict circumstances. The issue is raised of the transition achieved by Serbian archaeology from the dominance of ethnic determinism, apparent in the majority of archaeological interpretations, to the state of epistemic optimism, as a possible characterisation of the current state. 
 The idea of “the Serbian gromile”, penned by Đorđe Janković, is taken as the case study, focusing on the explanatory mechanisms supporting it. The emergence of this idea is contextualized in the situation of social crisis, war, and trauma, and interpreted on the other hand as a continuation of the tradition of the Slavic archaeology, adhering in Yugoslavia to the culture-historical approach. The interpretation of “the Serbian gromile” offered here is thus specific in arguing that it is not an exception, but the tip of an iceberg – a part of the general tendency of Serbian archaeology in the traditional key.
 The analysis has revealed that the explanatory mechanism, serving as a scaffold to the interpretation offered by Janković in his search for the early Medieval “Serbian gromile”, was in fact the abuse of interdisciplinarity. Namely, the relationships with ethnology and physical anthropology were problematic in Serbian archaeology under the culture-historical framework, since they were not theoretically explicated and therefore prone to political appropriation. The dark shadow of interdisciplinary unity can only be avoided through the explication of approaches of individual fields of research and their integration, from the research design to the final interpretation. In its new iteration, incorporating social anthropology and bioarchaeology, interdisciplinarity in Serbian archaeology fostered new perspectives in the spirit of epistemic optimism.

Connecting Past to Present: Enacting Indigenous Data Governance Principles in Westbank First Nation’s Archaeology and Digital Heritage

In this paper, we describe a collaboration between the Westbank First Nation Archaeology Office and UBC Okanagan that aims to create digital maps to enable engagement with syilx digital heritage and build capacity in digital tools and technologies. We examine what data governance frameworks mean for digital heritage and how they articulate with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007) and the First Nations Information Governance Centre’s OCAP® principles. We propose digital tools such as open-source and mobile-ready storymaps to showcase digital heritage that is appropriate for public sharing, practices that can promote and enhance community decision-making, and create training opportunities in digital methods in Westbank First Nation. Opening a conversation around digital tools is one way that archaeologists can begin to enact Indigenous data governance as a step towards dismantling colonial structures and practice in archaeology and digital heritage.

Humanness as performance

AbstractIf archaeology is the examination of historical conditions with reference to a surviving material residue, then one way in which these conditions might be characterized is as the different ways they had enabled the development of different forms of humanness. The historical construction of this diversity is discussed here as the ways that the relationships between humans and things had been performed. This means that the practice of archaeology must question the recent desire to adopt a flat ontology that defines archaeology as the ‘discipline of things’. It is argued that it was by means of the performances established between humans and their various objects of concern that different forms of human life were able to define themselves. The implications of this argument for the practice of archaeology are explored.

An Intersectional Approach to Equity, Inequity, and Archaeology

ABSTRACTThe year 2020 was an awakening for some. For others, it reiterated the persistent social injustice in the United States. Compelled by these events, 30 diverse individuals came together from January to May 2021 for a semester-long seminar exploring inequity in archaeological practice. The seminar's discussions spotlighted the inequity and social injustices that are deeply embedded within the discipline. However, inequity in archaeology is often ignored or treated narrowly as discrete, if loosely bound, problems. A broad approach to inequity in archaeology revealed injustice to be intersectional, with compounding effects. Through the overarching themes of individual, community, theory, and practice, we (a subset of the seminar's participants) explore inequity and its role in various facets of archaeology, including North–South relations, publication, resource distribution, class differences, accessibility, inclusive theories, service to nonarchaeological communities, fieldwork, mentorship, and more. We focus on creating a roadmap for understanding the intersectionality of issues of inequity and suggesting avenues for continued education and direct engagement. We argue that community-building—by providing mutual support and building alliances—provides a pathway for realizing greater equity in our discipline.

The Monongahela tradition in "real time": Bayesian analysis of radiocarbon dates.

Despite advances in techniques, methods, and theory, northeastern North American archaeologists continue to use early to mid-twentieth century culture historical taxa as units of analysis and narrative. There is a distinct need to move away from this archaeological practice to enable fuller understandings of past human lives. One tool that enables such a move is Bayesian analysis of radiocarbon dates, which provides a means of constructing continuous chronologies. A large dataset of radiocarbon dates for late prehistoric (ca AD 900/1000–1650) sites in the lower upper Ohio River basin in southwestern Pennsylvania and adjacent portions of Maryland, Ohio, and West Virginia is used here as an example. The results allow a preliminary assessment of how the settlement plans of contemporaneous villages varied considerably, reflecting decisions of the village occupants how to structure built environments to meet their needs.

The Archaeology of Settler Colonialism in North America

Beginning in earnest in the 1990s, archaeologists have used the material record as an alternative window into the experiences and practices of Black and Indigenous peoples in North America from the sixteenth century onward. This now robust body of scholarship on settler colonialism has been shaped by postcolonial theories of power and broad-based calls to diversify Western history. While archaeologists have long recognized the political, cultural, biological, and economic entanglements produced by settler colonialism, the lives of Indigenous peoples have largely been studied in isolation from peoples of African descent. In addition to reinforcing static ethnic divisions, until recently, most archaeological studies of settler colonialism have focused on early periods of interethnic interaction, ending abruptly in the nineteenth century. These intellectual silos gloss over the intimate relationships that formed between diverse communities and hinder a deeper understanding of settler colonialism's continued impact on archaeological praxis.

Theory and methods of settlement archaeology – the Chinese contribution

ABSTRACT On the international stage, discussions on theoretical and methodological aspects of settlement archaeology tend to be dominated by Anglo-American scholarship associated with the emergence of the New Archaeology’s systemic view of culture and its ecological outlook in which settlement pattern analysis became a crucial approach. Few people are aware that a scholar of Chinese origin, K.C. Chang, contributed substantially to these debates already since the 1950s and introduced western practices of settlement archaeology to China in the 1980s. Since then, numerous international collaborative projects in China have provided a fruitful basis for an exchange of ideas between different scholarly traditions and providing opportunities for methods developed in the West to be tested in a different cultural and environmental context. The present paper traces these developments, highlighting the extent of the Chinese contributions and concluding with some thoughts on the standing of Chinese archaeology within the field of archaeology worldwide.

Archaeology, Emotional Storytelling, and Performance

Archaeologists tell stories about the past through the interpretation of material remains, frequently an emotional pursuit. Even so, the profession is often represented simplistically, dispassionately, or problematically, according to perspectives on practice that have little to do with the actuality. The South Korean stage musical Return: The Promise of the Day is an example of how the representation of archaeology and archaeological fieldwork specifically have been incorporated into staging and storytelling to tell difficult stories about the past to both domestic and international audiences. The practice of conflict archaeology is represented as a means of facilitating the understanding of violent conflict across generations. This paper accounts for how Return makes use of archaeology, further showcasing the potential for representations of archaeology and archaeological practice to tell emotional stories and expand heritage audiences.

Martha Sharp Joukowsky, 1936–2022

Martha Sharp Joukowsky, 1936–2022

The ecosystem services framework in archaeology (and vice versa)

Abstract Economics, ecology and archaeology study various aspects of resource utilisation and mobilisation, differing in the studied systems, objects and currencies. However, the three disciplines have developed mostly independently, resulting in limited dialogue among them. Emergent fields such as ecological economics and environmental archaeology are now linking the three disciplines and promoting dialogue among them, but a theoretical framework that links all three disciplines at once is missing. I propose that ecosystem services (ES) can serve as such a theoretical framework. Moreover, after an ES‐centred framework establishes, it will be capable of further evolving – independently of ES—into a unified superdiscipline, relieving boundaries among disciplines. To demonstrate this potential, I present some examples of archaeology‐ES linkages, relating to the past, present and future. I show, in general, how archaeology studies past ES and informs us on current ES, as well as how ES benefit archaeological practice. Thus, I demonstrate the strong interface between archaeology and ES, and how it can promote the dialogue among the three disciplines, provide them with new practical tools, and resolve theoretical issues as the sustainability of ancient societies and anthropocentricity and monetisation of ES. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Archives in action. The impact of digital technology on archaeological recording strategies and ensuing open research archives

Digital-born research archives, data re-use, participation and the inclusion of academic and lay stakeholders in archaeological knowledge production. These are important topics that are increasingly addressed but often overlooked in the creative stages of archiving, be it data collection or the reproduction of an archiving practice. This creative practice is affected and changing due to the implementation of digital technology. These practices are reproduced in the design of the research archive and, as such, the impact of technology can potentially be scrutinised and traced reversely by analysing the uses of the archive. In addition, digital technology is believed to prompt greater inclusivity of diverse audiences. But how to reach that audience, and who is this “audience”? In this paper, emphasis is placed to reflect upon the practice of archiving of ongoing, post-excavation archaeological research with an audience, as opposed to well-established reflexive research into excavation and museum practices. As such, the concept of archiving as research process, rather than the traditional approach towards archives as data repositories is introduced here. As a case study to identify and assess potential change in a particular archaeological practice, the paper describes and analyses the archiving practice of the team of the Tracing the Potter's Wheel-project, from its inception in offices and storerooms to the archive's targeted manifold use as a place of knowledge production, data sharing and learning.