Archaeological Theory Research Articles

What is an Ore Deposit? Approaches from Geoscience and Archaeology in Understanding the Usage of Deposits

Metallogenic ore deposits can be construed and understood in different ways: it is easy for archaeologists and historians to oversimplify the mineralogical complexity of an ore deposit when conceptualising deposits as deliverers of raw materials such as copper or gold. Deposits are most of the time not monometallic; rather they are a mixture of various minerals that can significantly influence the metallic end products. Provenance data are often critically discussed on the basis of the explanatory value of ore mineralogy; however, archaeometallurgists may describe the complex mineralogical and chemical composition on a highly detailed level, disregarding the question of relevancy to the understanding of early societies, who tended to understand their environment on more empirical and practical levels. Archaeological theories are too often developed without regarding the specific quality of archaeometrical record, which needs detailed discussion about its quality and information value. Intense communication and close cooperation of specialists from diverse academic and scientific backgrounds are key in taking the study of metal resources forward.

A teoria Queer em uma perspectiva brasileira

A ideia de desenvolver este artigo surgiu após muitas reflexões em torno da temática de gênero e da teoria Queer, especialmente após a realização do simpósio Aproximações da Arqueologia Brasileira com a Teoria Queer no IX Encontro de Teoria Arqueológica da América do Sul, ocorrido em Ibarra, Equador, em 2017. Dando continuidade a estes diálogos, proponho apresentar um breve panorama sobre a teoria Queer e os estudos daí derivados, tomando como base as principais referências que vêm contribuindo para a consolidação deste campo de atuação teórica, metodológica e ativista. Apesar de tratar-se de artigo bibliográfico, construirei algumas problematizações acerca de se perceber criticamente a pertinência da teoria Queer no estudo das temáticas subalternizadas e ignoradas pela academia.

1 Why Neighborhoods? The Neighborhood in Archaeological Theory and Practice

ABSTRACTThis chapter introduces the central themes in this volume and articulates those themes with previous approaches. Neighborhoods in this volume are integrative socio‐spatial groups between the household and the settlement that are found in urbanizing landscapes. Previous theorizations of neighborhoods constrain them to specific populations or forms of sociality. Our cases show that the fundamental aspects of these theorizations (intermediate, distinct, cohesive, nested) can endure while population, morphology, and temporality vary. Neighborhood studies are presented as complementary to household, community, and urban/peri‐urban studies, while attention is drawn to the diversity of forms neighborhoods take and diversity of themes neighborhoods help scholars address.

Writing the History of Archaeology in the Pacific: Voices and Perspectives

ABSTRACT In histories of world archaeology to date the Pacific is all but missing. There has been some investigation into the history of archaeology in Australia and New Zealand, and other piecemeal work focusing on single countries or biographies of individuals, but much remains to be done. We offer a critical overview of general literature on the history of archaeology in the Pacific and stress the potential for a deeper knowledge of archaeology's histories in the region to transform current archaeological theory and practice. We then suggest important avenues for further investigation, including the historiography of Pacific archaeology, diverse national and linguistic traditions, international linkages between scholars and practitioners, pre-World War II excavations, theories about trans-Pacific contacts, and the often-hidden importance of women and Indigenous scholars and interlocutors in the field. Each of these themes is addressed by one or more of the papers in this special issue.

Postnationalism and the Past: The Politics of Theory in Roman Archaeology

European archaeology faces two significant challenges: the intractability of old national narratives about the past, combined with the resurgence of reactionary populism, and the need to update the toolkit of social archaeological theory to meet the challenges presented by the current global political climate. The theory of postnationalism offers one way of addressing both the present political situation and the need to rejuvenate archaeological theory to meet this danger—it provides both a warning of how nationalism continues to influence research and an entreaty for archaeology to embrace its political nature. By exploring the history of scholarship and politics in Roman archaeology in Romania and the public reception of Roman studies in Britain through the lens of postnationalism, this paper argues that while the past has always been and always will be political, archaeology as a discipline is at a watershed moment—archaeologists must become unapologetic political actors.

New Digs: Networks, Assemblages, and the Dissolution of Binary Categories in Anthropological Archaeology

ABSTRACTAnthropological archaeology has long been a process of categorization. The history of the subdiscipline could be rendered in terms of an ongoing project to create, critique, and then refashion the categories by which archaeologists understand and explain social and ecological processes. Despite ever‐changing theoretical tides, many archaeologists have continued to adhere to a lingua franca that demarcates their object of study, whether “the past,” “nature,” complexity, material culture, or historical knowledge. In 2018, strong currents in archaeological scholarship have both challenged and washed out the boundaries of many of these epistemological mainstays. This was more than a postmodern exercise to question metanarratives of history or to destabilize supposed social universals. The recent scholarship develops innovative theoretical perspectives and sophisticated methodological tools to shed light on the varied human interactions, practices, and projects that were previously occluded by research too sharply focused on bounded categories such as periods, polities, adaptations, and meanings. Furthermore, archaeologists are now more than ever critically examining the colonial institutions that they perpetuate and seeking to establish new common ground with Indigenous communities. A decidedly archaeological perspective seems to be taking shape. This is a view that sees social life from the ground up in terms of complicated relationships between people, things, and other organisms that cannot be reduced to catchall categories. [year in review, archaeology, archaeological theory, current issues, Indigenous archaeology, environmental anthropology]

Future of archaeology

Archaeology and archaeological theory are currently largely in the era of post-processualism. This has been significant as it has changed the ways that archaeologists interact with communities who are stakeholders in community-based archaeological research. However, not all archaeological research has followed suit and in many countries the archaeology still practiced does not include or benefit the local communities. I argue that moving into the future, archaeology must adopt a community-based approach as a mandatory practice in all situations. Community-based archaeology is relatively new in many parts of the world and thus its meaning is still ambiguous. How can we, as archaeologists, do better for the communities we work with and create long-lasting meaningful relationships with them? Community-based archaeology can mean many things and its breadth is part of what makes it so useful, but I argue that it must include meaningful engagement with the source community which leads to a form of heritage-building and empowerment.

Obsidian Sourcing and Characterization in the Celebes Region: An Initial Interpretation on the “Celebes Seafaring People”

AbstractThe peopling of Island Southeast Asia is told through the Austronesian migration theory. During the Neolithic Period (ca. 6000–5000 BP), the Austronesians entered the Philippines altering the cultural landscape and heralding the beginning of the Neolithic. The Austronesian people continued expanding through Island Southeast Asia, the Pacific, and as far as Madagascar. It is the most influential multiregional archaeological theory in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Region. Although archaeologists, as a whole, generally support this theory, the operations governing the Austronesian migration is still subject to intense debate. Theories suggest that migration is not as straightforward as commonly presented. In spite of their movement towards the Pacific, some Austronesian population stayed in the Celebes area and may have developed a close-knit exchange system with their neighbors powered by sophisticated ancient maritime technology and shared cultural affiliations. This paper calls this maritime network as the “Celebes Seafaring People.” The “Celebes Seafaring People” hypothesis is the first study to focus on a smaller aspect of a much larger theory, allowing a clearer perspective on the early cultures of this Region. Currently, the hypothesis encompasses three island groups: Northern Mindanao, Philippines; Sabah, Malaysia; and Talaud Islands, Indonesia. This is an initial interpretation of the “Celebes Seafaring People” hypothesis through geochemical analysis of obsidian found in the island groups in the Celebes Region. These group of people may have a complex maritime exchange network and share the same cultural affiliation during the Neolithic Period. Further investigation must done to substantiate such theoretical interpretation.

Collective Action, Mutual Aid, and Wetland Agriculture in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea

Much archaeological and historical theory of societal development characterises societies that are reliant on hydraulic agro-ecosystems as maintaining high levels of socio-political control and centralisation (Wittfogel 1957). In the highlands of Papua New Guinea, large-scale and extensive wetland agricultural practices date from several thousand years ago up to the present. These extensive drainage networks are the product of collective, community-based action and are co-ordinated by the persuasive influence of relatively weak and egalitarian political leaders, big-men (Strathern 1971). Here the New Guinea evidence is used to critique evolutionary models of societal development and associated concepts of human nature to develop a mutualistic perspective on the past. These ideas are pertinent to contemporary highland societies, many of which aggressively maintain their independence from each other and the Papua New Guinea state. Their agricultural history continues as a living tradition into the present.

Anarchy and Archaeology

Anarchist theory is having a ‘moment’ in the social sciences. A growing number of scholars draw on anarchist thought to conceptualize human history and offer solutions grounded in direct democracy for a range of modern ills, including racism, sexism, and structural violence. As scholars wake to the realization that universities have become instruments for the advancement of capital, and as contemporary politics continues to embrace ethnonationalism, neoliberalism, and patriarchy, engagements with anarchist thought and practice have emerged in the academy and more broadly. What does this mean for contemporary archaeology? Here, we raise questions relating to three potential threads: the archaeology of anarchists; the use of anarchism to inform archaeological theory and practice; and the use of archaeological knowledge to inform contemporary anarchisms.

The social world of hunter-gatherers in early Holocene Lesotho: integrating method and theory

This thesis presents new early Holocene excavations at Ntloana Tsoana in western Lesotho and makes the case for reintegrating method and theory in southern African Later Stone Age archaeology. It i...

The Brief «Walk-through» in the Archaeological Ceramic Investigations in the Way to a New Approach in Neolithic Ceramics Styles Research

The study of ceramic is one of the broadest research areas in archaeological sciences. Over the last two centuries, archaeologists have developed a number of approaches and methods that have had different goals of the studies: from the study of ceramics as an object of art to the reproduction of the manufacture technologies, and the study of pottery as a «mediator» for the study of everyday life of the ancient population. From the end of the XIX century of the archaeological research scholars looking for different algorithms and strategies in the ceramic studies and attributions. To the end of the XX century, ceramics studies became more complex: from pottery as an object to the technology of the manufacture. Scholars defined methodological groups of the ceramic’s investigation as 1. the description of the technologic information; 2. Form description; 3. Patterns analyses; 4. Reconstruction of the cultural traditions of the pottery. Different methodic together with physical-chemical analyses can prove a theoretical hypothesis. Together with the development of physical methods in archaeological research should also develop the methods of form and pattern analyses and fit to the new archaeological theories’ concepts The purpose of the article is a brief review of the scientific methods developed at different times in Western and Eastern Europe, North America, and to discover new combinations of research approaches that would allow archaeological ceramic complexes to be explored at a new level. This is especially true of the difficulties encountered in the study of Neolithic utensils, given the incomplete forms of utensils, the relatively small number of finds, and natural damage. The new paradigm in ceramics investigations is the studies of the raw material of Neolithic cera-mics using natural methods of analysis, such as binocular, p-XRF, spectrographic analyses. The results may open up new knowledge regarding the mobility of the ancient population and the cultural exchange between different groups of the Neolithic population. Key words: Neolithic, ceramic studies, pottery, migration, cultural exchange.

S. Rebecca Martin. The Art of Contact. Comparative Approaches to Greek and Phoenician Art.

Two cartoons in a much-cited handbook on archaeological theory depict the practitioners of the discipline in 1988 and again, in 1998. The first cartoon on the discipline in 1988, shows a ferocious fight going on between representatives of different theoretical approaches. Situated at the periphery are, on the side, confused members of the public, and, on the other side, turned with his back to the rest of the world, a bearded pipe-smoking Classical Archaeologist, browsing a ‘monumental’ publication while seated on another pile of Classical Archaeology books. The next cartoon shows the discipline ten years later, in 1998. The fight at the core has dissolved and made place for stimulating parallel debates between factions in which members of the public participate. Untroubled and still seated on his pile of books, is the same bearded pipe-smoking Classical Archaeologist.

AN OUTLINE OF THE HISTORY OF ARCHAEOLOGY

In this lecture, one can find an abbreviated historical trajectory of the appearance and development of archaeology as a science. The aim is to demonstrate the perceptions and biases, which have influenced and still influence the archaeological theory and practice in negative or positive ways. The lecture was prepared for the participants of the program on “Classics and Philosophy” of Novosibirsk State University (October 2018).

Towards an Archaeological Theory of Infrastructure

Infrastructure makes up a considerable portion of the material culture that archaeologists study. Whether measured in terms of spatial extension or just sheer mass, infrastructural entities are often among the biggest artifacts that archaeologists encounter in the field. Yet there is no overarching theoretical framework for the archaeological study of infrastructure, and its different varieties tend to be treated in a rather piecemeal fashion. This article therefore seeks to lay some foundations for a more theoretically unified approach to infrastructure within the discipline. It offers a general definition or infrastructure, as well as a basic typology. The typology presented is fourfold, encompassing (1) static infrastructure (e.g., terraces, harbors and storehouses), (2) circulatory infrastructure (e.g., highways, canals, aqueducts, and sewers), (3) bounding infrastructure (e.g., palisades, ditches, and corrals), and (4) signaling infrastructure (e.g., lighthouses and beacons). By analogy with more heavily theorized categories such as urbanism, it is suggested that infrastructure should be a topic of global comparative analysis within archaeology and its allied disciplines.

Археологические теории третьего тысячелетия на Западе

Археологические теории третьего тысячелетия на Западе

Palaeotopography concerning sea level changes to rethink past human activities in central Dalmatian islands area, Adriatic Sea

Environmental conditions and access to natural resources are important factors for human behaviour and choices about where to make settlements. This important information must be understood and abstracted into appropriate spatial datasets, so as to be modelled in geographic information systems (GIS). The main objective is to design and realize a seamless integrated digital elevation model (DEM) from several data sources, including bathymetry. The important focus of this paper is to collect and interpret the sea level data for the Central Dalmatian islands over the past 15,000 years, describing the entire case study’s implementation in terms of hydrology, landscape archaeology, geodesy, data quality assessment, and spatial analysis. The results demonstrate that the proposed model has the potential to rethink the archaeological theories of settlement patterns in the studied area. The limitation of the proposed study is a lower quality of bathymetric datasets, and the determination of the historical sea level due to a number of uncertain factors. The work has profound implications in terms of the developed GIS tools that make it possible to generate reliable datasets and simulate various scenarios, as well as for a non-destructive prediction of the past archaeological landscapes. The solution may help increase awareness about cultural heritage, environmental conservation, and climate change.

Perceptions africaines du Brésil: le spectre du passé

O último romance de Kangni Alem, As crianças do Brasil, trata dosaspectos esquecidos do tráfico de escravos entre a África e o Brasil. O livroapresenta uma espécie de pesquisa arqueológica no mundo Atlântico, com ofito de desvelar um conhecimento sobre a tragédia do tráfico de escravos. Oautor recorre à metáfora de navios destruídos para forjar sua própria incursãoartística pelas memórias da escravidão. Combinando a exploração científica e artística, ele se refere essencialmente a situações contemporâneas no Brasile no Togo, atualizando a representação da memória escrava e mostrandonovas maneiras de escrever sobre seus impactos na vida cotidiana emÁfrica. Ao analisar esse romance de Kangni Alem, procuro mostrar que nãoé apenas uma empresa discursiva. O autor faz uso de palavras e metáforaspara compreender uma realidade muito específica da história e da sociedadetogolesas. Para desconstruir sua mensagem, parece apropriado usar umaabordagem metodológica relevante como a arqueológica de Michel Foucault.Isso permite fazer uma leitura do discurso sobre o Brasil de Kangni Alem comoum discurso sobre a África.

“Execration” of Nubians in Avaris? A Case of Mistaken Ethnic Identity and Hidden Archaeological Theory

Abstract Two pits (L1016 and L1055) from the early New Kingdom cemetery in areas H/I and H/III at ʿEzbet Helmi, Tell el-Dabʿa (ancient Avaris), have long been identified as remains of execration rituals in which Nubians were killed. In this paper I will argue that nothing in these two pits suggests execration of Nubians. The racial attribution of the individuals found in these pits can be questioned on both a theoretical and methodological basis. The Nubian pottery and supposedly Nubian arrowheads often associated with these “execration” pits do not come from either the burials in the cemetery nor from the pits. These finds are later than the cemetery and the “execration” pits in H/I and H/III. In the case of Nubians and “execration” pits from Tell el-Dabʿa we are dealing with a case of mistaken identity, an erroneous interpretation based on culture-historical and racial anthropological assumptions—a hidden theory.

Grave Finds: Mortuary-Derived Antiquities from England and Wales

Artefacts deriving from mortuary contexts form a unique group among the vast numbers of unstratified portable antiquities found every year in England and Wales. Such finds, usually discovered by hobbyist metal detectorists, have great potential to tell us about the character, state, and preservation of the mortuary environments from which they derive. Yet, unlike the situation regarding the discovery of human remains, the reporting of unstratified grave goods is not compulsory. This presents a strange paradox in view of contemporary theory in mortuary archaeology and practice in indigenous heritage overseas, where funerary objects are usually regarded as a fundamental aspect of the archaeological deceased, if not an inalienable part of it. At present, grave goods — whether found on the body or dislodged from it — are normally the property of the landowner and as such can be lawfully privately owned or traded on the antiquities market. This paper outlines the current ethical and legal status of unstratified grave goods sourced from England and Wales, and explores current trends in their discovery and subsequent sale on the antiquities market. Throughout the paper, consideration is given to the question as to whether mortuary-derived antiquities should be given some form of enhanced legal or ethical status; however, the discussion reveals a range of complexities that present significant challenges.