Archaeological Methods Research Articles

Islamic communication as an invention of modern-western knowledge: critical analysis toward Islamic communication in Indonesia

ABSTRACT This article questions the idea that Islamic communication is rooted purely in the religion itself. By studying the field of Islamic communication studies in Indonesia, it analyzes discourses which produce knowledge of Islamic communication. Foucauldian archaeological method is employed to examine literatures, textbooks, and other sources which form regulated statements about Islamic communication tradition in Indonesia, developed by both public university scholars and Islamic scholars in the nation. The author argues that Islamic communication traditions in Indonesia are the product of modern developmentalism discourse which dominated in the New Order era (1966–1998). As a consequence, Islamic communication tradition in Indonesia is currently unable to provide an alternative perspective in much broader communication studies. This article proposes revisiting the history of Islamic communication within certain local contexts and use of the Islamic discourse as a criticism toward every kind of domination, including the domination of knowledge termed Islamic.

Reflections on Studying Huang Di Nei Jing in the West.

Huang Di Nei Jing (《》The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic) has been the source text of Chinese medicine knowledge and innovation for over two thousand years. Despite this key relevance, many of its ideas and practices have proven difficult to understand and implement fully into clinical practice. Cultural and language differences can be compounded with these challenges but may also present new opportunities for advancement and insight when studied by researchers outside of the originating culture. This article introduces the method of Classical-Text Archaeology and delves into the author's two-decade journey of researching this text, with a discussion on cultural differences and issues of medical scholarship.

Refleksi Sejarah Orde Baru pada Novel Namaku Alam

Literary works offer an in-depth and subjective perspective on a historical event. Historical events that may not be fully documented can be revived through literary works. This research aims to find a reflection of the history of the New Order using the Newhistoricism approach formulated by Greenblatt (1980) in Leila S. Chudori's latest work entitled Namaku Alam. This research is a type of qualitative descriptive research using content analysis techniques. Based on the nature of the new historicism approach, data collection was carried out using a parallel reading method between literary and non-literary texts. Data analysis techniques were carried out using archaeological methods and in-depth description methods. The results of the research prove that the historical events of the New Order that were discovered included the arrest of people who were related to the PKI along with the negative stigma received by political prisoners and their descendants; personal hygiene and environmental cleanliness policies; supervision of people's reading; and petition 50.

The Pedagogical Benefits of Sensory Archaeology: A Case Study on Roman Britain

Archaeology, by its very nature, is a highly sensorial discipline. Teaching archaeology should be equally sensorially engaging. However, modern higher education prioritizes the visual and the auditory, and while handling sessions, laboratory work, and site visits are often part of a standard archaeology degree, they vary heavily based on departmental and student resources. At the same time, archaeology is in something of a crisis, tackling a lack of diversity, reduced funding, and a deep legacy of colonialism. This article demonstrates how the incorporation of the theories and methods of sensory archaeology into higher education curriculum can add sensorial density to a degree, enhance research, and at the same time help alleviate some of our current crises. As the first paper to explore the use of sensory archaeology in university education, it also makes an important contribution to the rather limited field of archaeological pedagogical research.

Israeli Heritage Tourism in Wadi Helweh: Making What Is out of Mind out of Sight

This essay demonstrates how Zionist settler colonialism is swiftly proceeding to claim ownership over the Palestinian neighborhood of Wadi Helweh in Jerusalem through the City of David archaeological park, a controversial project premised on disputed Israeli archaeological methods and biblical claims. It examines how guided tours of the site, consisting of tourists with predisposed beliefs and desires to receive more of what they already know to be true, serve to brand the site as conclusively Zionist and Jewish—a central aim of Israeli heritage tourism in Jerusalem. This takes place through a process referred to as “irrefutable divine internalization,” and through which Israel’s ongoing illegal annexation and occupation of Wadi Helweh is eclipsed, turning tourists’ gaze toward Israeli-Jewish ownership of space instead.

Power’s Two Bodies

This article seeks to problematize Agamben’s interpretation of sovereignty in light of the “archaeological method” he uses in his Homo Sacer project. In contrast to Agamben’s exposition, which treats biopolitics as the original and ontological paradigm of Western politics, the essay discusses how, historically, sovereign power has been conceived as a “double body”—transcendent and immanent, sacred and sacrificial, absolute and perpetual—from whose tension conceptual and political metamorphoses of sovereignty arise. The first attribute of sovereignty—absoluteness, on which Agamben has often focused—should be seen as an ordering and essentially modern function of its second “body”: the perpetuity of power. The article illustrates, then, how the retrospective projections through which the Italian philosopher constructs his ontological reading of sovereignty depend on some logical and epistemological lacunae that characterize his “archaeological method,” which is based, essentially, on an arbitrary use of historical analogies.

Results of the latest interdisciplinary research conducted in the Church of St. James in Sandomierz

The article is a summary of interdisciplinary research conducted in the 13th-century Dominican Church of St. James in Sandomierz in May 2022. The research included an archaeological survey located at the junction of the presbytery and the nave, followed by an architectural and historical-artistic analysis of the discovered walls and architectural details. The aim of the work was to obtain new materials regarding the beginnings and subsequent transformations of the church of St. James. In addition to traditional research and documentation methods, digital technologies were used, i.e. digital photography, laser scanning and photogrammetry. The stages of archaeological work recorded in this way could be incorporated into the existing digital 3D model of the entire monastery complex. Archaeological methods, as well as preserved source materials (textual and iconographic) were used to date individual structures. Due to later excavations (related to reconstructions and burials), the relationship between the layers recorded in the excavation did not create a clear sequence and cannot be the basis for findings regarding chronology. The initial dating was therefore based on the relationship between the walls and on the dimensions of the discovered bricks. It was established that the brick foundation marked as k. 43/44 may come from the 13th century and constitute a fragment of the unpreserved choir partition of the church – this hypothesis will require verification in the future. Additionally, a previously unknown, possibly medieval wall with a NS course (k. 3) on the line of pillars between the naves was uncovered, as well as a vaulted ceiling of the vestibule of the crypt under the Martyrs’ Chapel. The discovered architectural details include a fragment of a 13th-century ceramic molding, perhaps coming from the choir partition, and stone floor slabs. The discovered brick structures, architectural details and traces of numerous secondary excavations prove that the examined part of the church has undergone numerous transformations over the centuries and was intensively used for burials.

Why is Archaeology Inalienable in Learning about the Traces of the Great War in Kozienice Forest and Restoring the Memory of the Forgotten History of a Century Ago?

The article presents the preliminary results of historical and archaeological research on the relics of the Great War in the Kozienice Forest. The aim of the article is to demonstrate the need to use archaeological methods in restoring the memory of the events of 1914 and 1915. The use of these methods to study the battlefield and its hinterland provides new information and allows for the analysis of battlefield elements. Preliminary spatial analyses of the war cemetery in Wysokie Koło showed that its boundaries had changed, and the graves had been destroyed during the renovation in the years 2004-2006.

Austro-Prussian War of 1866, Landscape Archaeology of the Battlefield of Sadowa-Königgrätz

The article attempts to present current results of landscape archaeology concerning a military conflict between Prussia and Austria in the summer of 1866 near Hradec Králové (Sadowa/Königgrätz). The aim is to introduce the possibilities of analysing individual available sources using the methods of battlefield archaeology, which is a sub-discipline of post-medieval archaeology. The historical period in question is not only a regional issue. This topic is mainly important with regard to protection of constantly endangered war relics, whose number in East Bohemia has been increasing in the past decade. The knowledge acquired from systematic and rescue excavations conducted in various parts of battlefields in the territory of Hradec Králové region demands new analysis to be appropriately evaluated and interpreted. The primary processing and treatment of finds are equally important as their spatial information and a successful setting into the chronological frame of well-known historical events. Archaeological knowledge thus sheds a new light on these events. The paper presents basic research topics and methods, to which increased attention is currently being paid within the context of archaeological sites. All of them use a wider view of the 1866 historical landscape, which was not distinctly modified for the purpose of military operations, but on the contrary significantly influenced their course and sequence. In order to properly interpret the acquired spatial data, it is necessary to reconstruct this historical landscape and to define the form of various activities which took place there during the war.

Paradigm or Practice? Situating GIS in Contemporary Archaeological Method and Theory

Paradigm or Practice? Situating GIS in Contemporary Archaeological Method and Theory

Metody odkrywania niedawnej przeszłości

The article aims to show the possibility of studying events from the recent history with the help archaeology of the contemporary past. The reader will have the opportunity to get to know historical and ethnographic sources related to the anti-communist underground unit headed by a commander nicknamed “Tarzan”. The article will also present the relics of earthworks (bunkers, dugouts). They will be interpreted using archaeological methods.

Traces of History, Spirituality, and Architecture: A Study of Surau Cerobong, Padang, West Sumatra

This research is a scientific article carried out in the field with the aim of studying the relationship between society and the Surau Cerobong (surau can be referred to as a small mosque), from historical and archaeological views. This study covers the history, social and religious activities carried out at Surau Cerobong, and the shape of the building. This research uses historical research methods as the main method and is reinforced by archaeological research methods. The historical method is used through the steps of heuristics, source criticism, synthesis, and historiography. While the archaeological method is used to analyze the physical building of the surau. The results of this study found that Surau Cerobong was built on the initiative of Imam Karim in 1941, as a place to develop Islamic teachings. Aside from being a place to perform the obligatory prayers, the surau is also used as a place to teach tariqah and conduct suluk. In architectural aspects, there are parts that have similarities with the Persian architectural style during the Seljuk Dynasty.

On the Issue of the Typological Definition of the So-called “Central European Castell”

Typology is one of the fundamental archaeological methods that helps to organise large amounts of data and facilitates their handling. It is also used in castellology, where it categorises castles into various types, for example, on the basis of their layout, as observed in Czech castellology. Among these classifications, the socalled Central European castell has proved to be particularly problematic. Nevertheless, none of the representatives within this group completely aligns with the definition formulated by T. Durdík. The best-explored representatives of this group, which come closest to meeting the definition, are the castles in Písek and Kadaň. For this reason, they served as analogies for other supposed representatives, forming the basis for the conceptualisation of the original form. Recent research has cast doubts on their inclusion in this typological group. In contrast to the examples mentioned above, there are other sites that come close to the definition, yet their classification into the group of so-called Central European castell has been questioned, to say the least. The issues discussed in this article underscore the insufficient level of knowledge available regarding the representatives of the so-called Central European castell, effectively challenging the legitimacy of using this type in terms of an archaeological method. A potential solution to this situation lies in reclassifying them into another typological group, preferably within the category of castles with a perimeter layout, which would allow their further use. Moreover, such a merger would eliminate the artificial boundaries currently separating these related sites. Nevertheless, typology should primarily be regarded as a method that helps and simplifies the handling of accumulated data. Existing groups require revision to make them more applicable for further research. This should not be limited to the assessment of architectural and historical qualities; it should also incorporate other approaches that have been underutilised thus far. This will help to create a more nuanced understanding and improved comprehension of castle sites.

Eastern Horsefly: Implications of Fatima Mernissi's Work on the Islamic Ethos

This study comprises Fatima Mernissi's discourse analyses on the Islamic ethos and examines how these narratives can be traced in history, providing an archaeological method of research. It explains the conditions under which Islamic normative attitudes, which are replicated through ancient narratives like 1001 Nights Tales, Hosrev and Shirin, Kerem and Asli, become effective. Mernissi challenges the mindset of Western Orientalists' understanding through her observations on the Islamic Middle East in Moroccan culture. The Islamic Middle East, with harem nights and concubines, has always been an element of fantasy for Westerners. However, when the harems are reconsidered through Mernissi's analyses, far beyond what is assumed, harems were a field of exchange where women were not passive but active agents displaying various forms of resistance. The Islamic Middle East defines male-female dynamics with reference to the holy book, the Qur'an, and hadiths of Islam while maintaining its close contact with modernity. Mernissi highlights the search for power resources within the context of gender roles by both men and women in their engagement with modernity. This study examines Mernissi's Scheherazade Goes West: Different Cultures, Different Harems through her arguments on how Scheherazade, the character of 1001 Nights Tales, is instrumentalised to reproduce Islamic normative attitudes in the context of gender roles.

Judaica as Portable Antiquities in England and Wales

This article examines the use of the database of the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) for England and Wales, which records archaeological finds made by the public (particularly metal detector users). The PAS database is generally considered a valuable resource for archaeological research, but its use as such is rarely critically examined. In this case study, artefacts related to the specific material culture of the historically-attested Jewish community in Britain are examined as a potential source of archaeological information about a specific historical social group. The article highlights several challenges in interpreting records deriving from information received from collectors and hobbyists as a substitute for data recovered by archaeological methods. Several false leads and misinterpretations have been identified, and the lack of contextual information for the artefacts is especially problematic. The PAS records are of limited utility as a standalone source of evidence, and cannot lead to meaningful conclusions about Jewish lives in Britain. The artefacts primarily serve as material illustrations of existing written records rather than independent sources of information.

Climate and human impact on vegetation and fire in an arid Colorado Plateau ecosystem in Western North America

Understanding how arid western North American environments have responded to past climatic conditions can help predict how they respond to anthropogenic climate change. Unfortunately, millennial-length continuous paleoecological records in these regions are scarce. Here we evaluate the human-environmental history of Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM), USA, back to the Middle Holocene (ca. 7350). Our study presents new records of stratigraphic pollen and charcoal recovered from two sediment cores and pollen recovered from eleven Neotoma (packrat) middens. Our records cover an elevational gradient within pinyon-juniper woodlands, with one core (LP-12-03) recovered from a high elevation site (Lake Pasture) and one core (MC-12-03) and the eleven packrat middens recovered from a low elevation site (Meadow Canyon). Both of these sites contain archaeological records spanning from the Archaic to the Historic with increased occupation during the Formative. We analyze these paleoecological records with the goals of determining how vegetation and fire histories differ over an elevational range, what the records reveal about prehistoric agriculture, and the relative impact of natural climate variability and human land use on the environment through time in southern Utah. Our records provide pinyon-juniper vegetation and fire histories spanning back to the Middle Holocene (ca. 7350 years), evidence of agriculture from Terminal Archaic through Late Prehistoric times (ca. 178–1550 CE) in Meadow Canyon, the utility of non-invasive methods of archaeology in the form of sediment cores and packrat middens, and support for National Register of Historic Places eligibility for archaeological sites surrounding each core location. We conclude that the records of vegetation and fire differ markedly between the high and low elevation sites, the low elevation site contains direct evidence of prehistoric agriculture whereas the high elevation site does not, and that the climate-fire relationship at each site has been buffered by prehistoric land use.

Diskontinyuitas Sejarah Bali Abad XIX: Alternatif Mempelajari Masa Lampau melalui Pendekatan Postmodern

This study discusses the discontinuity of the history of Bali in the nineteenth century. The collapse of the Klungkung Kingdom in 1908, positioned as the present, serves as a starting point. It then moves backwards to 1849, which marked the beginning of the collapse of the Balinese kingdoms into the hands of the Dutch colonial government. Then it moves forward to form a periodization, but with a different frame of mind. The periodization is not connected to the present, but it is only used as a method to identify the location of historical discontinuities. The goal is merely to view whether an event brings new ideas that can make the old knowledge undergo ruptures, fractures, thresholds, accidents, and transformations. Using Foucault’s method of archaeology of knowledge combined with the theory of radical contingency, this study manages to demonstrate that the power after the fall of the Buleleng kingdom formed new knowledge which created the discontinuity of history in Bali in the nineteenth century.

Waste Journeys

Plastics, as supermodern artefacts of the Anthropocene, form a significant part of waste landscapes. But they also pollute landscapes – cultural and natural, marine and terrestrial – across the globe, including in the most isolated of places. The material’s resilience meansthat plastic pollution is one of the biggest global challenges facing contemporary society. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, this paper demonstrates how archaeological methods can help address the issue of plastic pollution in Galapagos, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its “Outstanding Universal Value” to humanity. Studied archaeologically, plastics are artefacts that through careful observation can yield precious information about their journey to this archipelago. As objects of story writing and the focus of object itineraries, they can also be used as a window into perceptions of plastic litter locally, as well as providing an opportunity to engage students in the topic.

Penza serif line: history of creation and study

The article is dedicated to the history of the study of the Penza fortress line, which accounts for more than two and a half centuries, but has not yet become the subject of historiographical analysis. There are three main stages can be distinguished in the study. The interest to the fortifications of the saddle line appeared in the last quarter of the XVIII century, when the information about them appeared in the notes of travelers and writers: P.S. Pallas, P.I. Sumarokov. Since the second half of the XIX century archivists and regional ethnographers began to collect archival documents on the Penza fortification line. Their efforts were aimed at localizing the earth ramparts, establishing the time of creation of military settlements, and publishing the texts of ancient acts. Along with documents, they used the data of legends and local legends. The beginning of the second stage refers to the middle of the XX century, when the studies of the Penza fortification line acquired a systematic character. V.I. Lebedev becomes its main researcher. Along with a wide use of the archival data, he turned to the field research, which allowed to fill the gaps in the documents, lost as the result of fires in the archives of the Prikaz Kazan Palace. Great work in search of the ancient acts was carried out by Penza archivists and local historians: G.V. Eremin, S.L. Shishlov and V.M. Sharakin in publication’s preparation: «The Fortress-City of Penza», by order of the Second Secretary of Penza Regional Committee of the CPSU G.V. Myasnikov. As a result of common efforts, the fortifications of the Penza Line were localized on the ground, the exact dates of their construction were established, and the composition of the servicemen was determined. The results of the research were summarized in the two editions of V.I. Lebedev’s monographs of 1986 and 2006. At present the studies of fortifications of serfdom are carried out mainly by archaeological methods, but their results are rather modest.

An important comparison of software for Scale Sensitive Fractal Analysis : are ancient and new results compatible?

In this paper, I will explore some of the implications of machine learning for archaeological method and theory. Against a back-drop of the rise of Big Data and the Third Science Revolution, what lessons can be drawn from the use of new digital technologies and computational approaches as they are applied to archaeological typologies? In this paper, I explore two key aspects of these approaches - automation and epistemic novelty – and attempt to unravel their implications for archaeological practice. Furthermore, the paper will situate these topics within developments of the philosophy of science and technology and suggest an alternative way to think about machine learning that draws on re-thinking what we mean by machines and automation.