Archaeology and Anthropology: In Search of the Past
E. Napp
"Historical archaeology is more than just a treasure
hunt. It is a challenging search for clues to the people,
events, and places of the past."
~ Society for Historical Archaeology
Activity #1: adapted from lcfpd.org
Archaeologists study people who lived at different times and in different places.
 Prehistoric archaeologists
-Study people who lived before written records
-Native American cultures are studied by these archaeologists.
-Excavate (uncover) and examine artifacts (objects made by humans).
Circle the artifacts below that the Potawatomi Indians may have used 300 years ago:
Egyptologists study the people and culture of ancient Egypt.
List three things that you think an Egyptologist would study:
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 ____________________________________
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Not all archaeological sites are on land. Marine archaeologists study sites that are
underwater.
Circle the reasons a site might be underwater.
People eat plants and animals in order to live. The remains of these meals give
archaeologists important information about people’s lives. Zooarchaeologists study plants
and animals used by people.
Which parts of animals and plants do archaeologists find?
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Archaeologists are a principal source of knowledge of prehistoric, ancient, and extinct
cultures. The word “archaeology” comes from the Greek archaia (“ancient things”) and
logos (“theory” or “science”). The archaeologist is first a descriptive worker: he has to
describe, classify, and analyze the artifacts he studies. But the main aim of the
archaeologist is to place the material remains in historical contexts, to supplement what
may be known from written sources, and, thus, to increase understanding of the past.
Ultimately, then, the archaeologist is a historian: his aim is the interpretive description of
the past of man. Archaeologists enrich the present by providing knowledge of the
experiences and achievements of people who lived in the past. Because it concerns things
people have made, the most direct findings of archaeology bear on the history of art and
technology; but by archaeology can also provide information about the society, religion,
and economy of the people who created the artifacts. Also, it may bring to light and
interpret previously unknown written documents, providing even more certain evidence
about the past.
But no one archaeologist can cover the whole range of man’s history, and there are many
branches of archaeology divided by geographical areas (such as classical archaeology, the
archaeology of ancient Greece and Rome; or Egyptology, the archaeology of ancient Egypt)
or by periods (such as medieval archaeology and industrial archaeology). Writing began
5,000 years ago in Mesopotamia and Egypt; its beginnings were somewhat later in India
and China, and later still in Europe. The aspect of archaeology that deals with the past of
man before he learned to write has, since the middle of the 19th century, been referred to
as prehistoric archaeology, or prehistory. In prehistory the archaeologist is paramount, for
here the only sources are material and environmental. (Adapted from Encyclopedia
Britannica)
Questions:
 What is the principal source of knowledge of prehistoric, ancient, and extinct
cultures?
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 What does the word “archaeology” mean in Greek?
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 What is the first task of archaeologists?
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 What is the main aim of archaeologists?
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 How do archaeologists enrich the present?
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 What is classical archaeology?
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 When and where did writing begin?
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 Define prehistoric.
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What is anthropology?
Anthropology is the study of humans, past and present. To understand the complexity of
cultures across all of human history, anthropology draws and builds upon knowledge from
the sciences. Historically, anthropologists in the United States have been trained in one of
four areas: socio-cultural anthropology, biological/physical anthropology, archaeology, and
linguistics. Anthropologists often integrate the perspectives of several of these areas into
their research, teaching, and professional lives. (Adapted from aaanet.org)
Socio-Cultural Anthropology:
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Biological/Physical Anthropology:
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Archaeology:
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Linguistics:
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Examines social patterns and
practices across cultures
Special interest in how people live in
particular places and how they
organize, govern, and create
meaning.
Concerned with similarities and
differences and its attention to race,
sexuality, class, gender, and
nationality
Seeks to understand how humans
adapt to diverse environments
Interested in human biological
origins, evolution and variation
Give primary attention to
investigating questions having to do
with evolutionary theory
Studies past peoples and cultures,
from the deepest prehistory to the
recent past, through the analysis of
material remains, ranging from
artifacts and evidence of past
environments to architecture and
landscapes
Material evidence, such as pottery,
stone tools, animal bone, and remains
of structures, is examined
the comparative study of ways in
which language reflects and
influences social life
Shares with anthropology in general
a concern to understand power,
inequality, and social change,
particularly as these are constructed
and represented through language
and discourse
Questions:
 What is of special interest to Socio-Cultural Anthropologists?
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 Which type of anthropology emphasizes evolution?
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 What do archaeologists study?
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 Which type of anthropology studies the ways in which language reflects and
influences people?
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Anthropology in Action: (Adapted from schools.woboe.org)
Imagine that you are an anthropologist. It is your job to analyze the bones, tools, and
clothing of a very old body. In addition you must examine information about the site in
which the body was found to help solve the mystery of the person, his life, and his death.
The Evidence:
The body was found within 37 miles of where you and your colleagues believe he grew up.
His joints had very little deterioration, which means he probably did not do very much
physical activity in his life. Maybe he was a religious leader such as a priest or a Shaman.
He may have been assassinated in a power-play conflict. He was shot with an arrow in the
back because the tip of the arrow was found when doctors and scientists X-rayed the body.
He was not facing his attacker. Perhaps some of the village people did not like his politics
or religious leadership or service to the community. Maybe one of his followers had a
disagreement with him and murdered him.
He also had some sort of mushrooms known for their medicinal value with him. A
Shaman (religious leader) often used his powers, plants and other medicinal remedies to try
and cure people. This could prove that he was a leader who may have been disliked by one
or more people. Maybe he tried to cure someone and did not succeed leaving family loved
ones grief-stricken and angry.
He also had a copper axe with him. Copper was expensive though. It is possible that only
a leader would own such a tool. And if it was so valuable, wouldn’t a robber have taken it
after he killed his victim. No –you are sure that this was not an accident or a robbery—this
was an assassination.
Fill in the Graphic Organizer Below:
Death of the Recovered Body
List the evidence
from the actual
body:
List the objects
found on the body:
List the conclusions
from the evidence: