ANTH 235,
WORLD ARCHAEOLOGY & THE HUMAN PAST
ARCHAEOLOGY’S TWELVE QUESTIONS
(and the principal means by which archaeologists address them)
1. What is left? (formation processes and the variety of the
evidence)
2. Where? (spatial concerns dealt with through survey and
excavation)
3. When? (“absolute” and relative time; chronology and
dating methods)
4. How were societies organized? (social archaeology)
5. What was the environment? (environmental
archaeology)
6. What did they eat? (reconstructions of subsistence and
diet)
7. How did they make and use tools? (technology and
typology)
8. What contacts did they have? (reconstructions of trade
and exchange)
9. What did they think? (cognitive archaeology)
10.Who were they and what were they like? (recognizing
the individual in prehistory)
11.Why did things change? (explanation in archaeology)
12.Whose past is it? (archaeology and the public)
Archaeology can be made to serve many masters:
 economic ends (tourism, land-use & agricultural
strategies – cautionary tales from the past)
 nationalistic & political agenda
(potential positive & negative aspects of both)
 the past can be sold to a willing public (satisfying the
basic human “backward-looking curiosity”)
The Indiana Jones Snack Shop & “Gifts Shop”
Petra, Jordan (2008)
“World archaeology” is something in which we can all
share; for example:
 the human origins revealed in Africa are the origins of
us all since ultimately we’re all of African descent
 archaeology can document the trajectory of growth of
every population on Earth, regardless of age, ethnicity,
or lack of historical documentation
Although many earlier scholars did indeed behave with
flagrant disregard for the feelings and beliefs of native
peoples (and, sadly, some continue to do so!), interest in
these matters today is not some neocolonial attempt to
further appropriate the native past.
If we are to have an accurate perception of our place as
human beings in the modern world, then the past
matters.
Should Erich von Däniken, author of Chariots of the
Gods?, be taken seriously?
After all, von Däniken’s 23 books have sold over 56
million copies worldwide and have been translated
into 28 languages, making him one of the most
successful “nonfiction” writers of all time!
See: http://www.daniken.com/
Erich von Däniken at Dendera, Egypt
Heritage studies have become an integral component of
modern archaeological analyses.
For additional background, see:
Smith, Laurajane
2004. Archaeological Theory and the Politics of
Cultural Heritage. New York & London:
Routledge.
2006. The Uses of Heritage. New York &
London: Routledge.
In the related realm of activist archaeology, see also:
McGuire, Randall H. 2008. Archaeology as Political
Action. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Although the immediate aim of most research is to answer
specific questions, the fundamental purpose of
archaeology must be to provide people in general with a
better understanding of the human past.
Obviously, archaeologists can’t study that which no longer exists…
Stele of an Assyrian king stolen from the Iraq National Museum in the looting that
accompanied the liberation of Baghdad in 2003. It is still unaccounted for.
Space: The New Frontier…for Archaeologists
Some might think that the 27,000 tons of material launched
by earthlings into space is nothing more than floating piles
of debris. However, when looking at these artifacts
through the eyes of archaeologists, they are seen as links to
human history and heritage, not merely celestial pollution.
Darrin, Ann Garrison and Beth Laura O’Leary (editors).
2009. Handbook of Space Engineering, Archaeology and
Heritage. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, Taylor and Francis
Group.
This handbook discusses the cultural landscape of
space, including orbital artifacts in space, as well as
objects left on planetary surfaces. It also considers the
application of forensic investigation to the solving of
failed Mars mission landings and lost spacecraft, and
even investigates the archaeology of the putative
Roswell, New Mexico “UFO crash site.”
YOU have a duty, irrespective of the pathways your life
leads you down, to engage the past; to weigh its value for
yourself and to ultimately decide what role, if any,
archaeology will play in your future.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
 commit yourself to the support of legislation enacted
to protect our common cultural heritage
 don’t encourage site destruction by collecting artifacts
 consider a career in archaeology
(but consider it carefully!)
MAKE-UP EXAM: Two comprehensive essays. One
question is obligatory; you may choose the second essay
from a list of four questions. Thursday, 10 December,
12:30-1:45 AM, Haury 215. Bring a Blue Book or pad of
ruled paper and a pen.
 You MAY take the make-up exam in substitution of
the lower of your two midterm exam scores
(assuming your make-up score is higher!)
FINAL EXAM: Non-comprehensive; format similar to
midterms with multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank
sections, plus one 50-point essay. Tuesday, 15 December,
8:00-10:00 AM, Haury 215. All you need to bring is a pen.