Understanding the Archaeological Record Paperback

328 Pages·2012·2.68 MB·English

by  Gavin Lucas

UNDERSTANDING THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORD
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This book explores the diverse understandings of the archaeological
recordfromhistoricalandcontemporaryperspectiveswhilealsoserving
as a guide to reassessing current views. Gavin Lucas argues that arch-
aeological theory has become too fragmented and disconnected from
the particular nature of archaeological evidence. The book examines
three ways of understanding the archaeological record – as historical
sources, through formation theory, and as material culture – then
reveals ways to connect these three domains through a reconsidera-
tion of archaeological entities and archaeological practice. Ultimately,
Lucas calls for a rethinking of the nature of the archaeological record
andthekindofhistoryandnarrativeswrittenfromit.
GavinLucasisAssociateProfessorintheDepartmentofArchaeology
at the University of Iceland. He is the author of three books, Critical
ApproachestoFieldwork(2001),AnArchaeologyofColonialIdentity
(2004), and The Archaeology of Time (2005). He is also the editor
of several volumes, including Hofstaðir: Excavations of a Viking Age
Feasting Hall (2009), Archaeologies of the Contemporary Past (with
VictorBuchli,2001),andInterpretingArchaeology(withIanHodder,
Michael Shanks, Alexandra Alexandri, Victor Buchli, John Carmen,
andJonathanLast,1995).
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UNDERSTANDING
THE
ARCHAEOLOGICAL
RECORD
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Gavin Lucas
university of iceland
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cambridge university press
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(cid:2)C GavinLucas2012
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Firstpublished2012
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
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Lucas,Gavin,1965–
Understandingthearchaeologicalrecord/GavinLucas.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
isbn978-1-107-01026-0(hardback)–isbn978-0-521-27969-7(paperback)
1.Archaeology–Philosophy. 2.Archaeology–Methodology.
3.History–Sources. 4.Ontology. 5.Antiquities.
6.Materialculture. 7.Socialarchaeology. i.Title.
cc72.l83 2012
930.1–dc23 2011033628
isbn978-1-107-01026-0Hardback
isbn978-0-521-27969-7Paperback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceor
accuracyofurlsforexternalorthird-partyInternetWebsitesreferredto
inthispublicationanddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuchWeb
sitesis,orwillremain,accurateorappropriate.
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For Elı´n, Marteinn, and Benjamı´n
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contents
Illustrations page ix
Tables xi
Preface xiii
1. TheTroublewithTheory 1
2. TheTotalRecord 18
3. FormationTheory 74
4. MaterializedCulture 124
5. ArchaeologicalEntities 169
6. ArchaeologicalInterventions 215
7. A‘New’SocialArchaeology? 258
References 267
Index 301
vii
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illustrations
1. Archaeologicalalchemy;or,howarchaeologistsspin
storiesfromscraps. page 15
2. Schematicrepresentationofthesimplificationof
samplingtheoryanditsseparationfromformation
theory. 65
3. Transformationprocessesinoperationatawrecker’s
yardinNewYorkin1966. 94
4. MichaelSchiffer’sflowmodelfordurableobjects
throughaculturalsystem. 97
5. WarrenDeBoer’staphonomicmodelofthe
archaeologicalrecord,withSchiffer’sdivisionbetween
systemicandarchaeologicalcontextadded. 101
6. Theproblemoftimeaveraging:cumulativegraph
showingchangingcompositionofthreehypothetical
faunalassemblagesatfifty-yearintervals. 109
7. Stratigraphicmatrixofasimplesequenceofthreeunits,
transposedontoanentropygrid. 122
8. Hawkes’sladderofinferencejuxtaposedwithChilde’s
divisionofmaterialandspiritualculture. 139
9. Newmodelofexternalizationthatemergedinthe
mid-twentiethcentury. 143
10. Leroi-Gourhan’sviewoftheexteriorizationof
techniquesinevolutionaryperspective. 147
11. Binford’sandHodder’sviewsoftherelationbetween
behaviourandmaterialculture. 155
12. Gridofforcesdefiningobjectsandevents. 187
ix
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x (cid:2) Illustrations
13. Thetwobasicmeaningsofthearchaeological
assemblageandtheirmutuallyinterdependentnature. 197
14. Buildingsasorganisms. 203
15. Diagrammaticrepresentationofhowassemblages
stabilizeanddisperse. 212
16. Gridofforcesofassemblyanddisassemblyintermsof
theprocessesofenchainmentanddispersal,and
containmentandexposure. 213
17. Hodder’sversionofthearchaeologicaloperation:the
hermeneuticspiral. 225
18. Theassemblingprocess:sortingfindsastheycomeout
oftheground. 235
19. Thetranslationprocess:mobilizingpropertiesfromone
materialmediumtoanother. 240
20. Visualtranslationdevices:anarchaeologicalplanning
frameandartist’sperspectiveframe. 241
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tables
1. Patrik’sFiveMeaningsoftheArchaeologicalRecord page 7
2. ThreeMeaningsoftheArchaeologicalRecordasUsed
inThisBookComparedtoPatrik’sScheme 10
3. TypesofSourcesAvailabletoHistoryandArchaeology
(Pre-andProtohistory) 58
4. GridofExternalizationImplicitinNineteenth-Century
ViewsofCulture,DefinedbyTwoCharacteristics:
ImmediacyandStability 131
5. TheArchaeologicalConceptofAssemblageArticulated
throughtheConceptsofEnchainmentandContainment 200
6. DifferentProposedSchemesforDividingArchaeological
Theoryfromthe1970sand1980s 223
xi
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