anthro 2 lecture 1

8/9/2019 anthro 2 lecture 1

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Anthropology 002:Introduction to Archaeology

Andrew Kindon, Ph.D.

What is Archaeology?

The explanation of

past human behavior

through the study of

physical remains

Why study the past?


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Why study the past?

To understand the developmental histories

ofspecific societies

To understand the general processes of

human cultural change and adaptation

Why study the past?

To clarify and dispel

romantic / erroneous

notions about the past

Why study the past?


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By understanding the

past, we can betterunderstand the

present andthe

future

Why study the past?

and ultimately we

can better understand

ourselves

Why study the past?

Part 1: The history of Archaeology and our changing

understanding of the past

How will we proceed?


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Part 2: Archaeological methods and practices


Part 3: Survey of world prehistory


Part 4: Current Issues in Archaeology



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Andrew Kindon, Ph.D.

Office: LA/SS 1A

Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday 12:30-2:00

E-mail: [email protected]

Phone: 408-741-2554

Website: http://wvmccd.angellearning.com

Required Textbook:

The Past in Perspective, 4th edition,by Kenneth L.Feder, 2007

Lessons from the Past, edited by Kenneth L. Feder,1999

BOTH Texts are on reserve in the West Valley library

BOOKS FOR FOOD PROGRAM

Recommended Textbook:

How you will be evaluated for this class:

Attendance & Participation = 45 points (9%)

Quizzes (4 total) = 80 points (16%)

Written Project (8-10 pp.) = 100 points (20%)

Midterm Exam = 125 points (25%)

Final Exam (cumulative) = 150 points (30%)

TOTAL POINTS FOR FINAL GRADE = 500

All students are responsible for obtaining Scantron forms and Blue Books

from the bookstore for the quizzes & exams.


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Extra Credit:

Any recent (less than one week old) news story relevant

to ArchaeologyMust be dated andfrom a legitimate source

Must be first to give it to me

May only submit one per week

May only submit five total during the semester

YOU WILL RECEIVE TWO EXTRA CREDIT

POINTS PER NEWS STORY

Foothill-West Valley Archaeological

Survey at Wilder Ranch

Anthropology 2:Introduction to Archaeology

Week 1:

What is Archaeology?


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The History of Archaeology:The Age of the Earth

James Ussher

Creationism

How did the

Creationists interpret

fossils?

Catastrophism

How did the

Catastrophists interpret

fossils?


James Hutton & Theory

of the Earth (late 1700s)

Uniformitarianism

How did Hutton interpret

fossils?



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Charles Lyell &

Principles of Geology(1830)

all past changes on the

globe [have] been

brought about by the slow

agency of existing

causes


Charles Darwin & the

theory of Natural

Selection (1838)


Lewis Henry Morgan

Unilineal Cultural

Evolution

The History of Archaeology:The Antiquity of Humans


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Unilineal Cultural

Evolution

Savagery

Barbarism

Civilization

The History of Archaeology:The Antiquity of Humans

Culture is an adaptation

Cultures change over time (evolve), but not in

any specific direction

Cultures survive not because they become betterbut

because they become better adapted to their world.

textbook, pg. 24

The History of Archaeology:The Modern View of the Past

The Science of Archaeology


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Archaeologists usesystematic methods to gather

empirical evidence (patterns in material remains)


This evidence is used to build hypotheses or

models about the human behavior that produced

the patterns (Middle Range Theory)


These hypotheses are tested against other

empirical evidence to see if they hold up


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Archaeology differs from laboratory sciences

Archaeological record is not a controlled environment

The evidence is often incomplete and open to different

interpretations

Interpretations are often open to the archaeologists

individual viewpoints and biases

Archaeological Methods:How do archaeologists study the past?

Empirical evidence of past human behavior:

Sites

Features

Structures

Artifacts

Ecofacts

THE MATERIAL RECORD

anthro 2 lecture 1

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