Advances in Archaeological Method and Theory

Volume 8

1st Edition - January 1, 1985
Editor: Michael B Schiffer
Language: English
eBook ISBN:
9 7 8 - 1 - 4 8 3 2 - 1 4 8 3 - 2

Advances in Archaeological Method and Theory, Volume 8 is a collection of papers that discusses postprocessual archaeology, bone technology, and tree-ring dating in Eastern North… Read more

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Advances in Archaeological Method and Theory, Volume 8 is a collection of papers that discusses postprocessual archaeology, bone technology, and tree-ring dating in Eastern North America. One paper discriminates between the process and norm, and eliminates the dichotomy by locating human agency and the active. It focuses on monitoring individuals as being in the center of social theory. Another paper discuses the physical model and the textual model that describe the basic components of an archaeological record. For example, the first model implies that archaeological inferences move from material components of the record to material phenomena in the past. The second model assumes that archaeological inference should move from material phenomena to mental phenomena, from material symbols to the ideas and beliefs they encode. Another paper explains the use of analogy as a useful tool in archaeological considerations. One paper investigates bones as a material for study, including the analysis of carnivore-induced fractures or hominid-induced modifications from using bones as tools. The collection is suitable for sociologists, anthropologist, professional or amateur archaeologists, and museum curators studying archaeological artifacts.

Contributors

Contents of Previous Volumes

1 Postprocessual Archaeology

Introduction

Aspects of Social Action Theory

Implications for Processual Archaeology

Material Culture Theory and Archaeological Application

Conclusion: Processual Archaeology and a Timeless Past

References

2 Is There an Archaeological Record?

Introduction

What is the Archaeological Record?

The Archaeological Record as a Scientific Model

The Physical and Textual Models of the Archaeological Record

The Two Models in the Current Debate

The Textual Model: Its Theoretical Roots and its Implications for Archaeology

The Physical Model and Its Implications for Archaeological Inference

Rethinking the Physical Model

The Textual Model and its Implications for Archaeological Inference

Conclusion: Can There Be a Synthesis of the Two Models?

References

3 The Reaction against Analogy

Introduction

Historical Ambivalence about Analogy: Objections and Proposals

The New Reaction against Analogy

Conclusion

References

4 The Archaeological Record on Sedentariness: Recognition, Development, and Implications

Terminology and Definitions

Sedentariness in Evolutionary Perspective

Preconditions, Enablers, and Causes

A Model for the Development of Sedentariness

Sedentary Settlement Pattern Types

Indicators of Sedentariness

Results of Sedentariness

Research Directions

References

5 Current Developments in Bone Technology

Introduction

Bone Properties and Fracture Mechanics

Natural Agency Modifications

Hominid Agency Modifications

Summary

References

6 Form, Content, and Function: Theory and Method in North American Rock Art Studies

Introduction

Approaches to Rock Art

Concluding Remarks

References

7 The Potential for Archaeological Tree-Ring Dating in Eastern North America

Introduction

Master Chronology Development

Extension of the Master Chronology

Historic Tree-Ring Dating

Prehistoric Tree-Ring Dating

Tree-Ring Dating at Kincaid

Conclusion

References

Index