Introduction to Archaeology

Goals:
The goal of this course is to familiarize students with the historical,
methodological, and theoretical foundations of the field of archaeology, as
well as identifying past, present, and future trends and directions in the field.

Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, students will understand and be able
to explain the ways in which archaeology is conducted through both practical
and theoretical knowledge. This will include an understanding of the broader
trends in archaeological and anthropological thought, as well as the
methodological specifics of how archaeology is done. Furthermore, students
will be exposed to a wide range of major archaeological findings, meant to
illuminate both the vastness of human diversity as well as the multitude of
research avenues available to aspiring archaeologists.

Readings:
The course will first introduce topics on the history and theory of
archaeological thought, followed by an in-depth discussion of the various
methods used by archaeologists today. We will then address the ethical and
moral issues that can arise in archaeology, as evidenced by current issues of
debate in archaeological ethics. Finally, we will address the career paths
available to students wishing to further their education in the field, ranging
from cultural resource management and government positions to academia
and museum work.

Readings:
There is one required text for this course, in addition to articles and other
readings:
Handbook of Archaeological Theories, by R. Alexander Bentley, Herbert
D.G. Maschner, and Christopher Chippendale. Altamira Press, 2009.
ISBN: 978-0759100336.

Readings in Order of Topic:

Introduction to Archaeology
History of Archaeological Theory
o Culture-History and Early Archaeology
Culture History: A Culture Historical Approach by Gary S.
Webster (Text, Chapter 2)
o Processualism or the New Archaeology
Processualism and After by Patty Jo Watson (Text,
Chapter 3)
Binford, Lewis R. 1962. "Archaeology as anthropology."
American Antiquity 28:217-225.
Schiffer, Michael B. 1972. Archaeological context and
systemic context. American Antiquity 37(2):156-165.
o Ecological Approaches to Archaeology
Ecology and Archaeology by David R. Yesner (Text,
Chapter 4)
Flannery, Kent V 1967. "Culture history vs. cultural process:
a debate in American archaeology." Scientific American
217:119-122.
o Marxist Approaches to Archaeology
Marxism by Randall H. McGuire (Text, Chapter 6)
Matthews, Christopher N. Public Dialectics: Marxist
Reflection in Archaeology. Historical Archaeology 39.4
(2005): 2644.
o Post-Processualism and Processual-Plus
Post-Processual Archaeology and After by Michael Shanks
(Text, Chapter 9)
Spector 1996 (1991). What this awl means: toward a
feminist archaeology. Contemporary Archaeology in
Theory, pp. 485-500.

Archaeological Field Methods

o Archaeological Survey Methods
King, Thomas H. The Archaeological Survey: Methods and
Uses. 1978. US Department of the Interior.
<http://calfire.ca.gov/resource_mgt/
archaeology/downloads/archsurveymethods.pdf>
o Excavation Methods
What is Excavation? Ohio State Archaeological
Excavations. <https://greekarchaeology.osu.edu/archedu/excavation>
o Relative Dating Methods: Typologies and Chronologies

Rowe, John Howland. Archaeological Dating and Cultural

Process. Southwestern Journal of Anthropology 15.4
(1959): 317324.
o Absolute Dating Methods: Radiocarbon Dating and
Dendrochronology
Bannister, Bryant, and William J. Robinson. Tree-ring
Dating in Archaeology. World Archaeology 7.2 (1975):
210225.

The
o

Michels, Joseph W. Dating Methods. Annual Review of

Anthropology 1 (1972): 113126.
Advancements in Survey Methods: Geographic
Information Systems and Remote Sensing
Archaeological GIS at Giza by Farrah L. Brown and Brian
V. Hunt. <http://www.aeraweb.org/articles/gis/>
Advancements in Materials Analysis: X-Ray Fluorescence
and Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis
Overview of X-ray Fluorescence University of Missouri
Archaeometry Laboratory.
<http://archaeometry.missouri.edu/xrf_overview.html>
Archaeology of Today: Current Topics of Debate
NAGPRA, Repatriation and the Ethics of Archaeology
Archaeological Ethics in Context and Practice by Don D.
Fowler et al. (Text, Chapter 24)
Toward a Postcolonial Archaeology of Indigenous
Australia by Ian J. McNiven and Lynette Russell (Text,
Chapter 25)
Recent Discoveries in Archaeology
Seven Major Archaeological Discoveries of 2015 by
Kristin Romey. National Geographic Society.
<http://news.nationalgeographic.com/
2015/12/151228-top-archaeology-discoveries-2015-nalediTut-treasure-lost-city-Nefertiti-Jamestown-San-Jose/>

Careers in Archaeology
o Academia and Museum Research Fields
Frequently Asked Questions about a Career in Archaeology
in the US by David L. Carlson.
<http://people.tamu.edu/~dcarlson/faq/>
o Government and Contract Archaeology
Questions About: Archaeology as a Career Society for
American Archaeology.
<http://www.saa.org/ForthePublic/FAQs/ForAdults
/
QuestionsAboutArchaeologyAsACareer/tabid/975/Default.as
px>