CLASSICS 1A03 Lecture 1: Lecture 1
17 Dec 2016
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Document Summary
Chapter 1: the discipline of archaeology; the bronze age in the mediterranean. Study of past cultures through the materials they made and left behind. Culture = human behaviour, beliefs (why we do what we do, determines behaviour) Non-text based culture, although texts can be useful (true of classical archaeology) Must navigate a course, know when text helps, or contradicts, or what agenda it has. Useful for archaeologists obtained through excavation (digging + recording + Features: fixed objects not easily removed e. g. buildings, graves, walls, shrines, structures, drains, hearths (where you burn), kilns (pottery) Artifacts: things that can be easily moved e. g. pottery, glass, bones, toys, tools. Association of artifacts and features found in a particular area of excavation or layer, and the relative position and relationship of this area or layer to the ones above and below it. The context of archaeological finds is what allows us to interpret them and to understand their function and meaning.
