ANT100Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Classical Archaeology, Historical Archaeology, Relative Dating
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ANT100Y1 Full Course Notes
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Document Summary
Archaeology: the study of material remains (physical objects) and their spatial relationship to interpret past human behaviours. Archaeology adds a historical dimension, and comparative case studies. History is about written documents, archaeology on material culture. History is limited to at most 5000 years, less than 100 in some regions. Written records tend to focus on the rich and powerful. Classical civilizations of greece and rome from about 700 bc - 500 ad. Science is the systematic pursuit of knowledge about natural phenomena. Geology: understanding what types of stone were selected for what stone tools. Archaeologists classify ceramics by shape and surface decoration. Analysis: looking at rim sherds castellations (pointed raised sections of the rim) if the lip has any incised decoration if the collar is decorated with diagonal lines, horizontal lines, or some other design feature. Decoration can be used to provide a date for a site. Dating based on artifact form is a relative dating technique.
