ARH305H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Pleistocene, Punctuated Equilibrium, Processual Archaeology
Document Summary
Analogy: use of information in one context to explain data found in another a powerful tool of interpretation. Analogy in archaeology commonly uses the present to explain the past this assumes the principle of uniformitarianism (ie. , the present is not different from the past) Archaeologists use different kinds of analogy, some strong, some weak. Ethnographic observation by archs with specific intent of linking certain activities to certain kinds of arch. Nunamiut hunters kill a caribou, then butcher it for transport to base came. Similarities in form, sometimes called piecemeal parallels (b. orme) Analogies drawn on basis of similarities of appearance (morphology) or similarities of certain features. Iron age english hillforts look like maori pa"; therefore, same function is assumed: defense: comparison of form, is form is the same, function must be the same as well. Weakness of formal analogies they are cross-cultural, do not allow for historical uniqueness.
