ANTH 0538 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Grave Goods
Document Summary
Misconceptions about archaeology: falling into a crypt is not common, it is actually very rare, tombs and graves are typically avoided; they typically search for more ancient burials, mummies are rare archaeologists usually find bones instead. Before 1800s: the first people to dig up dead bodies were looters/tomb robbers. Searched graves because they were more likely to find intact pieces than in the trash or abandoned areas. Early archaeology (1800s-1960s: tombs targeted for museum pieces. Treated as likely place to find valuables: little interest in human remains, archaeologists were similar to looters, archaeology not used to study anthropology until recently. Where archaeologists find bodies: cemeteries, in/around/under houses. Burials in these areas were common in some societies: mortuary monuments (mounds, pyramids, etc. , midders (trash/refuse heaps) Why archaeologists look at bodies: there are a lot of them, no matter how small the culture is, graves/tombs are pretty unique. Filled with material that was deliberately placed in the ground, unlike trash heaps.
