ARCH 100 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Tabun Cave, Ardipithecus, Lomekwi
14 Oct 2017
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Definition: the study of ancient human societies & cultures. Studies via the material remains left by human behaviour. A social science: (a) uses empirical (material) evidence (b) studies society and culture (c) generally follows a scientific method. Archaeology reconstructs: what happened & where it happened & when it happened & who was involved & why things change. Scientific method: (1) formulate a hypothesis (2) make predictions about evidence (3) collect evidence (4) compare evidence with predictions (5) reject or fail to reject hypothesis (6) Theory: a well-substantiated model that can be used to generate predictions about phenomena. Testing a hypothesis: predict outcomes -> collective evidence -> compare evidence to. Science is interested in patterns rather than single cases. Many observations are needed to test a hypothesis. To make sense of them, you need analysis. The organization of those events in space. Context: the temporal and spatial relationships of an object.
