ANTH 2015 : Archaeology Notes (Test 2)
Document Summary
3/25/14: search for order, we classify things in the world around to create order in our lives, table, telephone, how do we identify them, grouping artifacts in order to discover patterns of cultural behavior. Artifacts by material classes: pottery, bone artifacts, stone tools, obsidian, chert (flint, usually a different specialist studies artifacts of each material class. Why classify: simplify description, simplify intra-site comparisons, classify to make comparisons within a site, simplify inter-site comparisons, classify to make comparisons with other sites, cross dating looks like something from another site, look for patterning. Label on excavation bag: site name, location, depth, date, excavator. James griffin: luminary in archaeology, type-variety system, spread artifacts out on table and put things in categories that share similar characteristics. Variables and attributes (spaulding: variable is category, color, shape, rim shape, decoration, attribute is expression of the variable, red (color, vase (shape, round (rim shape, carved (decoration, task of archaeologist to select variables.
