Chapter 8 Additional Resources

How Do We Know about the Human Past?

Websites

  • The Archaeological Institute of America
    http://www.archaeological.org/
    Here, professors and students have the opportunity to peruse the latest archaeological headlines, learn about site preservation and field work, and have the opportunity to apply to participate in excavations happening all around the world.
  • Archaeology, Parks Canada
    https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/culture/arch
    Parks Canada, a federal agency responsible for protecting certain archaeological resources, provides information on archaeology in Canada, including information on legislation and on Parks Canada archaeological projects.

Many Canadian provinces have their own archaeological society websites where they post information about upcoming talks, fieldwork opportunities, and archaeological findings.

Provinces and territories have archaeology and heritage programs with different permitting and regulatory arrangements for the managing of archaeological resources. They also often have repositories of excavations and heritage projects that have been undertaken in their jurisdictions.

Videos

Aujoulat, Norbert. 2013. “Lascaux Cave Paintings: Virtual Tour.” France: Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication. Vimeo video, 2:46. https://vimeo.com/40849516.

Produced by the French Ministry of Culture, this video highlights the various animal and anthropomorphic images painted on the walls at the famous site of Lascaux, in the Dordogne Valley in France. Dating to approximately 17,000 years ago (the Upper Paleolithic), these images represent some of the earliest forms of art attributed to humans.

Lipworth, Jared. 2015. “Secrets of the Dead: Dark Rumors Surrounding Jamestown.” Boston, MA: PBS Distribution. Online video, 3:29. http://video.pbs.org/video/2365610075/.

This film documents archaeological excavations at the early historic site of Jamestown, in Virginia. It introduces students to excavation methods and analysis. How, for example, do archaeologists analyze skeletal material found at such sites? What information can be gleaned, in the case of Jamestown, from cut marks found on human bones?

McPherson, Alan. 1994. “Archaeology at Work: Looking for and Uncovering the Past.” Swindon, UK: English Heritage. YouTube video, 60 min. Posted 6 November 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFejIkYDH9Q.

This video documents the various methods and methodologies that archaeologists use to document and uncover information about past societies. Particular attention is paid to techniques of excavation.

WatchJoJo 2018. “Archaeologists in Canada Unearthed an Ice Age Settlement that May Rewrite North American History. (YouTube 7:29) (posted 20 February, 2018).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrBC_EdI-GA

Provides an overview of the investigation on Triquet Island, British Columbia showing the connection between Indigenous and Western knowledge. (also see: https://www.macleans.ca/society/north-americas-oldest-human-footprints-are-in-b-c-and-older-than-anyone-thought/_

Yellowhorn, Edon. 2015. Digging Up the Rez: Piikani Historical Archaeology. Simon Fraser University. YouTube video, 35:25. Posted Jan 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zhx9WaU9go.

This film, produced by Simon Fraser University, documents archaeological excavations among Piikani First Nations residential structures in Alberta. It introduces students to the lifestyles of Piilkani peoples and explores how a combination of interviews/ethnography and historical archaeology can help reconstruct past lifeways.

“Hougoumont Farm, Waterloo Archaeology” YouTube 28:43 (posted Aug 7 2017)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCSMg9lTjSs

Dig at the Hougoumont Farm for the Battle of Waterloo, with documentary materials and a companion website http://www.waterloouncovered.com of the charity that combines archaeology with veteran care and recovery.

“Contract Archaeology in the Ottawa Valley” YouTube 8:50 (posted Feb 25, 2013)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlCIJCK7kUc

Interview with Dr. Paul Thibaudeau regarding excavations of habitation sites near Casselman, Ontario. Provides accounts of research findings along with follow-up blog accounts: https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2011/05/ancient-site-of-human-activity.html#s60t4Ed2wHLiUvT3.97

Knowledge, Science, Culture Everyday. “Archaeologists in Italy unearthed 300 Roman Gold Coins” (YouTube 15:07, posted Mar 6 2019) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyrOwI2j_SA

Excavation of treasure finding beneath the Como, Italy 19th century Cressoni Theatre, detailing the nature of the mystery and the related findings about life in Rome at that time.

Books and Articles

Arnold, Bettina. 1990. “The Past as Propaganda: Totalitarian Archaeology in Nazi Germany.” Antiquity 64: 464–478.

Arnold discusses the use of prehistoric archaeological to support Nazi territorial claims. Prior to the rise of Hitler, German archaeologists focused on the Roman occupation of their country. Prehistoric artifacts were used by Nazi archaeologists to link specific geographic regions with distinct ethnic groups. Sites in Eastern Europe were argued to have been German in origin, thus justifying their conquest.

Binford, Lewis R. 1962. Archaeology as Anthropology. American Antiquity 28:217-225.

In this seminal work, Binford attempts to define archaeological explanation and provide a framework for quantifying the technological, social, and spiritual aspects of cultural systems. He calls archaeology to work more closely with anthropology and to seek to explain cultural change, thereby developing what would become known as the “new archaeology” or processual approach.

Carlson-Drexler, Carl G. 2010. “Conflict Archaeology: Studying Warfare and Aggression in Historical Archaeology.” The SAA Archaeological Record 10(4): 31–32.

Once known as military archaeology, or military sites archaeology, conflict archaeology focuses on locations representing past conflict, usually between organized armies. The field has been dominated by historical archaeologists, but those who study prehistory have begun to explicitly study conflict sites. Conflict archaeology itself has been around for over a century, beginning with Schliemann’s late 19th-century excavations at Troy.

Dobres, M.A., and J.E. Robb. 2005. “‘Doing’ Agency: Introductory Remarks on Methodology.” Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory 12(3): 159–166.

This article describes the need for archaeology to develop “middle range interpretive methodologies” that are suitable for “agency-oriented” historical research.

Fagan, Brian. 1996. Eyewitness to Discovery. New York: Oxford University Press.

Fagan collects over fifty first-person accounts, some dating to the early 1700s, detailing major developments and events in the history of archaeology. He organizes these accounts into three sections: Part I, the Discovery of Human Origins; Part II, Great Discoveries; and, Part III: Archaeology Becomes a Science. Even a reader who is not interested in becoming an archaeologist will find something fascinating in this collection, from Thomas Jefferson’s careful studies of an American Indian mound to Giovanni Belzoni’s literally explosive approach to opening Egyptian tombs.

Feder, Kenneth L. 2011. Fraud, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology. 7th ed. Boston, MA: McGraw Hill.

Now in a seventh edition, Kenneth Feder continues to explore “fringe” beliefs that have an archaeological dimension. Some chapters examine historical frauds and may not be of as much interest to students today, but Feder does address persistent and contemporary pseudoscientific beliefs in archaeology. Of particular value in this book is the second chapter, which addresses how we know what we know. Feder also closes his volume with true mysteries that show the strength archaeology can bring to illuminating the past.

Ferguson, T.J. 1996. “Native Americans and the Practice of Archaeology.” Annual Review of Anthropology 25: 63–79.

Ferguson talks about the relationship between archaeologists and American Indians, beginning with early efforts that are often characterized as a colonialist endeavour. As archaeology evolved from an elite effort to one situated in places of higher learning and today’s commercial arena, the legal, political, social, and intellectual relationships between archaeologists and American Indians has changed. Particularly important to fostering and restructuring this dialogue was the passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) in 1990.

Galke, Laura J. 2000. “Did the Gods of Africa Die? A Re-examination of a Carroll House Crystal Assemblage.” North American Archaeologist 21(1): 19–33.

Galke examines a discrete archaeological deposit, or cache, recovered in the basement of the Charles Carroll House in Annapolis, Maryland. The cache included quartz crystals, fragments of broken pottery, and other objects that were placed in this location by Charles Carroll’s enslaved workers in the 18th century. Galke’s contextual analysis of the cache demonstrates that the enslaved workers maintained ritual and spiritual ties to their African homeland—a finding at odds with the writing of some historians.

Harrold, Francis B., and Raymond A. Eve, eds. 1995. Cult Archaeology and Creationism: Understanding Pseudoscientific Beliefs about the Past. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press.

The various chapters in this volume focus on why people believe various fantastic myths about archaeology and evolution, even when knowledgeable scientists contest these beliefs. Students may be particularly interested in a chapter by Luanne Hudson, in which the author describes a survey of student behaviour. Some students may be inspired to conduct their own surveys of student beliefs on their own campuses—although the questions in Hudson’s chapter will need to be updated.

Hegmon, Michelle. 2003. “Setting Theoretical Egos Aside: Issues and Theory in North American Archaeology.” American Antiquity 68: 213–243.

This article describes the major pathways in North American archeological theory.

Hodder, Ian. 2003. “Archaeological Reflexivity and the ‘Local’ Voice.” Anthropological Quarterly 76(1): 55–69.

Hodder describes the development of reflexive field methods in archeology.

Ingstad, Helge, and Anne Stein Ingstad. 2000. The Viking Discovery of America: The Excavation of a Norse Settlement in L’Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland. St John’s, NL: Breakwater Books.

This book documents the discovery and archaeological excavation of the famous site of L’anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland. Both a National History Site and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, L’anse aux Meadows was discovered in 1960. Subsequent excavations and examinations of the artifacts and structures recovered from the site confirm that it dates to approximately 1000 AD and was an early Norse colony in the Americas. This book documents the major findings of the excavation.

Lea, Joanne, and Karolyn E. Smardz. 2000. “Public Archaeology in Canada.” Antiquity 74(283): 141–146.

This article describes the concept and development of public archeology in Canada.

Little, Barbara J. 2007. Historical Archaeology: Why the Past Matters. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press.

Little’s slim volume on historical archaeology goes beyond describing the field and its major discoveries. As reflected in the subtitle, Little argues for an activist and socially responsible historical archaeology. She feels that historical archaeologists should work to reveal the hidden or deliberately dismissed pasts of disenfranchised groups—pasts that are ignored in mainstream historical texts. The four parts of this book discuss the ambitions of historical archaeologists and the kinds of questions they ask, provide an overview of historical archaeology across the world, and end with a discussion of historical archaeology as public scholarship.

Lyman, R. Lee, Michael J. O'Brien, and Robert C. Dunnell. 1997. The Rise and Fall of Culture History. New York: Plenum Press.

This book provides the overview of the approach of culture history classification in North American archaeology from the late 19th to mid-20th century, the challenges of dealing with diffusionism, pottery type frequencies, and connecting artifact ‘types’ with demonstrable cultural forms. Though culture history would be supplanted by processual archaeology in the 1960s, the work of developing cultural taxonomies and detailed connections to time helped to change archaeological practice.

Macaulay, David. 1979. Motel of the Mysteries. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.

This illustrated novel is a futuristic parody of the field of archeology.

Meskell, Lynn, ed. 2009. Cosmopolitan Archaeologies. Durham: Duke University Press.

In this edited volume, various authors provide detailed case studies of the ways in which politics and archaeological fieldwork and heritage merge. Throughout, they stress the ways in which archaeology can engage in meaningful conversations about contemporary public life, outline the problematic legacy of colonialism on the discipline, and discuss how archaeologists can engage with contemporary peoples, particularly Indigenous groups.

Moore, James A., and Arthur S. Keene. 1983. Archaeology and the Law of the Hammer. In Archaeological Hammers and Theories, edited by J. A. Moore and A. S. Keene. New York: Academic Press.

The authors, in this cautionary paper, argue that archaeology must avoid being solely a study of method at the expense of studying the past. They cite the “law of the hammer” where, to the practitioner with a hammer, every problem is a nail. Archaeology can give the longue durée view of social change and past cultures that are no longer here, but that needs careful attention to theory to provide the answer to the bigger scale problems. So we can focus on the survival items and refine our methods of gathering that information, but we must also define the questions we need to ask, why we ask them, and use the right theory and methods together to answer them.

Moser, S. 1992. “The Visual Language of Archaeology: A Case Study of the Neanderthals.” Antiquity 66: 831–844.

The author analyzes two visual reconstructions of Neanderthal individuals and notes their importance in the production of archaeological theory.

Nelson, Sarah M. 2006. Handbook of Gender in Archaeology. London: AltaMira Press.

In this comprehensive handbook, various authors discuss several methods, methodologies, and theoretical orientations regarding gender in archaeology. In-depth discussions of specific cultural regions are provided as case studies.

Nichols, Deborah, Rosemary A. Joyce, and Susan D. Gillespie. 2003. “Is Archaeology Anthropology?” Archeological Papers of the American Anthropological Association 13(1): 155–169.

The authors open with Philip Phillips’ 1955 statement that “New World archaeology is anthropology or it is nothing.” Rather than seeing this as an affirmation of archaeology’s place within general anthropology, Nichols et al. suggest that this represents uncertainty. They discuss how archaeology fits within anthropology today and where archaeology fits in the academic and professional world. They note that, in many cases, including professional archaeology, the identification of archaeologists as anthropologists “is often muted.”

Reeves, Brian O.K. 1978. “Head-Smashed-in: 5500 Years of Bison Jumping in the Alberta Plains.” Plains Anthropologist 23(82): 151–174.

This article focuses on the excavations and findings at the famous Alberta “kill” site of Head-Smashed-in-Buffalo-Jump. Now a National Historic Site and park, this archaeological site in southwestern Alberta consists of a large cliff, and a campsite and basin below it. It was used by various Indigenous peoples to kill buffalo, one of their primary subsistence staples for over 5500 years.

Wegner, Corine. 2010. “The Looting of the Iraq National Museum and the Future of Cultural Property during Armed Conflict.” The SAA Archeological Record 10(4): 28–30.

The author begins by describing the looting of around 15,000 artifacts of our shared cultural heritage from the Iraq National Museum in just three days, following the 2003 US invasion of Iraq. Warnings that this would happen were ignored by those who planned the invasion. Wegner considers the ways in which awareness and respect for cultural property can be maintained in future military situations.

Whitely, P.M. 2002. “Archaeology and Oral Tradition: The Scientific Importance of Dialogue.” American Antiquity 67(3): 405–415.

This paper focuses on an example from Hopi oral tradition and argues that archaeological explanations can be enriched by treating oral traditions as primary sources of evidence.

Back to top