Archaeological Hammers and Theories
- 1st Edition - February 28, 1983
- Imprint: Academic Press
- Editors: James A. Moore, Arthur S. Keene
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN:9 7 8 - 1 - 4 8 3 2 - 4 3 7 0 - 2
- eBook ISBN:9 7 8 - 1 - 4 8 3 2 - 7 7 6 3 - 9
Studies in Archaeology: Archaeological Hammers and Theories provides information pertinent to the archeological method, with emphasis on the interaction of data and technique with… Read more
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Request a sales quoteStudies in Archaeology: Archaeological Hammers and Theories provides information pertinent to the archeological method, with emphasis on the interaction of data and technique with theory and problems. This book describes the nature of archeological data, the range of archeological theories, and the scope of archeological problems. Organized into three parts encompassing 13 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the products of the archeological record. This text then examines survey sampling, site formation studies, and lithic and ceramic analysis. Other chapters consider the behavioral concepts that are implicit in the notions of special behavior, optimization, decision making, and population dynamics. This book discusses as well the analysis of pottery, which plays a leading part in the reconstruction of culture histories in archeology. The final chapter suggests an alternative set of philosophical issues that might serve to focus a philosophy or archeology. This book is a valuable resource for archeologists.
Contributors
Preface
Acknowledgments
Part I Introduction
1. Archaeology and the Law of the Hammer
The Law of the Hammer
The Tyranny of Methodology
Prospectus
Objectives
Moving beyond Rhetoric
References
Part II The Products of the Archaeological Record
2. The Archaeological Record as Preserved Death Assemblage
Foundations
Extensions
Prognosis
References
3. We Can't See the Forest for the Trees: Sampling and the Shapes of Archaeological Distributions
The Scientific Task
The Evolution of the Methodological State of the Art
The Finer Points of Archaeological Practice
The Shape of Archaeological Distributions in Massachusetts
Concluding Suggestion
References
4. Twigs, Branches, Trees, and Forests: Problems of Scale in Lithic Analysis
The Individual in Prehistory
Alternative Directions for Lithic Studies
Summary and Conclusions
References
5. Pots As Tools
Background
Applications
Conclusions
References
Part III The Precedents of the Archaeological Record
6. Biology, Behavior, and Borrowing: A Critical Examination of Optimal Foraging Theory in Archaeology
Background
A Brief Introduction to Optimal Foraging Theory
The Problem of Literal Borrowing
Optimal Foraging Theory in Perspective
The Methodology of Mouthtalk
References
7. Optimization Models in Context
Optimization Models: Definition and Applications
Optimization as a Model of Decision Making
Optimization as a Predictor of Behavior
Optimization as a Baseline for the Explanation of Behavior
Future Work
References
8. The Trouble with Know-It-AI Is: Information as a Social and Ecological Resource
The Archaeological Challenge
Decision-Making Models
The Limits of Individual Decision Makers
The Acquisition of Information
Information Fields in Archaeology
Social Asymmetry and the Exchange of Information
The Validation of Information
Conclusions
References
9. Information Exchange and the Spatial Configurations of Egalitarian Societies
Introduction
The Settlement Approach
Social Relations of Production: An Axis of Variability
Social Relations of Production in Egalitarian Societies
Archaeological Implications
Conclusions
References
10. The Ecological Perspective in Highland Mesoamerican Archaeology
Introduction
Population Determinism
The Discovery of Anomalies
New Approaches
Conclusion
References
11. Expanding the Scope of Settlement Analysis
Settlement Systems and the Rank-Size Rule
Biasing Problems, Boundary Problems, and Stratification
Conclusions
References
12. The Social Representation of Space: Dimensioning the Cosmological and the Quotidian
The Human and the Social Quality of a Concept of Meaning
The Problem of the Symbolic in Archaeology
Created Space
The Urban Center as Representational Field
Society, Cosmos, and the Problem of Legitimation
Concluding Remarks
References
13. The Poverty of Philosophy in Archaeology
Epistemology, Archaeology, and Society
Conclusion
References
Index
- Edition: 1
- Published: February 28, 1983
- No. of pages (eBook): 330
- Imprint: Academic Press
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN: 9781483243702
- eBook ISBN: 9781483277639
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