Julian Richards wrote an article very interesting which explains more accurate archaeological discipline. He considers rubbish as the perfect find of any archaeologist.
How he argues this?He makes an analogy between archaeologist and detectives. The pottery fragments, animal bones, flint tools, human bones and architecture, are pieces of a great puzzle that must be assemble.
Generally, people associate archaeology with great monuments and valuable pieces of the past. But, the life of the past populations is not explained only by large castles and princes. When we think about people of the past, we must imagine common people. People like you or me.
In order to reconstruct in a better way the life of our ancestors, maybe something like this is necessary that we think in their day by day. Garbage is a good reflect of this. You can read in: http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2001/dec/02/life1.lifemagazine3?INTCMP=SRCH
I found very interesting this article because it gives you a vision of archaeology beyond of great explorers like "Indiana Jones". We are people who trying to reconstruct the life of the others. However, who wouldn`t like to find other Stonehenge or a new Pompeya? I think that`s the dream of any archaeologist.
Regards!
Hi Lara! I'm totally agree with Richards. Is in the garbage where we can found the answers about the life system of the past societies... This author is also interested in modern material culture studies, like William Rathje?
ReplyDeleteLarula, it's very interesting the article that you've chosen. Archaeologists in general, focuse on the monumentalism, maybe in Chile is not like this because archaeological record tend to be a little bit "less impresive"..
ReplyDeleteKisses :)
Hi!
ReplyDeleteI must to say that I live afraid of the future archaeologist and why they will find in our garbage: our weir clothes, ridiculous gym machines, kinky porn, videogames. It’s scary
D:
It is always good that the experts can "land" disciplines, especially when we do not know them so much. It is useful and necessary to see that the practice of a discipline and its consequences are closer than we think.
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