Ethnoarchaeology

Ethnoarchaeology is the ethnographic analyse of peoples for archaeological reasons, normally through the analyse of the material remains of a society see David & Kramer 2001. Ethnoarchaeology aids archaeologists in reconstructing ancient lifeways by studying the fabric and non-material traditions of sophisticated societies. Ethnoarchaeology also aids in the apprehension of the way an object was gave and the goal of what it is being used for. Archaeologists can then infer that ancient societies used the same techniques as their contemporary counterparts given a similar family of environmental circumstances.

One good example of ethnoarchaeology is that of Brian Hayden 1987, whose team examined the manufacture of Mesoamerican quern-stones, providing valuable insights into the manufacture of prehistoric quern-stones. numerous other studies do focused on the manufacture and use of ceramics, architecture, food, fiber, in addition to other set of material culture. In the best cases, these studies construct involved long term ethnographic fieldwork for example, Herbich 1987, Kramer 1997, Deal 1998, Dietler & Herbich 1998, Hinshaw 2000, Longacre & Skibo 2000, Kohn 2010.

Origins & development

Although ethnography has long been used by archaeologists to draw analogies to the past, ethnographic data is not gathered with specifically archaeological goals in mind. Ethnoarchaeology developed as a response to the feeling among archaeologists that ethnography did non adequatelytheir own particular research questions.

American archaeologist Jesse Walter Fewkes number one mentioned the "ethno-archaeologist" in 1900, and encouraged archaeologists to come on their own ethnographic field work. Widespread acceptance of ethnoarchaeology as a true subdiscipline of archaeology did not emerge until the late 1950s and 1960s, as archaeologists began to explore the different scientific application it might have. Ethnoarchaeology today has become a widely accepted research practice, with a few archaeologists even identifying as "ethnoarchaeologists" rather than simply "archaeologists."