Table Of ContentUNDERSTANDING THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORD
(cid:2) (cid:5)
(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:3)
This book explores the diverse understandings of the archaeological
recordfromhistoricalandcontemporaryperspectiveswhilealsoserving
as a guide to reassessing current views. Gavin Lucas argues that arch-
aeological theory has become too fragmented and disconnected from
the particular nature of archaeological evidence. The book examines
three ways of understanding the archaeological record – as historical
sources, through formation theory, and as material culture – then
reveals ways to connect these three domains through a reconsidera-
tion of archaeological entities and archaeological practice. Ultimately,
Lucas calls for a rethinking of the nature of the archaeological record
andthekindofhistoryandnarrativeswrittenfromit.
GavinLucasisAssociateProfessorintheDepartmentofArchaeology
at the University of Iceland. He is the author of three books, Critical
ApproachestoFieldwork(2001),AnArchaeologyofColonialIdentity
(2004), and The Archaeology of Time (2005). He is also the editor
of several volumes, including Hofstaðir: Excavations of a Viking Age
Feasting Hall (2009), Archaeologies of the Contemporary Past (with
VictorBuchli,2001),andInterpretingArchaeology(withIanHodder,
Michael Shanks, Alexandra Alexandri, Victor Buchli, John Carmen,
andJonathanLast,1995).
Downloaded from Cambridge Books Online by IP 14.139.43.12 on Mon Oct 08 08:22:58 BST 2012.
http://ebooks.cambridge.org/ebook.jsf?bid=CBO9780511845772
Cambridge Books Online © Cambridge University Press, 2012
Downloaded from Cambridge Books Online by IP 14.139.43.12 on Mon Oct 08 08:22:58 BST 2012.
http://ebooks.cambridge.org/ebook.jsf?bid=CBO9780511845772
Cambridge Books Online © Cambridge University Press, 2012
UNDERSTANDING
THE
ARCHAEOLOGICAL
RECORD
(cid:2) (cid:5)
(cid:4)
(cid:3) (cid:3)
Gavin Lucas
university of iceland
Downloaded from Cambridge Books Online by IP 14.139.43.12 on Mon Oct 08 08:22:58 BST 2012.
http://ebooks.cambridge.org/ebook.jsf?bid=CBO9780511845772
Cambridge Books Online © Cambridge University Press, 2012
cambridge university press
Cambridge,NewYork,Melbourne,Madrid,CapeTown,
Singapore,Sa˜oPaulo,Delhi,Tokyo,MexicoCity
CambridgeUniversityPress
32AvenueoftheAmericas,NewYork,ny10013-2473,usa
www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9780521279697
(cid:2)C GavinLucas2012
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements,
noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten
permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished2012
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
AcatalogrecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData
Lucas,Gavin,1965–
Understandingthearchaeologicalrecord/GavinLucas.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
isbn978-1-107-01026-0(hardback)–isbn978-0-521-27969-7(paperback)
1.Archaeology–Philosophy. 2.Archaeology–Methodology.
3.History–Sources. 4.Ontology. 5.Antiquities.
6.Materialculture. 7.Socialarchaeology. i.Title.
cc72.l83 2012
930.1–dc23 2011033628
isbn978-1-107-01026-0Hardback
isbn978-0-521-27969-7Paperback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceor
accuracyofurlsforexternalorthird-partyInternetWebsitesreferredto
inthispublicationanddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuchWeb
sitesis,orwillremain,accurateorappropriate.
Downloaded from Cambridge Books Online by IP 14.139.43.12 on Mon Oct 08 08:22:58 BST 2012.
http://ebooks.cambridge.org/ebook.jsf?bid=CBO9780511845772
Cambridge Books Online © Cambridge University Press, 2012
For Elı´n, Marteinn, and Benjamı´n
Downloaded from Cambridge Books Online by IP 14.139.43.12 on Mon Oct 08 08:22:58 BST 2012.
http://ebooks.cambridge.org/ebook.jsf?bid=CBO9780511845772
Cambridge Books Online © Cambridge University Press, 2012
contents
Illustrations page ix
Tables xi
Preface xiii
1. TheTroublewithTheory 1
2. TheTotalRecord 18
3. FormationTheory 74
4. MaterializedCulture 124
5. ArchaeologicalEntities 169
6. ArchaeologicalInterventions 215
7. A‘New’SocialArchaeology? 258
References 267
Index 301
vii
Downloaded from Cambridge Books Online by IP 14.139.43.12 on Mon Oct 08 08:22:59 BST 2012.
http://ebooks.cambridge.org/ebook.jsf?bid=CBO9780511845772
Cambridge Books Online © Cambridge University Press, 2012
Downloaded from Cambridge Books Online by IP 14.139.43.12 on Mon Oct 08 08:22:59 BST 2012.
http://ebooks.cambridge.org/ebook.jsf?bid=CBO9780511845772
Cambridge Books Online © Cambridge University Press, 2012
illustrations
1. Archaeologicalalchemy;or,howarchaeologistsspin
storiesfromscraps. page 15
2. Schematicrepresentationofthesimplificationof
samplingtheoryanditsseparationfromformation
theory. 65
3. Transformationprocessesinoperationatawrecker’s
yardinNewYorkin1966. 94
4. MichaelSchiffer’sflowmodelfordurableobjects
throughaculturalsystem. 97
5. WarrenDeBoer’staphonomicmodelofthe
archaeologicalrecord,withSchiffer’sdivisionbetween
systemicandarchaeologicalcontextadded. 101
6. Theproblemoftimeaveraging:cumulativegraph
showingchangingcompositionofthreehypothetical
faunalassemblagesatfifty-yearintervals. 109
7. Stratigraphicmatrixofasimplesequenceofthreeunits,
transposedontoanentropygrid. 122
8. Hawkes’sladderofinferencejuxtaposedwithChilde’s
divisionofmaterialandspiritualculture. 139
9. Newmodelofexternalizationthatemergedinthe
mid-twentiethcentury. 143
10. Leroi-Gourhan’sviewoftheexteriorizationof
techniquesinevolutionaryperspective. 147
11. Binford’sandHodder’sviewsoftherelationbetween
behaviourandmaterialculture. 155
12. Gridofforcesdefiningobjectsandevents. 187
ix
Downloaded from Cambridge Books Online by IP 14.139.43.12 on Mon Oct 08 08:23:01 BST 2012.
http://ebooks.cambridge.org/ebook.jsf?bid=CBO9780511845772
Cambridge Books Online © Cambridge University Press, 2012
x (cid:2) Illustrations
13. Thetwobasicmeaningsofthearchaeological
assemblageandtheirmutuallyinterdependentnature. 197
14. Buildingsasorganisms. 203
15. Diagrammaticrepresentationofhowassemblages
stabilizeanddisperse. 212
16. Gridofforcesofassemblyanddisassemblyintermsof
theprocessesofenchainmentanddispersal,and
containmentandexposure. 213
17. Hodder’sversionofthearchaeologicaloperation:the
hermeneuticspiral. 225
18. Theassemblingprocess:sortingfindsastheycomeout
oftheground. 235
19. Thetranslationprocess:mobilizingpropertiesfromone
materialmediumtoanother. 240
20. Visualtranslationdevices:anarchaeologicalplanning
frameandartist’sperspectiveframe. 241
Downloaded from Cambridge Books Online by IP 14.139.43.12 on Mon Oct 08 08:23:01 BST 2012.
http://ebooks.cambridge.org/ebook.jsf?bid=CBO9780511845772
Cambridge Books Online © Cambridge University Press, 2012
tables
1. Patrik’sFiveMeaningsoftheArchaeologicalRecord page 7
2. ThreeMeaningsoftheArchaeologicalRecordasUsed
inThisBookComparedtoPatrik’sScheme 10
3. TypesofSourcesAvailabletoHistoryandArchaeology
(Pre-andProtohistory) 58
4. GridofExternalizationImplicitinNineteenth-Century
ViewsofCulture,DefinedbyTwoCharacteristics:
ImmediacyandStability 131
5. TheArchaeologicalConceptofAssemblageArticulated
throughtheConceptsofEnchainmentandContainment 200
6. DifferentProposedSchemesforDividingArchaeological
Theoryfromthe1970sand1980s 223
xi
Downloaded from Cambridge Books Online by IP 14.139.43.12 on Mon Oct 08 08:23:07 BST 2012.
http://ebooks.cambridge.org/ebook.jsf?bid=CBO9780511845772
Cambridge Books Online © Cambridge University Press, 2012
Description:This book explores the diverse understandings of the archaeological record in both historical and contemporary perspective, while also serving as a guide to reassessing current views. Gavin Lucas argues that archaeological theory has become both too fragmented and disconnected from the particular na
