Archaeology

It is quite rare to be enrolled in a history class that does not, even briefly, expose students to the essence of Greek society; we are often taught to appreciate the influence that the Greeks had on the development of the western world. Martin Bernal, in his work Black Athena, sheds new light on this matter, offering evidence that suggests our beliefs about the origin of Greek culture are misconstrued. Bernal successfully argues that, contrary to the widely believed and racism-laced Aryan Model…

The Ethics of Cultural Appropriation by James Young, is a detailed exposé of cultural appropriation through research and real life accounts all ranging from things like religion, to archaeological studies and everything in between. This book seemed fitting to my topic as it takes cultural appropriation one step farther, and discusses the ethics behind it from a number of different viewpoints. Each chapter in the book is a separate idea than the last, being discussed in detail, edited numerous…

Artifacts are a significant part of the world. They help us learn more about the past, give new ideas for the future, and have a strong influence on the ways we do things. However there has been some controversy about where these artifacts should be held. Should archaeologists leave the items in their original location or place them in museums? Looking at both options, it is clear we should preserve the artifacts and keep them in museums. Therefore, it allows scientific research for these…

The Hereford Mappa Mundi was created in around the 1300s and is currently being kept in the Hereford Cathedral. The map was drawn on a single sheet of vellum (calfskin). It measures 162.56cm by 132.08cm (64 inches by 52 inches) and has many drawings that delineate the period in which the map was made, showing us about how people lived in that time. The maps were drawn and written with lots of detailed information, but could only be read by people who spoke a certain branch of French (Norman…

Informative Exercise: Sample Outline Format Topic: Ancient artifacts that disregard the current view of time General Purpose: To inform Specific Purpose: To inform about different artifacts Central Idea Statement/Thesis: Ancient technology, figurines, and imbedded materials can make us rethink our perception of the human time line and discover more about long gone civilizations. Introduction I. We know how our timeline as humans go, cavemen, farmers, castles, military industrial complex and…

Two college students stumbled across a skull by the Columbia River in July of 1996. They contacted the local authorities and once they arrived additional bones were discovered. The local authorities reached out to an archaeologist who found a stone spear that was lodged into one of the bones. After further study, the bones were dated to be approximately 9,300 years old and was named the Kennewick Man. The discovery had caused controversy on who should own the bones. The Army Corps of Engineers…

process of archaeology in the dictatorial contexts of authoritarianism and totalitarianism, this essay proposes that archaeology under dictatorship involves significant ethical challenges, which require important reflexivity on the part of practicing archaeologists. This is specifically seen with an examination of the way in which the Nazi regime made use of archaeology so as to perversely support its notions of racial purity, the essay moves forward to note the ethical elements of archaeology…

When archaeologists study artifacts, they look for it changed over time. The text says that the use of seriation, or “the sequencing of functionally similar artifacts based on stylistic differences,” helps determine the place of older or younger materials based on “the simple assumption that object styles change over time” (page 226). The fact that object styles change over time helps archaeologists determine why that artifact even changed in the first place. It could be improved or have better…

I was able to look over two boxes, Box 68, and Box 412. Box 68 was under the professional file 1897-1995.The container or box has nine folders. Within the box it contained miscellany 1949-1966,press releases,1951-1957,printed matter 1949-1967 and also a report by Clark “Present Threat to Children and Youth 1957” .That was inside folder six of box 68. The report was written May 31, 1957 and drafted by Dr. Kenneth B. Clark. Clark reported that the major threat to the welfare and creative…

There are a multitude of technologies used by anthropologists to help them gain more knowledge on past populations. Once specific technology, known as stable isotope analysis, is frequently used in archeological investigations. This is because it is not too difficult to operate and the results provide an abundance of information, ready to analyze. Through the use of carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis, anthropologists can conduct studies to provide anthropological insight on human…