Discuss an individual, or group of individuals, who made a important contribution toward, or impact

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Assignment 1
Discuss an individual, or group of individuals,
who made a important contribution toward, or
impact upon, the development of archaeological
theory.
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ANT411H5 S
Topic 4 The New Archaeology Processualism in
the 1960s
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Functionalism
Childe
environmental functionalism
materialist
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Albert Spaulding
Dimensions of Archaeology
Form
Space
Time
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Culture-History

• Form typology

• Space culture areas

• Time relative chronometric

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Christopher Hawkes
Ladder of Inference
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David Clarke
1. consciousness
2. self-consciousness
3. critical self-consciousness
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logical positivism

• explanation prediction are equivalent

• demonstration of constant articulation of
  variables

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deductive-nomological
covering law model of explanation
absolute correlation between variables
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Small
Large
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0
7
0
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11
7
5
2
2
5
7
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deductive-statistical
tendency toward correlation
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Americanist anthropology 1950s
evolution vs history
generalist vs particularist
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Americanist anthropology 1950s
culture energy x technology
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Americanist anthropology 1950s
multilineal evolution
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General Systems Theory

• organisms or cultures are systems made up
  interacting parts

• rules can be formulated that describe how
  significant aspects of any system function

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General Systems Theory

• Negative feedback maintains a system in steady
  state

• Positive feedback brings about irreversible
  changes

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Lewis R. Binford 1962 Archaeology as Anthropology
explanation the demonstration of a constant
articulation of variables within a system and the
measurement of the concomitant variability among
the variables within the system.
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In traditional archaeology data are viewed
particularistically and "explanation" is offered
in terms of specific events rather than in terms
of process
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I suggest that artifacts having their primary
functional context in different operational
sub-systems of the total cultural system will
exhibit differences and similarities
differentially, in terms of the structure of the
cultural system of which they were a part.
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Culture is viewed as the extra-somatic means of
adaptation for the human organism (White 1959
8). I am concerned with all those subsystems
within the broader cultural system which
function to adapt the human organism, conceived
generically, to its total environment both
physical and social.
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we must be able to distinguish those relevant
artifactual elements within the total artifact
assemblage which have the primary functional
context in the social, technological, and
ideological sub-systems of the total cultural
system.
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The formal structure of artifact assemblages
together with the between element contextual
relationships should and do present a systematic
and understandable picture of the total extinct
cultural system.
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Technomic signifies those artifacts having their
primary functional context in coping directly
with the physical environment. Variability in the
technomic components of archaeological
assemblages is seen as primarily explicable in
the ecological frame of reference.
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sociotechnic. These artifacts were the material
elements having their primary functional context
in the social subsystems of the total cultural
system. This sub-system functions as the
extra-somatic means of articulating individuals
one with another into cohesive groups capable of
efficiently maintaining themselves and of
manipulating the technology.
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ideotechnic Items of this class have their
primary functional context in the ideological
component of the social system. These are the
items which signify and symbolize the ideological
rationalizations for the social system and
further provide the symbolic milieu in which
individuals are enculturated, a necessity if they
are to take their place as functional
participants in the social system.
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Cross-cutting all of these general classes of
artifacts are formal characteristics which can be
termed stylistic, formal qualities that are not
directly explicable in terms of the nature of the
raw materials, technology of production, or
variability in the structure of the technological
and social sub-systems of the total cultural
system.
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These formal qualities are believed to have their
primary functional context in providing a
symbolically diverse yet pervasive artifactual
environment promoting group solidarity and
serving as a basis for group awareness and
identity. This pan-systemic set of symbols is the
milieu of enculturation and a basis for the
recognition of social distinctiveness.
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Lewis R. Binford 1965 Archaeological Systematics
and the Study of Culture Process
Primary functional variation is that which is
directly related to the specific use made of the
vessel in question for example) the difference
between a plate and a storage jar.
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Secondary functional variation is a byproduct of
the social context of the manufacturers of the
vessel or of the social context of the intended
use of the item) or both. This variation may
arise from a traditional way of doing things
within a family or a larger social unit, or it
may serve as a conscious expression of
between-group solidarity.
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British New Archaeology David Clarke Analytical
Archaeology 1968
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First, the definition of the fundamental entities
that pervade the diverse material, their
elements, structures and patterns, the processes
that operate on them, and the effects of the
processes on the dimensions of space and time. A
study in statics and dynamics going beyond
particular instances.
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Second, the search for repeated similarities or
regularities in form, function, association, or
developmental sequence amongst the particular
entities from every area, period and environment.
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(3) Third, the development of higher category
knowledge or principles that synthesize and
correlate the material at hand whilst possessing
a high predictive value. The development of
increasingly comprehensive and informative
general models and hypotheses.
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• attribute states
• attribute
• attribute complex
• artifact
• type
• assemblage
• culture

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Kent Flannery 1968 Archaeological Systems Theory
and Early Mesoamerica
seasonal scheduling