Unit 2
In Search of Ourselves: The Development of Anthropology and Archaeology

Anthropological archaeology as a scientific discipline has its roots in changes occurring in European intellectual life during the Renaissance. In this unit, we describe and discuss the development of anthropological archaeology, first by placing it in the larger context of the emergence of the scientific perspective; and then by reviewing its history, from its early emphasis on classification and chronology, to its present focus on explanation.

As we stated in Unit 1, the first two units serve as a review for those students who have previously taken an introductory archaeology course. If, however, this is your first archaeology course, you will want to read these units carefully, making sure that you understand and can retain the material before proceeding to the third unit.

Objectives

After completing this unit, you should be able to

1. describe the four stages of the scientific process.
2. explain the importance of the “speculative period” to the development of archaeology.
3. define “antiquarianism,” and describe its contribution to archaeology.
4. describe the contribution made by social philosophers to the development of archaeology.
5. summarize the contributions made by the life sciences and earth sciences to the development of archaeology.
6. compare the three main paradigms that have dominated American archaeology since the 1840s, illustrating your understanding with specific examples drawn from the archaeology of South and Mesoamerican civilizations.