Unit 16
Explanation and Archaeology

In this unit, we review the basic explanatory process of scientific anthropological archaeology, and examine a set of hypothetical models used to explain how states and civilizations evolved. We conclude with a short discussion of the future prospects for archaeological research.

Objectives

After completing this unit, you should be able to

1. identify the three basic questions that archaeologists must answer, and the two levels of inquiry that they represent.
2. briefly summarize Malthus’s theory of population growth, and explain why his contemporaries called it “dismal.”
3. describe the factors that Boserup identifies as having caused agricultural systems in Asia to change.
4. explain how “population growth” explanations differ from those based on carrying capacity.
5. describe Wittfogel’s “hydraulic theory,” and explain why it has been criticized.
6. explain how warfare can promote increased socio-political complexity.
7. explain how trade and exchange lead to greater complexity.
8. describe how technological innovations can spur socio-political change.
9. distinguish between promotion and linearization as mechanisms of information flow through a society.
10. distinguish between segregation and centralization.
11. compare “prime mover” and “multiple factor” explanations and provide an example of each.
12. explain what a systems-ecological model is, and describe the systems-ecological model for the evolution of Maya civilization.
13. explain Bronowski’s view of how common sense and science are similar.
14. compare the views of culture offered by Hodder and Rappaport.
15. explain why archaeology today is at a crossroads.