Living Archaeology (New Studies in Archaeology) - Softcover

Gould

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0521299594 ISBN 13: 9780521299596

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1980

Synopsis

'Living archaeology,' says Richard Gould, 'is ethnoarchaeology in the active voice'. Using as case studies his own observations of Australian Aborigines, and those of others, the author presents a unified theory of ethnoarchaeology. He demonstrates a reliable way to infer adaptive behavior in prehistoric communities by studying adaptive behavior in a contemporary society and noting the evidence of this behavior in material discards. Gould examines and dismisses the argument by analogy, long accepted as fundamental in earlier archaeological studies of this kind, and, as an alternative, he proposes the argument by anomaly. The book starts by recording a day in the life of a traditional Australian Desert Aborigine camp. the author identifies many social, verbal, and ideational interactions that would be difficult, if not impossible, to infer directly from the typical 'archaeological' remains of this non-material behavior. The book examines differences between actual as opposed to anticipated human behavior and suggests that understanding the reasons for these contrasts is what characterizes ethnoarchaeology at its best.

About this title

Book Description:

'Living archaeology,' says Richard Gould, 'is ethnoarchaeology in the active voice'.Using as case studies his own observations of Australian Aborigines, and those of others, the author presents a unified theory of ethnoarchaeology. He demonstrates a reliable way to infer adaptive behavior in prehistoric communities by studying adaptive behavior in a contemporary society and noting the evidence of this behavior in material discards.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1980
• ISBN 10: 0521299594
• ISBN 13: 9780521299596
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288