Archeological Research Paper

Selena Parker

ANT-107

Archeological Theories and Methods Paper

4/15/18

The archeological theory that I chose to research and write about was Culture- historical archeology. Culture-historical archeology is an archeological theory that emphasizes on defining past societies into distinct ethnic and cultural groupings according to their material culture. Culture Historian was in the 19th-20th centuries. The culture-historical theory was a way of conducting anthropological and archaeological study that was common among western scholars between about 1910 and 1960. The primary principle of the culture-historical approach was that the core motivation to do archaeology or anthropology at all was to construct timelines of key occurrences

The first step used in excavation is surveying the remote area; it is the controlled exploration of what is to be found underneath the ground. Excavation is usually uses techniques such as making grids of the trenches and shovel testing. Shovel testing it is a standardized test that archeologists use to test their research in a real world setting. Shovel test pits or STPs are small holes dug on a grid that allow archeologists to pick up artifact samples and stratigraph data across large areas of land. Stratigraphy is results based on what geologists and archeologists get using a process where layers of soil and debris are laid down on top of one another over time. An STP survey is a great method for understanding and recognizing important shifts in the patterns of human activity. STP was used in instructive ways enslaved people were working and living throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Shovel test pits are a method used by archeologists that can cover an area quickly and are less invasive (shovel test pit methods pg.1). Culture-historical archeology will be a step used in analyzing artifacts and materials found in excavation and from doing shovel testing. Archaeological excavation aims to identify any evidence of past human activity that may be buried below ground at any given site. This evidence usually consists of features, such as buried soil layers, rubbish pits, ditches, graves or parts of former buildings such as postholes, wall foundations and floor surfaces and the finds material that has ended up within the features. Although some finds will have been deliberately buried, such as grave goods or treasure hoards, most of the finds material found by archaeologists is the discarded rubbish from the activities of everyday life and work in a settlement. Due to the small size of a Test Pit you might need a bit of luck to find a proper archaeological feature such as a pit or building