Archeology Goals
Although there is little existing evidence
of how life once was for ancient
people much information can be gathered to
create a full picture of what it was
once like. To discover how it used to be
there are three basic goals set by
archeologists and other scientists. These
goals consist of chronology,
reconstruction and explanation. They are set to
shed light on cultures and lives
that were forgotten so long ago and link
them to our own modern lives.
Chronology is the records that
archeologists and historians keep and use to gain
a better perspective of
time and to which era where each culture is placed.
Excavations are an
important aspect of chronology they are the basis for
everything found.
Excavations reveal the order that and remnants were left in
relation to other
artifact layers. This aids in determining the approximate age
of each
component of the layers contents. However there are other ways to make
sure
these dates are even more accurate and precise. As possible data and
other
artifacts are found at excavation sites they are sent for laboratory
analysis,
where such methods as carbon dating take place. Chronological data
is important
as it provides information on such things as the spread of
technology from one
tribe or region to another and how long and what patterns
it took to get there.
Through careful excavating and attention to detail
scientists are able to find
and fit together what some might say are
meaningless shards with no value and
discover that it is the missing piece
that shows the spread of one culture to
another. An example of spread of
technology and its evolution might be a
cylinder seals commonly found in the
near east. These cylinder seals were first
produced around the year 3500 B.C.
in Sumaria. These early seals were simple in
the beginning. They were rather
large tubes with decorative engravings ranging
in size from four cm to six cm
in length. Many cylinder seals have been found
throughout other near eastern
excavations where they have been documented and
tracked. As time went on they
became smaller (around two cm.) and much more
detailed. By these later time
periods people began experimenting with many
different kinds of materials
such as stone, shell, bone and also ivory. This
illustrates the progression
of cylinder seals and how they were changed over a
period of time.
Reconstruction is based on information gathered from chronology
and the
physical evidence found at excavation sites. Archeologists and
historians
take this information to recreate the way things could have been in
past
cultures. Reconstructions are also subject to change as more data is
found
and studied it may be added, altering the way scientist originally
thought it
things may have been. Reconstruction is all subject to
interpretation of
documented material remains and also environmental remnants
in their
chronological contexts. Environmental remains may be such things as
animal body
part or plant remains. In the 1960's Richard MacNeish headed a
group of
archeologists and scientists from other fields reconstructed the way
people of
Mexico's Tehuacan Valley obtained and produced food. In the
1980's researchers
refined this reconstruction. They analyzed the composition
of materials from the
original study and newly found environmental samples.
The results of the
analyses revealed a shift in subsistence patterns over a
9000- year period.
Showing inhabitants of the valley shifted from
seasonal migration surviving on a
diet of plants and some game to a more
stable community based on agriculture.
Archaeologists often use what is
called a theoretical model and observations of
the world as it exists today
truing to explain the happenings of the past.
Through these models and
observations inferred explanations are created.
Explanations usually
include environmental factors like, population changes, and
also patterns of
thought and behavior. The difference between reconstructions
and explanations
are that reconstructions are based on physical remains to
create the past,
whereas explanations are only attempts to answer questions
about the past
that cannot be gathered from physical proof. Like the example of
the Tehuacan
Valley these changes that took place among the settlement cannot
be
explained, but there are those who attempt to clarify the possible factors
that
fit into place with the already existing physical evidence. By trying to
explain
the mysteries of the past they have unlocked and gained insights in
our own
lives. Helping us realize that we are not so different from our
ancient
ancestors. Like in the times of the Egyptians and the people of Ur.
Monumental
structures reaching for the heavens were created for religious
purposes. This
tradition has carried on for thousands of years until present
time with our own
modern buildings and skyscrapers. Also we are similar in
our love for decoration
and adornment. Ancient vases were decorated and
adorned to appeal to human
senses. Just as today in our own society almost
all things are used to appeal to
the human senses. It is important to learn
about the past and all that can be
derived from the small bits and pieces
left behind. It should always be
remembered that no matter how small the
fragment much can be learned from it and
applied to these three main goals.
Each miserable scrap could become the most
important missing link to the
puzzle left to us to piece together. Through the
use of these three main
goals, chronology, reconstruction and explanation we are
better able to
understand ancient civilizations and in exchange better
understand our own
lives in the process.