Theory in archaeology – Theory in Archaeology

https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/neanderthal-fire/

In the article, “Who Started the First Fire”, by Dennis Sandgathe and Harold Dibble, it examines the origins of human’s ability to control fire. Since it is one of the most important technological advances in human history, it is interesting to understand who were the first to control and create fire.

Conventional theories thought that Neanderthals were not capable of making fire. As referenced in the 1981 film, “Quest for Fire”, it also illustrates how Neanderthals struggled to keep an ember burning and that they have no idea how to make a fire of their own. In contradiction to this, recent projects in Africa have found fire evidence from over 1 million years ago (Neanderthals came about 250,000 years ago).

An interesting question raised in the article asks how could have our ancestors survived and colonized in more northern areas in Asia and Europe, where the climate gets extremely cold, without being able to control fire? This idea leads me to believe that Neanderthals must have had some knowledge of fire as I do not know how they would be able to stay warm or cook any game that they had hunted, as vegetation in colder times were extremely limited. During this time, there would have been herds of reindeer, horses, and woolly mammoths as food sources, so how would Neanderthals be able to chew such meats without a way to make it more palatable and nutritious?

Research that had been done by Jill Pruetz, a primatologist at Iowa State University, showed the interactions between chimps and fire. Her foundings showed that the chimps were very aware of the behaviors of the fire and did not seem scared of it as other animals would. She also found that chimps would monitor the fires and scavenge the burnt out areas, thus using the wildfires to their advantage.

This article then switches to another set of findings where they had excavated two Middle Paleolithic sites, Pech de l’Azé IV and Roc de Marsal, in the Périgord region of southwestern France. At this site had found evidence of fire from warmer eras but no traces of these Neanderthals using fire during the colder periods where glaciers were widespread among Europe (70,000 – 40,000 years ago). This then leads to the questions of why did they only use fire in warmer times and not colder?

I believe that this study was approached in a behavioral theoretical perspective. I think this because the studies focused on the relationships between our early ancestors and their artifacts, which included hearths and tools, and the role that these artifacts had on the life of Neanderthals. These objects were viewed as active agents to behavior and these actions were analyzed in terms of making, using and control over fire. I think that these researchers may have been influenced to use this theoretical framework because, there is little evidence on who made the first fire in regards to specific artifacts, painting, scripts, etc. By having little data to work with, I think that approaching this study in a behavioral perspective was necessary because the relationships of Neanderthals to artifacts of fire is currently the best way to try and understand the behavior of our ancestors. therefore, since there is little data to support who made the first fire, trying to understand the behaviors of Neanderthals is the best way we can try to understand this technological advancement.

Lastly, I would also use this same theoretical approach because of the same influences that I had believed the researchers had faced when doing their own studies. unless there were more artifacts on past uses of fire, I think that focusing on behavior more than on materials is the best/only way to analyze uses of fire for the time being.

https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/native-american-archaeology/

I found this articles discussion very interesting in its approach towards Native American peoples and their feeling towards the field of archaeology in North America. How instead of assuming opinions of Indigenous people from a general sense the author, Charles Riggs, gives examples from his own personal experiences. When a student asks him “Why do archaeologists think they have the right to tell me about my own history?” (Riggs) he willingly admits that his response was probably inadequate.

In places like Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Greece the history of the area is preserved, artifacts are placed in museums while for the most part still honoring the wishes of the country of origin. Where as the archaeological community and government in America treat Indigenous populations and their history as secondary, “the dominant culture largely viewed Native Americans as subhuman, to be objectified and eradicated.” (Riggs)

I feel like when people begin to question the already uneasy relationship between archaeologists and Native Americans people frequently become more defensive and more likely to close off any discussion on the topic. This in turn stunts the positive aspects that the theory of Indigenous archaeology tries to work towards, such as conservation of Indigenous land, identity and ownership. An example of this in the test was the accusation that he [Riggs] was a grave robber. He admits that he was personally not guilty of this, by doing this he ignores the historical tension between the two groups, shifting the blame.

The article did a good job in bringing up highly publicized issues that covered headlines in international news such as the protests over the Dakota Access pipeline in 2016. The example of the Dakota Access pipeline exemplifies how native groups in the past as well as the present struggle to obtain rights and protect their cultural past. During the development of the field, archaeology for the most part exists outside or separate from the people whom they study. Acting as if the work they do is non-threatening towards less dominant groups. The article acknowledges how we have to listen to indigenous groups opinions regarding their heritages using them as a means to an end of study.

Tag: Theory in archaeology

Response to Who Started the First Fire

Response to Confronting Cultural Imperialism in Native American Archaeology by Charles R. Riggs