Professional Documents
Culture Documents
We p.S#&$ IQst year two mticles dealing with the a i m and relevante of the so-called 'nem
first was by Professor Richrd Watson (1972, 210-15) and the second by
,301-4). We also pubhhed a r h by David C h k e of 'Explanation
tson, S. A . LeBlanc and C. L. Redman (1972, 237-9). Here,
nd Tutor of Peterhouse, Cambridge, sets out his com'dered views
archaeology, some of which he has already dkeussed in h& book
'Analytical mchaeologyY.
as largely equifinal, functional groupings, many the information which may be extracted from
thousandr of years deep and hundred of miles the complex, integrated relationships encapsu-
ARCHAEOLOGY: T H E L O S S O F I N N O C E N C E
nature of the logical aspects of archaeological
explanation becomes apparent in the frequent
confusions between the direct causes of
archaeological observations and the ex-
planation of the mechanism which brought
appropriate way. After d,since about those causal stimuli at a yet deeper level.
that we will never be able to A proper scrutiny of such problems might
e the sites of a contemporaneous site allow archaeology to escape from the self-
or, what is more to the point, given our imposed paradoxes and tautologies which
currently plague its argurnents. Not the least
interesting area in this respect would be some
clear identiíication of the characteristics of
'pathological' explanations-those which are
rejected and yet which appear to use normally
acceptable reasoning on sound data.
At least part of the confusion about explana-
tion in archaeology arises from the mistaken
belief that there is one universal form of
archaeologicalexplanation structure appropriate
at a11 levels, in a11 contexts. Attempts have been
pecialized hunting and fishing sites of made to say something which would logically
k d s , like Mugharet-el-Wad. characterize all archaeological explanations but
which simply succeed in describing, with
Whether the last sentence varying success, certain modes of explanation
a reasonable speculation depends used at certain scales, in certain contexts to
the data, partly on the concepts and answer certain archaeological questions. After
the reasoning involved. The critical all, the explanation of the recurrence of a
archaeological reasoning certain house plan may have a logical structure
basic importance of of one kind, whilst the explanation of thõ
collapse of the Maya or Mycenaeans may have
quite another; the explanation of complex
events in sophisticated systems is an especially
important and ill-understood area (Tuggle,
Townsend & Riley, 1972, 8).
If archaeological explanations exist for many
diíTerent purposes, and are of many diierent
logical forms at varied levels in differing con-
texts, the appropriate procedures forjudging and
testing their accuracy, relevance and logical
adequacy have yet to be explicitly uncovered;
we must therefore resist an ill-fitting deter-
mination to force the patterns of archaeological
reasoning within those supposed to hold for
for those conclusions, between other disciplines (Clarke, 1972a). Nevertheless,
we can anticipate some bases for such judge-
ments. It has already emerged that one test of
the relevance and adequacy of an archaeological
explanations or causes of explanation is the relevance and adequacy of i t s -~
observations. The slippery hypothetical elements. If the hypothetical is not
ANTIQUITY
relevant to the particular scale or context, as in
the 'tribal' explanations of the Mousterian, then
the explanation fails. Second, severa1 different
explanations ma7 still compete for attention and
here, amongst other criteria, it is the explana-
tion which derives from or implies the existente
of the more powerful theory which is to be
leaps in archaeological reasoning. Without such
a body of theory these critical leaps do indeed
take-off and become a free-fight of creativ-
fancy-an irresponsible art for&
These other levels of archaeological theory
may be crudely expressed as the steps latent in
any archaeological interpretation, relating:
Ir
preferred. At the last, even when an explanation (I) The range of hominid activity patterns an
is proven not to be trivial, tautologous, circular, social and environmental processes whic
redundant or statistically accidental it always once existed, over a specified time and area.
remains 'conventiona19-relative to the state of
contemporary knowledge, a particular paradigm (2) The sample and traces of these (I) thrt I
were deposited at the time.
view and a given metaphysical position.
(3) The sample of that sample (2) which
survived to be recovered.
General theory One of the prizes denied to us
by the partitioned regionalism and specialism (4) The sample of that sample (3) which wt
of the Old Archaeology is the explicit realization recovered by excavation or coilection.
that there is or could be a comprehensive The pairwise relationships between thes
archaeological general theory. The difliculty levels generates the essential set of predeposi-
with this intriguing possibility has never been a tional, postdepositional, retrieval, analytical
lack of forms which this theory might take and and interpretive models and theory which aii
- areas within which it might fulminate but archaeologists intuitively employ in the intei
rather the conversethe infinitv of kinds of pretive leaps from the excavated data to the
theory which might conceivably be appropriate written report, covering the interpretive pr0-q
for archaeology and the familiar problem of from the grave to publication.
choice, where to search in the infinity? An Predepositimal and depositional themy-covers
earlier response was either to import the the nature of the relationships between speci-
Historicism of Spengler and Toynbee, the fied hominid activities, social patterns and
Determinism of Ellsworth Huntington, the environmental factors, one with another y ~ d
modified Marxism of Childe and others. or to with the sample and traces which were at the
react by rejecting the possibility of general time deposited in the archaeological record;
archaeological theory and to disappear into the largely a social, environmental and statistical
depths of particular research problems with the theory relating behavioural variability to vari-
rapidity of hot stones on snow. ability in the record, linking levels (I)and (7'
Now, this prize may not yet be within our above.
grasp but a possibly emerging theoretical Postdepositionul thory-the nature of the
form does now seem distantly perceivable. We relationships between the sample and traces as
have seen that the rising interest in archaeologi- initially deposited and their subsequent re-
cal philosophy naturally leads to necessary cycling, movement, disturbance, erosion, traa
metaphysical theories of archaeological con- formation or destruction; largely a micro-
cepts, epistemological theories of archaeological geomorphological and statistical theory linking
information and classiíication and logical (2)and (3).
theories of archaeological reasoning. Here is Retrkval theory-the nature of the relationships
certainly a body of necessary but unfulfilled between the surviving sample (3) and the
theory which overlies and permeates a series of characteristics of the excavation or collection
other levels of archaeological theory that process which selectively operated upon it to
translate and explain the relationships between produce (4);largely a theory of sampling, field
classes of archaeological phenomena; it is these research design and flexible response strategies
unsge,ciíied steps which underly the critical linking (3) and (4).
16
!
F ARCHAEOLOGY: THE L O S S O F I N N O C E N C E
t
#izui'ytical theory-the nature of the relation- unobservable hominid behaviour patterns from
ships between the observations (4), which indirect traces in bad sarnples.
become the data, and their subsequent opera-
L tional treatment under selective modelling, T H E N E W PERSPECTIVE
testing, analysis, experimentation, storage a<d In the later postwar decades (1950s-1970s) the
publication; largely a theory of information boundaries of archaeological consciousness and
retrieval, selection, discarding, evaluation, com- potential receded with great suddenness. Not
paction and decision costs, linking (&o-() via surprisingly, archaeologists have been ieft per-
&e interpretive theory. plexed by this phenomenon and its uncertain
Interpretive theory-the nature of the relation- consequences. They have a choice-to continue
ships between archaeological patterns estab- to operate within the limited field space of
liahed by analysis and verified by.experiment, traditional archaeology, in which case the New
and predictions about the directly unobservable Archaeology does not exist for them, or they can
ancient behavioural and environmentalpatterns; step outside their former habitat and meditate
bgely a theory of prediction, explanation and upon its unsatisfactory nature and problems
model evaluation linking (4)-(1) by testing which that system could not ask or answer. For
IL expectations derived by analogy against
observaGons manipulated by analysis, given
there exists, mathematicallyand philosophically,
a class of problems for any language system
k
,
, , ? J . #- ANTIQUITY -
o region, material, period and culture, although confiation of both sets of evidence and t h e i
certainly requiring difFerent particular values appropriate disciplines. The severe problems
for particular problems. It is this pervasive, and tactical advantages which arise from inte-
central and international aspect of archaeo- grating archaeological and historical evidence
logical theory, multiplied by its current weak- emerge as no more and no less than those
ness, which makes the whole issue of major arising between archaeological and physical,
importance in the further development of the chemical, biological and geographical evidence.
discipline. Indeed, work in text-aided contexts will
However, there are perhaps three groups of increasingly provide vital experiments in which
archaeologists who may be expected to be purely archaeological data may be controlled by
especially unwilling to welcome both the new documentary data, bearing in mind the inherent
developments and their theoretical conse- biases of both.
quences-amateurs, historical archaeologists, Finally, the practical excavator should
and practical excavators. The feeling that the appreciate more than any other archaeologist
vital and expanding corps of amateur archaeo- the degree to which his practice is controlled by
logists will be deflected by a new academic gulf his theoretical expectations, and these should
is, however, largely a misconception based on a accordingly be appropriate (Clarke, 1g72b,
professional model of the amateur as an 5-10). Thus with a more explicit theoretical
agricultura1 hayseed or a military buff; we risk awareness the practical excavator may con-
forgetting that amateur archaeologists (the tribute to a qualitative increase in under-
New Amateur ?)embrace professions in labora- standing rather than simply a quantitative
tories, electronics industries, computerized increase in data. In any case, practical men who
business departments and technical factories believe themselves to be quite exempt from any
and may have a better grasp of science, mathe- intellectual infiuences are, as Lord Keynes
matics, computers and electronics then their pointed out, usually the unwitting slaves of
temporary archaeological overlords. some defunct theorist (Keynes, 1936, 383).
For the archaeologist of later, text-aided and Archaeology is, after all, one discipline and
traditionally historically scaled periods the that unity largely resides in the latent theory of
repercussions of the New Archaeology are more archaeology-that disconnected bundle of in-
subtle than drastic. The new developments adequate subtheories which we must seek to
insist that the historical evidence be treated by formulate and stmcture within an articulated
the best methods of historical criticism and the and comprehensive system; a cornmon theo-
archaeological evidence by the best archaeo- retical hat-rack for ali our parochial hats.
logical treatment and not some selective
BIBLIOGRAPHY
A L W A NC.D 1964.
W , Notes on the synthesis of fonn JOHNSON,
LWOY. 1972. Problems in 'Avant Garde'
(Harvard). Anthropologkt, -v,
archaeology, Amenmerrcan 3,
D. L. 1968. Anaiytical mchaeology (London). 36615.
1970. Reply to wmrnent on Analytical Archaeo- KBYNES, J. M. 1936. The general theory of employ-
logy, Norwegian Archaeological Review, 111, mmt, interest and n~oney(London).
25-34. KOLCHINA, B. A. and Y. a smm (eds.). 1970.
1972a. Review of e x p h t i o n in mchaeology, Statistiko-kmnbinatonrye metody v Archeologii
Antiquity, =VI, 237-9. (Mosww).
1972b. Models in archaeology (London). TUGGLE, H . D., A. H. TOWNSEND and T. J. RILEY.
GARDIN, J.-C. (ed.). 1970. Archéologie et Calnrlateurs 1972. Laws, systems and r-ch designs: a
(Paris). discussion of explanation in archaeology.
HARRI?,R. 1972. The philosophies of science (Oxford). Amenkan Antiquity, xxxwr, I , 3-12.
HODSON, F. R., D. G. KENDALL and P. TAUTU (eds.).
1971- Mathematics and the mchaeologrgrcaland
historical s-es (Edhburgh).