The New Archaeology: Indo-European Mummy in the Altai
During the first week you learned about the scientific method and how important it is to archaeology. That this process changed how we view the age of the earth and antiquity. We are now able to discern for ourselves the differences between a castle in Beverly Hills and one in the Loire Valley, France.
In week two, you learned about the three major goals archaeologists and how we must think about what we find. That is from a culturally relative perspective. You also were introduced to concepts like cognitive and social archaeology, as well as studying the individual in an archaeological context. This is probably the most difficult because we don't often see the past as "real" but perhaps more like a movie.
This week you are learning about methods and techniques used in excavation and post excavation. Though it may seem that actual excavation would be the best part, it is not. Lab word is the detective work. The investigative part when research is very important.
For this week, I would like you use the information from the last three weeks to analyze the three parts of the Siberian Ice Maiden video. Apply the concepts you have learned to specific parts of the video. Select those sections and describe, in writing, why you think these apply. This exercise will allow you to see how the concepts and techniques are used in the "field" and in the lab. I love this video because it includes everything. Excavation here is different because of the ice, But the removal of the artefacts is about the same.
Feel free here to include some of your personal observations along with the material from my lectures and the text. Your grade will be based on the use and accuracy of these.
The New Archaeology -
Indo-European Mummy in the Altai
Your Name
Subject and Section
Professor’s Name
October 10, 2022
Part 1.
Understanding the various kinds of archaeological excavation techniques is essential for everyone archaeologist. It allows him to appreciate better the methods that can be used to find artifacts within the site effectively. In this first video, it is apparent that a site was being prepared for exploring possible artifacts left by the mounted tribes. Notably, they were trying to find frozen burial chambers located in a place characterized by permafrost. In order to find these chambers, the archaeologists utilized various techniques, such as measuring the ground's electrical properties, rather than a horizontal excavation method. I believe that this would also be beneficial, considering that digging horizontally would be very difficult for a frozen landscape.
Further, the video showed that systematic sampling was carefully used in the previous archeological dig sites. However, these tombs were much easier to find, considering that the locals themselves already knew the tombs. It was fortunate that the archaeological site was considered a habitation site where tombs were being created by the nomadic tribes that lived there. From there, a vertical excavation was used where the archaeologists found frozen tombs as shallow as 3 meters below the ground.
Part 2:
The second part of the documentary showed how artifacts and fossils should be treated after excavation. From the findings of the archaeologists, what was fascinating was that the clothes, pottery, and other artifacts were used to help understand the culture of the nomadic tribes. As said in the first part of the documentary, there was very little information about these tribes, especially since they have no formal language and only in the works of Herodotus were these tribes becom...