Post-Processual Archaeology Analysis

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Processual archaeology (1960-1970’s)
After world war two there was a rapid development of scientific aids that could be implemented into archaeology (Renfrew & Bahn 2000). This included the introduction of specialisations in physical and chemical sciences, as well as the adoption of specialised skills from environmental sciences introduced through Julian Stewards Ecological Approach model (Gamble 2001; Renfrew & Bahn 2000; Shaw & Jameson 1999). In 1949, American Chemist Willard Libby introduced Radio-Carbon dating (Gamble 2001; Hunter & Ralston 1999; Renfrew & Bahn 2000). Radio-carbon dating transformed the face of Archaeology by providing archaeologists with dates that don’t require complex cross-cultural comparisons of historical methods …show more content…

Additionally, post-processual Archaeology was formed as a rival to positivist, functionalist and processual ideas of Processual Archaeology (Gamble 2001; Renfrew & Bahn 2000). Post-processual archaeologists focus on understanding the past as opposed to explaining it, thereby reforges the relationship between archaeology and history (Carman 2002). Interestingly, the introduction of post-processual archaeology allowed for the establishment of gender and feminist archaeology (Gamble 2001; Shaw & Jameson 1999). The establishment of these branches of archaeology exemplify the limitations of processual archaeology in that its categories and generalisations are unable to regonise important aspects of human cultural process and historical autonomy (Gamble 2001). Ideology informs virtually all archaeological description and interpretation, and that there is no truly objective set of data or conclusions, given that all approaches are inevitably coloured by ideological biases and constraints. Instead of striving for an unattainable set of archaeological truth or facts, archaeologists should pursue self-consciously ideologically informed approaches to their data. The role of the archaeologist changed greatly by providing material culture and past people with symbolic, narrative, social and hermeneutic understandings. The responsibility of the archaeologist includes survey sites using a variety of methods, project manage an excavation, record sites using drawings, detailed notes and photography, use computer applications, such as computer-aided design (CAD) and geographical information systems (GIS), to record and interpret finds, sites and

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