Book
Archaeological approaches to the present: models for reconstructing the past
Academic Press • New York • Published In 1977 • Pages: xvi, 259
By: Yellen, John E..
Abstract
This source, a revision of the author's 1974 Ph.D. dissertation, examines several aspects of the relationship between archaeology and ethnography, dealing for the most part with ways in which the archaeologist may more fruitfully employ ethnographic data to evaluate and sharpen his own analytic techniques. To this end Yellen suggests several analytical frameworks which he believes may prove of value in critically evaluating assumptions that archaeologists often make, and suggests other specific techniques that may aid in individual site interpretation. As an adjunct to these theoretical interpretations the author provides a unique body of ethnographic data collected from field observations and interviews at sixteen San camps which he visited during the years of his fieldwork. These data relate to the social composition of the camps, water supply, foods and food quest activities, and perhaps most significantly of all (from the standpoint of the archaeologist), a detailed analysis of debris left behind at abandoned campsites and their 'scatter' or dispersal patterns within the camping area. These patterns, based on contemporary analysis, seem related to various economic activities within the community, (e. g., food debris related to activities of the nuclear family, parts of toys with children's play areas, etc.), a factor which may be of some significance to archaeologists in their interpretation of artifact dispersion at a given site. The detailed analysis of this information is summarized in three appendices, with a series of end maps showing the physical aspects and dispersal patterns of each of the sixteen camps studied.
- HRAF PubDate
- 2005
- Region
- Africa
- Sub Region
- Southern Africa
- Document Type
- Book
- Evaluation
- Creator Type
- Archaeologist
- Document Rating
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- Analyst
- John Beierle ; 1988
- Field Date
- 1968-1976
- Coverage Date
- 1968-1975
- Coverage Place
- Dobe and Duda region, Botswana
- Notes
- John E. Yellen
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 254-259)
- LCCN
- 77004886
- LCSH
- San (African people)