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What is Interpretive Archaeology? Interpretive archaeology is an approach to the study of the past that acknowledges the fact that interpreting material culture and architecture is not a science.[1] It appeared in the second half of the twentieth century in response to processual archaeology which aimed at scientific neutrality. Interpretive archaeology on the other hand is concerned with the meanings, beliefs and symbols in a given society and the fact that there can be several interpretations of a given culture depending on the individual’s view.
Historical Background This approach started in the 1970s and 1980s when Ian Hodder for instance criticized processual archaeology for being scientific, and cultural and social aspects of the past were lacking. While processual archaeologists sought to explain behavior through such things as environment, economy and systems, interpretive archaeologists insisted that things like ritual, symbolism and ideology were equally relevant to understanding past societies. [2] This change of perspective allowed for a more numerous and complex outlook on the human existence to be explored in archaeology.
Key Ideas 1. Subjectivity: The conclusions that archaeologists make are relative to their own culture and views, so there isn’t an original history. 2. Focus on Meaning: It is more informative to know what the creators and users of the objects or structures in question intended from them than it is to know how they should be classified scientifically. 3. Multivocality: It cherishes the opinion of the earlier people and the archaeologists of the present era to build a complete history. 4. Reflexivity: The authors emphasize that archaeologists should be able to consider their own biases and how they can affect their study.[3]
Methods Used Interpretive archaeologists use a variety of techniques to study the cultural significance of artifacts:
Phenomenology: This method looks at how people of old might have perceptualized their physical environment like regarding natural items like hills or rivers as having some level of significance.
Hermeneutics: Stresses the interpretation of cultural and symbolic significance of artifacts, given that an object may have different significance in different cultures.
Contextual Analysis:Analyzes the place and context of the artifacts to determine their part in the culture during which they were created.
Impact and Legacy Interpretive archaeology has been a significant development in the field because it has pushed archaeologists to go beyond the material culture and think about the meaning and significance of artifacts to people in the past. It has enriched the discipline and brought in more voices and opinions and is responsible for subdisciplines such as feminist archaeology, indigenous archaeology, and landscape archaeology. It has also made archaeologists look at the social and cultural processes that are existing within the society so as to make the study of archaeology to have the diversity of human experiences.[4]
Influential Figures and Works Ian Hodder is one of the key figures in interpretive archaeology, particularly through his work Reading the Past: Current Approaches to Interpretation in Archaeology. The phenomenology has also been developed by Christopher Tilley and Michael Shanks has also supported the reflexive practice of this approach. These scholars have contributed to the change of the orientation of archeology from the materialistic aspect of human life to the cultural and symbolic aspect of life thus enriching the discipline.
References
edit- ^ Hodder, Ian (1986). Reading the Past: Current Approaches to Interpretation in Archaeology. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780511814211. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ Shanks, Michael; Tilley, Christopher (1987). Re-Constructing Archaeology: Theory and Practice. Routledge. ISBN 9780415088701. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ Hodder, Ian, ed. (1992). Theory and Practice in Archaeology. Routledge. ISBN 9780415087797. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
- ^ Thomas, Julian (1996). Time, Culture and Identity: An Interpretive Archaeology. Routledge. ISBN 9780415117609. Retrieved 2024-12-07.