The History of Archaeology

A) Nineteenth Century
B) Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries

The History of Archaeology

A) Nineteenth Century
1. Antiquity of Humankind 2. Development of Classification and Chronology

3. Better Fieldwork Methods

4. Discovery of Ancient Civilizations

The History of Archaeology

A) Nineteenth Century
1. Antiquity of Humankind:
The Discovery of Tools in Ancient Geological Contexts

Boucher de Perthes - 1859

What other major event in the history of science occurred in 1859?

The History of Archaeology

A) Nineteenth Century
2. Development of Classification & Chronology
The Three-Age System - Stone, Bronze, Iron Ages

Danish National Museum

Christian J. Thomsen

The History of Archaeology

A) Nineteenth Century
3. Better Fieldwork Methods
Stratigraphy Context J.J.A. Worsaae Augustus Lane Pitt-Rivers

STRATIGRAPHY

J.J. A. Worsaae

A. L. Pitt-Rivers

The History of Archaeology

A) Nineteenth Century
1. Antiquity of Humankind 2. Development of Classification and Chronology

3. Better Fieldwork Methods

4. Discovery of Ancient Civilizations

The History of Archaeology

A) Nineteenth Century
4. Discovery of Ancient Civilizations
1. Egypt a. 1798-1801 Napoleons expedition b. Early 19th century looting e.g. G. Belzoni

The History of Archaeology

A) Nineteenth Century
4. Discovery of Ancient Civilizations
1. Egypt c. Decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphics (1822) - Jean-Francois Champollion - Rosetta Stone

The Rosetta Stone

hieroglyphics

Demotic everyday script of Egypt

Greek

Dates to 196 BC. Text by priests praising Pharaoh

The History of Archaeology

A) Nineteenth Century
4. Discovery of Ancient Civilizations
1. Egypt d. Serious archaeology begins late 19th and continues today - e.g. Flinders Petrie - Tutankhamens tomb - KV5 tombs of sons of Rameses II

Antechamber of Tutankhamens Tomb

Opening the coffin

Second coffin

Second coffin

Tutankhamens mask

www.thebanmappingproject.com
See current work in the Valley of the Kings, including the tomb of the sons of Ramesses II at KV5 at this web site.

The History of Archaeology

A) Nineteenth Century
4. Discovery of Ancient Civilizations
2. Mesopotamia
1840s Excavations at Assyrian capital of Nineveh 1857 Decipherment of Mesopotamian cuneiform - Sir Henry Rawlinson 1880s onwards many excavations, e.g. Leonard Woolley at Ur in 1920s

Nineveh

Nineveh Reconstruction

Cuneiform tablet
4 bushels 3 quarts of barley by the royal measure regular offering for (the god) Sha from Gudea Dada received. Sealed by Nura. (Barley) from the High Field. Year following (-the year named) The Temple of Puzris-Dagan was built.

Dates to 2056 BC, Ur III Dynasty

Ur

The History of Archaeology

A) Nineteenth Century
4. Discovery of Ancient Civilizations
3. Mesoamerica & South America a. 1841-3 Stephens & Catherwoods travels

Catherwoods Etchings

Catherwoods Etchings

The History of Archaeology

A) Nineteenth Century
4. Discovery of Ancient Civilizations
3. Mesoamerica & South America b. 1890s Peabody Museum of Harvard begins excavations at Copan

Copan

The History of Archaeology

A) Nineteenth Century
4. Discovery of Ancient Civilizations
3. Mesoamerica & South America c. 1911 Hiram Bingham visits Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu

The History of Archaeology

A) Nineteenth Century
4. Discovery of Ancient Civilizations
4. Europe (and Turkey) a. 1738 Excavations at Pompeii to collect curios

The History of Archaeology

A) Nineteenth Century
4. Discovery of Ancient Civilizations
4. Europe (and Turkey) b. 1870 Heinrich Schliemanns excavations of Homeric Troy

Troy

Priams Treasure

The History of Archaeology

A) Nineteenth Century
4. Discovery of Ancient Civilizations
4. Europe (and Turkey) c. 1876 Mycenae

The History of Archaeology

A) Nineteenth Century
4. Discovery of Ancient Civilizations
4. Europe (and Turkey) d. 1894 Minoan civilization Knossos Sir Arthur Evans

Knossos

The History of Archaeology

A) Nineteenth Century
4. Discovery of Ancient Civilizations
5. South Asia (Pakistan) 1921 Sir John Marshall Indus Valley (Harappan) Civilization - Mohenjo-daro

Mohenjo-daro

The History of Archaeology

A) Nineteenth Century
4. Discovery of Ancient Civilizations
6. China Known from ancient times!

Tomb of Shihuangdi: First Emperor of China

The History of Archaeology

B) Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries
1. Construction of Regional Sequences 2. 1950- Economic & Ecological Approaches 3. 1950- Radiometric Dating Methods

- e.g. Radiocarbon (C14) dating

- e.g. Potassium-argon (K/Ar) dating

Radiocarbon Dating

The History of Archaeology

B) Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries
4. 1960 Explicitly scientific approaches

Mechanisms of Culture Change

1. Invention
2. Diffusion 3. Migration

4. Inevitable variation