Social:Archaeogeography

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Short description: Sub-discipline of archaeology and archaeological theory dealing with landscape change

Archaeogeography (from the Greek ἀρχαίος "ancient", and γεωγραφία "earth study") is an archaeology discipline that studies the relationship between past archaeological societies and the territory they inhabited. This is a developing academic field of study and branch of archaeological theory, that deals with the dynamics of space over time and helps to explore other dimensions of geohistorical objects, such as roads, walls, boundaries, and trees. It is both a discipline focusing on road networks and land divisions and an archaeology of geohistorical knowledge.[citation needed]

Spatial archaeology and archaeogeography

Archaeogeography came from the scientific trend called landscape archaeology or spatial archaeology. This trend analyses the interaction between nature and culture. For this reason it uses techniques coming from geography, geology, etc. The spatial archaeology trend was launched by Ian Hodder in 1976. It is an archaeological trend, such as ethnoarchaeology, cognitive archaeology and other archaeological approaches. Spatial Archaeology was defined by David L. Clarke in 1977. He pointed out three analysis levels: macro, micro and semi-micro (Clarke 1977: 11-15).[1] Spatial Archaeology is also called landscape archaeology. This trend analyses the interaction between nature and culture.

Human geography uses location analysis to define models for the understanding of the territorial organisation. The archaeologists Higgs and Vita-Finzi[2] began to apply Site Catchment Analysis (SCA) in 1970s. They proposed a new approach to know how people settled in prehistoric societies. They analysed economic resources with tools taken from Human Geography, these resources were 5-10km from the archaeological sites. Some years later, in the 1970s, Spatial Archaeology was created, based on the use of several tools taken from 1960s English Human Geography that was focus on the study of location interdependence. Some archaeologists use these geographical techniques (Hodder y Orton 1976;[3] Hodder 1977,[4] 1978;[5] Clarke 1977[6]). But these techniques were only used in isolated contexts. They did not fully constitute an archaeological method and lacked a theoretical basis.

In the 1980s some archaeologists began to criticize the classical view of Site Catchment Analysis (De Carlos 1988)[7]. The reason was related to the lack of a general method to study archaeological territory. In 1989, Javier de Carlos said that archaeology was only able to apply geographical techniques without being able to use a procedure integrated in a method.[8]

Seeing and mapping complexity

Archaeology is a very map-based discipline. It uses geographic information systems and maps of sites, landscapes, regions, and countries in order to visualize artifact and feature distributions, analyse site relationships, and to demonstrate landscape variability and effects (among other uses).

As an archaeological sub-discipline, archaeogeography is also highly map-oriented. Researchers create planar maps from orthophotos, then layer on historical data.[9] This includes multiple layers of historical data on the same map, allowing them to better see the duration and durability of past and present forms within a landscape. Indeed, "[the] specificity of archeogeographic [sic] analysis thus resides in combining the various levels -- configurations, relief patterns, and archaeological traces -- within a single map, along with as much historical, geographic, and environmental data as possible".[10]

Centers of research

The discipline is taught in France and Portugal. A Masters degree in Archaeology and Environment is given by the University of Paris I. Archaeogeography is also included in University of Coimbra´s curricula of Centro de Estudos de Arqueologia, Artes e Ciências do Património.

References

  1. ↑ Clarke, David L. (1977) Spatial Archaeology. Boston, Academic Press. ISBN:0-12-175750-1
  2. ↑ Higgs, E. S. y Vita-Finzi, C. (1970) Prehistoric Economy in the Mount Carmel Area of Palestine: Site Catchment Analysis. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, xxxvi. Pp. 1-37. Cambridge Univ. Press.
  3. ↑ Hodder, I. y Orton, C. (1976) Spatial Analysis in Archaeology. Oxford, Univ. Press.
  4. ↑ Hodder, I. (1977) Spatial Studies in Archaeology. Progress in Human Geography, 1 (1). Pp. 33—65
  5. ↑ Hodder, I. (1978) The spatial organization of culture. London, Duckworth. ISBN:0-7156-1036-8
  6. ↑ Clarke, David L. (1977) Spatial Archaeology. Boston, Academic Press. ISBN:0-12-175750-1
  7. ↑ De Carlos, Javier I. (1988) [ Una aproximación territorial fenómeno megalítico: La Rioja Alavesa y Cuartango]. ISSN 0027-3414. Munibe. Suplemento, ISSN 1698-3807, Nº. 6, 1988, pags. 113-127. https://web.archive.org/web/20110428083019/http://www.euskomedia.org/PDFAnlt/munibe/1988113127.pdf
  8. ↑ De Carlos, Javier (1989) Desde la ortodoxia espacial hasta el albor del método arqueogeográfico: aplicación crítica del Site Catchment Analysis a los dólmenes de La Rioja Alavesa y el valle de Cuartango. Boletín del Seminario de Estudios de Arte y Arqueología: BSAA, Tomo 55, 1989, pags. 15-40. ISSN 0210-9573
  9. ↑ Planar mapping is based on orthophotos. These are at the heart of modern, widely used mapping systems like Google Maps and OpenStreetMap.
  10. ↑ Watteaux 2017b, 201

Sources

  • Bjørnar, Olsen; Shanks, Michael; Webmoor, Timothy and Witmore,Christopher. Archaeology: the Discipline of Things. London: University of California Press, 2012.
  • Chouquer, Gérard (dir.), Les formes du paysage, tomes 1, 2 et 3 - Études sur les parcellaires, Errance, Paris, 1996-1997.
  • Chouquer, Gérard L'étude des paysages. Essai sur leurs formes et leur histoire, Errance, Paris, 2000.
  • Chouquer, Gérard et Favory, FrançoisL'arpentage romain, Histoire des textes, Droit, Techniques, Errance, Paris, 2001.
  • Chouquer, Gérard «Crise et recomposition des objets : les enjeux de l'archéogéographie», Études Rurales, juillet-décembre 2003, n°167-168, p. 13-31.
  • Chouquer, Gérard Quels scénarios pour l'histoire du paysage ? Orientations de recherche pour l’archéogéographie, préface de Bruno Latour, Coimbra-Porto, 2007, 408 p.
  • Chouquer, Gérard Traité d'archéogéographie. La crise des récits géohistoriques, Errance, Paris, 2008, 200 p.
  • Chouquer, Gérard 2008b. Les transformations récentes de la centuriation. Une autre lecture de l'arpentage romain. Les Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales 4: 858-874.
  • Chouquer, Gérard La terre dans le monde romain : anthropologie, droit, géographie, Actes Sud, Arles, 2010, 352 p.
  • Chouquer, Gérard et Watteaux,Magali, "L’archéologie des disciplines géohistoriques", Errance, Paris, 2013.
  • de Carlos, Javier, Una aproximación territorial fenómeno megalítico: La Rioja Alavesa y Cuartango. Munibe. Suplemento, nº 6, 1988, p. 113-127.
  • de Carlos, Javier, Desde la ortodoxia espacial hasta el albor del método arqueogeográfico: aplicación crítica del Site Catchment Analysis a los dólmenes de La Rioja Alavesa y el valle de Cuartango. Boletín del Seminario de Estudios de Arte y Arqueología: BSAA, vol 55, 1989, p. 15-40.
  • de Carlos, Javier,, La Arqueogeografía. Un procedimiento para el estudio del espacio prehistórico Madrid, Universidad Complutense, 1991.
  • Études Rurales n°167-168, dossier sous dir. G. Chouquer "Objets en crise, objets recomposés", juillet-décembre 2003
  • Études Rurales n°175-176, dossier sous dir. G. Chouquer "Nouveaux chapitres d'histoire du paysage", juillet-décembre 2005.
  • Harman,German "On Behalf of Form.” In Elements of Architecture: Assembling Archaeology, Atmosphere and the Performance of Building Spaces, edited by Mikkel Bille and Tim Flohr Sørensen, 30–46. The View From Archaeology and Architecture. Routledge, 2016.
  • Lavigne, Cédric. Essai sur la planification agraire au Moyen Âge. Les paysages neufs de la Gascogne médiévale (XIIIe-XIVe siècles), Ausonius-Publications, Bordeaux, 2002.
  • Olivier, Laurent, The Dark Abyss of Time. Altamira Press, 2011.
  • Les nouvelles de l'archéologie n°125, dossier sous dir. M. Watteaux, "L'archéogéographie. Un état des lieux et de leurs dynamiques", octobre 2011.
  • Les nouvelles de l'archéologie n°115, dossier sous dir. S. Robert et N. Verdier "Du sentier à la route. Une archéologie des réseaux viaires", mars 2009.
  • Robert, Sandrine et Costa, Laurent Guide de lecture des cartes anciennes, Errance, Paris, 2008.
  • Robert, Sandrine, Sources et techniques de l'archéogéographie, Presses universitaires de Franche-Comté, Besançon, 2011.
  • Robert, Sandrine, « Une vision renouvelée de la dynamique forme-société entre archéologie et géographie », L’Espace géographique 2012/4 (Vol. 41), p. 310-323. (Available in English translation at: https://www.cairn-int.info/article-E_EG_414_0310--revisiting-the-dynamics-linking-society.htm)
  • Watteaux, Magali. “The Road Network in the Longue Durée: a Reading Key of the History of Territories.” Open Archaeology 3: 149-174, 2017 a.
  • Watteaux, Magali. “What Do the Forms of the Landscapes Tell Us?.” In Clashes of Time: the Contemporary Past as a Challenge for Archaeology, edited by Jean-Marie Blaising, Jan Driessen, Jean-Pierre Legendre, and Laurent Olivier, 195–220. Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium: UCL Presses universitaires de Louvain, 2017b.

Further reading

  • Robert Fossier (1982) Enfance de l’Europe. Aspects économiques et sociaux, 1/ L’homme et son espace. Paris, col. Nouvelle Clio.
  • Javier de Carlos (1991) La Arqueogeografía. Un procedimiento para el estudio del espacio prehistórico. Madrid, Universidad Complutense. (De Carlos, 1991) - doctoral thesis - defines the "Archaegeographic Method" as a procedure for the study of the space occupied by archaeological societies
  • Gérard Chouquer (2003) L’espace des sociétés antiques, entre projet et expérience. Études Rurales, 167-168. Objets en crise, objets recomposés. E.H.E.S.S. ISBN:2-7132-1808-X

External links




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