Archaeological Method and Context: Faculty Source Packet
A faculty-reviewed reader for ASHA-203 introducing archaeological method and context through transparent methods and evidence boundaries.
Orientation
Archaeology studies human activity through material remains. An object without context may be visually impressive but historically weak.
Core concept
Provenience records where an artifact was found; provenance records ownership and collection history. Both affect reliability.
Evidence and method
Stratigraphy uses layers and relationships to establish relative sequence, but disturbance, reuse, looting, and construction complicate interpretation.
Application and limits
Excavation is destructive, so documentation, conservation, and publication are ethical obligations.
What the evidence establishes
Provenience records where an artifact was found; provenance records ownership and collection history. Both affect reliability.
What remains interpretive
The course requires students to distinguish disciplinary evidence from theological or philosophical interpretation and to state uncertainty where evidence is incomplete.
Seminar questions
- Which claim is most strongly established?
- What alternative explanation deserves consideration?
- How would stronger evidence change the conclusion?