Evidential reasoning in archaeology / Robert Chapman and Alison Wylie.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Chapman, Robert, 1949- author.

Wylie, Alison, author.

Series:

Debates in archaeology

Classical Studies & Archaeology 2016

Debates in Archaeology

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Archaeology--Methodology.

Archaeology.

Archaeology--Fieldwork.

Material culture.

Evidence.

Reasoning.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource.

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2016.

System Details:

text file

Summary:

"How do archaeologists work with the data they identify as a record of the cultural past? How are these data collected and construed as evidence? What is the impact on archaeological practice of new techniques of data recovery and analysis, especially those imported from the sciences? To answer these questions, the authors identify close-to-the-ground principles of best practice based on an analysis of examples of evidential reasoning in archaeology that are widely regarded as successful, contested, or instructive failures. They look at how archaeologists put old evidence to work in pursuit of new interpretations, how they construct provisional foundations for inquiry as they go, and how they navigate the multidisciplinary ties that make archaeology a productive intellectual trading zone. This case-based approach is predicated on a conviction that archaeological practice is a repository of considerable methodological wisdom, embodied in tacit norms and skilled expertise--wisdom that is rarely made explicit except when contested, and is often obscured when questions about the status and reach of archaeological evidence figure in high-profile crisis debates"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction: The Paradox of Material Evidence

Archaeological Evidence in Question : Working between the Horns of a Dilemma

Archaeology Fieldwork : Scaffolding in Practice

Working with Old Evidence

External Resources : Archaeology as a Trading Zone

Conclusions: Reflexivity Made Concrete.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.

Other Format:

Print version: Chapman, Robert, 1949- author. Evidential reasoning in archaeology

ISBN:

9781472534699

1472534697

OCLC:

957554874

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.