Experimental Archaeology

"Experimental Archaeology: The systematic approach used to test, evaluate and explicate method, technique, assumption, hypothesis and theories at any and all levels of archaeological research." (Ingersoll, Yellen, Macdonald, 1977)

The field of experimental archaeology can generally be divided into four categories: controlled replication of recovered artifacts or known activities; testing the validity of methodological assumptions by applying them to known data or results; "contextual"; and ethnographic data. Experimental archaeology can also be described by using these questions: What was ancient man doing? Why? How? These questions can be answered in many different ways.

The first is replication of artifacts or known activities. This process is one of the most widely used forms of experimental archaeology. The bulk of archaeological evidence deals with subsistence and technology. Most of the answers generated by experimentation deal with the negative side of the question. Not what was done, but what was not done. An experiment that is reproducible is considered to be of paramount importance. The replication of stone tools is the most attempted experiment. The scientific approach to replication of stone tools consists of many different aspects and can be done many different ways. The archaeologist must understand the techniques and processes involved. For example, John D. Speth conducted experiments in a controlled environment to help provide some insight into the different techniques used by prehistoric stoneworkers. He used a "cause" and "effect" type of study. By varying the cause (a falling steel ball) in a carefully chosen ways, he was able to determine the types and dimensions of the flakes created under each specific circumstance.

The second way is through testing the validity of methodological assumptions. One of the most publicized experiments to date concerning tests of methodological assumptions is Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki expedition. Heyerdahl's theory concerned the colonization of parts of Polynesia. He believed that people from America colonized certain areas in Polynesia. This thinking went against the popular theories of colonization from Southeast Asia. To give his theory some credibility, Heyerdahl decided to experiment. In 1526, a Spanish expedition had encountered a large balsa raft well out into the sea. The crew made a very detailed description of the craft. In 1950, Heyerdahl constructed a raft using the same basic materials and set-up. His craft made the 6900-km journey from the western coast of South America to the Tuamotu Islands. Some of the superficial features such as the cabin and masts were destroyed by the waves, but most of the cargo and all of the crew made it safely. This experiment didn't change everyone's thinking on the origin of the inhabitants of Polynesia, but it showed that it was possible

Next is contextual. This area of experimental archaeology deals with the way in which a site is formed and how it deteriorates over time. Some examples are: The Mercury Project (http://www.usc.edu/dept/raiders/), on which you can excavate a virtual site, P.A. Jewell and G.W. Dimbleby's experimental earthwork in England, which was constructed to observe the deterioration of a site, and John Chilcott and James Deetz's, which tests what techniques of excavation produce the least distortion over time in a controlled site.

Finally, is ethnoarchaeology. Ethnoarchaeology is the collection of information concerning the relationship of human behavior, its material correlates, and the physical environment. The ethnographic material collected in the present can offer a controlled situation in which a "cause" and "effect" can clearly be seen. A good example of this is a study conducted by John Yellen in the late 1960's and early 1970's. Yellen attempted to provide information on the cultural patterns of the !Kung by collecting data using the faunal remains recovered from abandoned !Kung campsites. His conclusions include a list of cultural variables that may have an effect on the patterning of faunal remains:

Yellen also included some of the natural features that could have an impact on the faunal remains:

Experimental archaeology, if done correctly, can create situations as close to the original as possible. This can help us understand the original problems of human settlement, subsistence, shelter and many different arts and crafts.

References

Experimental Archaeology, Coles, J.M 1979

From Bones to Behavior, Archaeological Investigations Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, 1996

Experimental Archeology, Ingersoll, Yellen, Macdonald, 1977

Working at Archaeology, Lewis R. Binford, 1983

Background

Lisa Becker, December 10, 1998