tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3040099150725637733.post3817066803505030436..comments2023-11-02T08:42:23.947+00:00Comments on The Subversive Archaeologist: Touchstone Thursday: Edward Harris's Principles of Archaeological Stratigraphythesubversivearchaeologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730417511321512990noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3040099150725637733.post-67362059319616337992012-04-29T15:46:56.620+01:002012-04-29T15:46:56.620+01:00@Edward and IainS and Ord
I'm in complete agre...@Edward and IainS and Ord<br />I'm in complete agreement that (almost) every archaeological site is stratified, and that preferring to economize by precluding excavation in natural levels is tantamount to treasure hunting, I must demur with respect to many, many of the projects in California that I've worked on. Since none of you three are familiar with the circumstances, I think my next 'blurt' will be a consideration of your three comments--not meant to be controversial, but to see if I can elicit some constructive advice.thesubversivearchaeologisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02730417511321512990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3040099150725637733.post-59660054535345198262012-04-29T14:22:19.181+01:002012-04-29T14:22:19.181+01:00Rob: thanks for your post and also to the two com...Rob: thanks for your post and also to the two commentators, IainS and Ord. I would like to see some of those California sites that suggest there are billions of bugs and whatnot CHANGING the stratification. If you can dig them all archaeological sites are stratified. Anyway, the book went out of print as it was too expensive, so I bought out Academic Press and decided to put it online for free, with help of friends at the University of Vienna. It is astounding that archaeologists are still digging entire sites in arbitrary levels, as that destroys surfaces before on can record them and they are the key to compiling stratigraphic sequences.<br />We need more Subversive Archaeologists to change that unethical mindset, but of course there is almost nothing in the Ethics Standards of archaeological societies that address our responsibilities in this matter. While some may mandate that we treat indigenous persons in such and such a fashion, by arbitrary excavation, we are quietly destroyed their heritage in the ground.<br />Edward HarrisEdward Harrishttp://www.harrismatrix.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3040099150725637733.post-54962681295601799892012-04-27T19:06:15.965+01:002012-04-27T19:06:15.965+01:00Rob, I think your dismissal of the value of Harris...Rob, I think your dismissal of the value of Harris' methods for 'unstratified' sites is a bit shortsighted. It is not so much 'natural levels' (as you say) that are of interest, but 'cultural deposits'. The sequence of deposits can still be recorded and tracked, even when the natural sediment is relatively homogenous. It is not necessarily easy, but it is worthwhile.Ordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03190070298340364393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3040099150725637733.post-76484439062132984892012-04-27T08:12:51.153+01:002012-04-27T08:12:51.153+01:00Harris's work on stratigraphy represents one o...Harris's work on stratigraphy represents one of the few original advances in archaeology. Far more important than David Clarke's discovery of geography's locational analysis or the various post-processural cribbings from Derrida, Bourdieu or Focault. This is work that goes to the heart of archaeology -how we look at the ground and extract information from it. Stratigraphy is everywhere not only in excavations but in field work and in buildings. It is a disgrace that archaeologists are not better trained in the principles of Stratigraphy and that sites are treated as if they are "unstratified" .IainShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02325890799477789627noreply@blogger.com