Theory and practice in archaeology are based in part on concepts about culture and the most ideal ways to study past human behavior. For educators, this information can be valuable in presenting the perspective from which archaeologists and associated researchers work. Incorporating the following ideas into teaching strategies or resource materials will provide a basis for student comprehension of archaeological principles.
Cultural systems are the focus of anthropological study
All humans have the same basic needs, which are met in culturally distinct ways
Culture enables people to adapt to social and natural environments
Culture enables people to change these environments
Aspects of culture are interdependent
Culture changes constantly, reflecting and shaping a number of forces
Awareness of the past is a fundamental element of archaeological study
The Americas have been home to hundreds of cultures for at least 12,000 years.
Since many bygone cultures left no written records, they can only be studied by examining the physical evidence that they left behind.
These material remains such as sites, artifacts, and structures are part of a nation's cultural, or heritage, resources.
Archaeological, ethnographic, and historical resources add a unique dimension of understanding to cultural studies.
Archaeology is the scientific study of cultures, based on their material remains
Archaeology is a subdiscipline of anthropology, which is the comparative study of humankind and human behavior.
It is multidisciplinary.
It follows the scientific process.
It is a science of content and association.
It employs a range of specialized tools and methods.
It provides data that offers insights and a sense of time and depth to other disciplines.
Humans affect and are affected by cultural resources
Cultural resources provide a perspective on our own time and place, and an understanding of cultural diversity.
The past is a shared heritage that is valued by different people for different reasons including scientific, aesthetic, spiritual, social and political, commercial and economic, consumptive and non-consumptive, and intrinsic reasons.
Cultural and social trends partially define cultural resource issues. Among the contemporary issues are:
the rapidly changing nature of science and its applicability to archaeology; heightened sensitivity to better understanding cultural diversity;
sensitivity toward the treatment of human skeletal remains;
growing avocational interest in the discipline;
curation of artifacts and other related materials;
trafficking in antiquities.
Stewardship of archaeological resources saves the past for the future
Cultural resources are subject to myriad destructive forces, both human and natural.
Cultural resources can be protected and managed for a variety of uses, and many governmental agencies mandate their protection.
Wise management depends on a broad knowledge of the resources that are present and the questions that the past can help to answer.
Everyone can be involved in managing and conserving cultural resources, locally and globally, based on their values and behavior.
Individuals have an obligation to weigh the consequences and impact of their actions on the irreplaceable evidence of past cultures.
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