Archaeological Thinking: How to Make Sense of the Past

by Charles E. Orser Jr. Vanderbilt University

Overview

How do archaeologists think? How do archaeologists take the scattered and fragmentary remains collected from past settlements and create meaningful, reasonable interpretations of past human history? In the second edition of Archaeological Thinking, Charles E. Orser, Jr. provides answers to these questions and more by explaining in non-technical language the most basic elements of critical thinking in archaeology.

This book explores and explains such topics as:

• the use of logic in framing arguments
• the curious issue of fact selection
• the use of analogies
• the role of archaeology in contemporary society and among present-day communities
• approaches to understanding the past
• and the dangers of deceitful archaeological thinking.

Examples taken from the world of ancient aliens, mythical sunken cities, and mysterious creatures help readers learn how to separate reality from fiction regardless of their desire to become a professional archaeologist.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538177235
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	07/18/2023
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	196
Product dimensions:	6.05(w) x 8.79(h) x 0.44(d)

About the Author

Charles E. Orser, Jr. is an anthropological archaeologist who investigates the modern world as it was created after about 1492. A retired Distinguished Professor at Illinois State University, he is now affiliated with the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University. He is the author of one hundred professional articles and several books and is the founder and editor of the International Journal of Historical Archaeology.

Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter 1. Thinking in Archaeology

A Question of Belief?

Science and History

Thinking to Some Purpose

The Process of Clear Thinking

Sources for Continued Reading

Chapter 2. A Brief History of Archaeological Thinking

The Early Years

The Middle Years

The Recent Years

Seriation

The Conjunctive Approach

Postmodern Thinking

Archaeological Thinking in the New Millennium

Sources for Continued Reading

Chapter 3. Archaeology and the Evaluation of Claims

SEARCHing

Step 1: State the Claim

Step 2: Examine the Evidence

Step 3: Consider Alternative Claims

Step 4: Rate each Claim

Plausibility

The Exeter Mystery

The On-Going Battle Between Evidence and Perspective

Sources for Continued Reading

Chapter 4. Understanding and Selecting Facts

Fact Selection

Is Fact Selection Dishonest?

Clovis Points

Glass Trade Beads

Sources for Continued Reading

Chapter 5. Archaeological Thinking and Logic

The Importance of Logical Thinking

Deduction

Induction

Abduction

Sources for Continued Reading

Chapter 6. Analogy and Archaeological Thinking

Archaeologists and Analogy

Artifact Analogies

Ethnographic Analogies

The Direct Historical Approach

More Recent Comparative Ethnographic Analogy

Evaluating Analogy Strength

What Is the Purpose of Analogy in Archaeology?

Sources for Continued Reading

Chapter 7. Thinking with Things

A Cultural Systems Approach

A Behavioral Approach

A Commodities Approach

A Semiotics Approach

A Social Activism Approach

Sources for Continued Reading

Chapter 8. Deceitful Archaeological Thinking

Great Zimbabwe and Silencing the African Past

Pseudo-archaeology in Nazi Hands

The Dangers of Deceitful Archaeological Thinking

Sources for Continued Reading

Chapter 9. Archaeological Thinking in Public

Bones of Contention

The Cheyenne Outbreak of 1879

Timbuctoo, New Jersey

Sources for Continued Reading

Chapter 10. Archaeological Thinking for the Twenty-First Century

Sources for Continued Reading

Editorial Reviews

Charles Orser’s Archaeological Thinking is the accessible antidote to false information related to the past. Orser shows how archaeologists do their work, from excavation to analysis and to forming conclusions, guiding the reader through the entire process in an engaging style that helps the discipline come alive. Archaeological Thinking is not just a must-have for courses related to introductory archaeology but for anyone looking to learn more about how we figure out what our ancestors were doing.

Jacob J. Sauer

The second edition of Orser’s Archaeological Thinking has been significantly updated and enhanced from the 2015 edition (CH, May'15, 52-4848). It retains the first edition's focus on using archaeological examples to promote critical thinking. Orser wisely continues to use examples from pseudo-historical or pseudoscientific theories and ideas that have become part of popular culture. In this second edition, he includes examples from the Ancient Aliens TV series, which prodigiously uses archaeological sites and discoveries to bolster its dubious contentions. The Netflix documentary Ancient Apocalypse (2022) gets a timely mention as one of the book’s examples of dubious scholarship, although a detailed critique would have provided a fine demonstration of critical thinking. Another useful addition is the up-to-date and concise account of the Kennewick Man controversy which pitted Native American religious beliefs against anthropologists. The second edition contains 10 chapters, of which four are new. Two chapters from the first edition have been dropped. Orser also provides an excellent discussion of the various schools of archaeological thought in the new chapter 7. Any library looking to build up its resources on critical thinking and archaeology will want to add this new edition to its collections. Recommended. Undergraduates and graduate students

Choice Reviews

This engaging book is a valuable corrective to common ideas that archaeology is about digging up facts. Instead, Orser claims that the most important archaeological tool is the mind. He provides a clear and concise guide to how archaeologists use critical thinking skills to interpret the artifacts they find and create knowledge about the human past. Useful for all those curious about ‘pseudo’ interpretations of the past as well as parsing all kinds of scientific and historical interpretations from false or misleading claims.

LouAnn Wurst

Charles Orser's Archaeological Thinking is the accessible antidote to false information related to the past. Orser shows how archaeologists do their work, from excavation to analysis and to forming conclusions, guiding the reader through the entire process in an engaging style that helps the discipline come alive. Archaeological Thinking is not just a must-have for courses related to introductory archaeology but for anyone looking to learn more about how we figure out what our ancestors were doing.

This engaging book is a valuable corrective to common ideas that archaeology is about digging up facts. Instead, Orser claims that the most important archaeological tool is the mind. He provides a clear and concise guide to how archaeologists use critical thinking skills to interpret the artifacts they find and create knowledge about the human past. Useful for all those curious about 'pseudo' interpretations of the past as well as parsing all kinds of scientific and historical interpretations from false or misleading claims.

From the Publisher

Interpretations of the past often function as social charter myths condoning terrible injustices. These are serious matters that should be addressed in a textbook that teaches the methodology of archaeological thinking. Orser’s expositions of logic and its use in archaeology are well done and start the student in this direction.

Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies

Archaeological Thinking tackles the often-ignored dimension of how archaeologists know what they know and what it means to think about archaeology and the past. In the midst of popular archaeologies that range from the ridiculous to the dangerous, Orser offers wise counsel on how to think critically, reflectively, and creatively about archaeology, material things, and heritage.

Paul R. Mullins

Critical thinking is at the core of archaeology, but it can be quite a task to convey these skills to students. Orser’s Archaeological Thinking covers the basics with well-supported arguments and by using a tone that is perfect for introductory students and lay readers alike.

Travis W. Stanton

The methods discussed in the book.. . .in addition to the use of critical thinking and logic, can aid anyone in determining whether a theory/hypothesis is plausible. By discussing these ideas in one source, Orser has provided a valuable resource to anyone who finds themselves questioning. The easy to read format, vivid examples, and humor, make Archaeological Thinking: How to Make Sense of the Past well worth the read.

Historical Archaeology

A clearly written and genuinely fun little book that will be required reading in my class on pseudoscience and the past! In a terrific counterpoint to speculative conjectures of pseudo-archaeology, Orser situates archaeology between the sciences and history and carefully explains why the demand for solid evidence makes archaeology a very conservative field when it comes to claims about the past. Rather than debunking specific outrageous claims, he focuses on the critical thinking skills archaeologists use. Readers will learn how to apply those skills, and in turn, to recognize evidentiary gaps and logical flaws of any claim about the past.

Larry J. Zimmerman

Anthropologist Orser wrote his book for students and educated readers. He describes how to think about the past like an archaeologist and is eminently successful in that effort. In the first chapter, he discusses critical thinking versus belief, the relation between science and history, and a brief history of archaeological thinking. Following chapters cover such topics as systematic approaches to critical thinking, the nature of facts and their selection, the use of logic both deductive and inductive, the various uses of analogy, the use of sources as evidence, and the use of artifacts as evidence. Throughout, Orser provides helpful examples, mostly drawn from the realm of pseudo history—the Great Pyramid as a power plant, the myth of the Mound Builders, and St. Brendan’s discovery of America, among others. The final chapter discusses the dangers of faulty archaeological thinking through the examples of the racist interpretations placed on the ruins of Great Zimbabwe and the work of Nazi archaeologists supporting Aryans as innately superior. At times, Orser seems to privilege scientific thinking over historical thinking, but overall, this book should be a model for similar titles in other disciplines and of interest to anyone teaching critical thinking. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All public and undergraduate collections.

Choice