Investigating the Past: History, Archaeology and Science

THE ROLE OF THE HISTORIAN AND THE

ARCHAEOLOGIST
Created by T. Ellam, 2011
COMPLEMENTARY DISCIPLINES
 History and Archaeology are two separate subjects
and disciplines, but they are complementary
because they go hand-in-hand in reconstructing
the past.

HISTORIAN
+
ARCHAEOLOGIST
=
Reconstructing what happened in the past
WHAT DO THEY STUDY OR DO?
 Historians use:
 Documentary evidence
 Inscriptions
 Any written sources, past and present

 Archaeologists use:
 Artefacts
 Features
 Ecofacts

 Historians focus on periods of history in which

there is written evidence, whereas archaeologists
also study prehistoric periods (without writing)
 For a piece of papyrus, both historians and archaeologists can shed
light on the past:
 Historians would focus their study on the language and the content of
the papyrus
 Archaeologists would focus on the artefact – the materials,
technology to make it, the ink used to write on the papyrus etc
WHAT IS HISTORY?
 History comes from the ancient
Greek word „historia‟ which means
„learning by inquiry‟ or „investigation‟
 The ancient Greek historian,
Herodotus is often called the „Father
of History‟ because he was the first
person (that we know of) to write
down an account of his time.
 Others debate his worth however,
and thus others have been called
the „Father of history‟ (such as
Thucydides), because Herodotus
didn‟t analyse what he wrote.
DEVELOPMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGY

 The Middle Ages

 The Bible is accepted as a
complete and true account of
the history of the world and
thus it was believed creation
occurred sometime around
5000BC
 Historians were therefore
largely Catholic monks; they
were chroniclers who used
written and oral accounts
 Cyriac of Ancona, 1391AD,
was a medieval pioneer in
terms of archaeology:
 He visited many Greek sites
 He researched at many libraries

 He created topographic records

of remains and ruins
 This was one of the first times
such comprehensive research
and recording had been
attempted! 
 Early Modern Europe
 Archaeology can be said to have started
around the 16th Century in terms of detailed
records and accounts.
 The main pioneers of this new approach were:
 JohnLeland whom King Henry VIII appointed as the
„Keeper of the King‟s Libraries‟. Leland travelled
widely, compiled inventories and recorded
information, although his work remained
unpublished.

 WilliamCamden provided the first topographical

descriptions of British monuments. His published
work „Britannia‟ encouraged private collectors and
private museums. Unfortunately, this led to
treasure hunters!!
 The Rise of the
Treasure Hunters!
 In the 18th century
there was increased
interest in history,
especially Greece
and Rome.

 A fashionable trend
at this time for
young men (writers,
poets, architects
etc) was the „Grand
Tour‟ involving
travels through
ancient sites. During
their „tours‟ they
would souvenier
items from the sites
for their private
collections
TREASURE GRABBED!
 Private persons would engage in „fieldwork‟ at
historical sites which would involve random and non-
systematic digging.
 Some famous items of the past were taken by
treasure hunters/private collectors. Because they
were taken without regards to proper excavation
and recording, many of these treasures are
„historically‟ useless for historians today because
their provenance (context) is unknown:
 That is, we don‟t always know WHERE something came
from specifically, what section or strata of the site it
was from.
 The Elgin Marbles
 These marbles refer to the sculptured frieze on the top of the
Parthenon which Lord Elgin of Britain bought from the Turkish
Government whom at the time ruled Greece.
 This frieze was cut out of the temple thus destroying its original
context.
 The Rosetta Stone
 The famous stone which was
used to decipher hieroglyphics
was originally taken by
Napoleon‟s men in the 19th
century from Egypt – but then
the British conquered Egypt
from the French and so the
British removed the Rosetta
Stone
 The Bust of Nefertiti
 The famous bust of the Egyptian
Queen Nefertiti was taken from
Egypt and now resides in the
Berlin Museum
 Problems because of Treasure Hunting
 Their fieldwork ruined archaeological sites
 Evidence at the sites were destroyed

 Provenance not recorded for items taken

 Destructive methods were used such as smashing

their way into tombs or pyramids, or using dynamite
to enter a building
 Little to no notes or records were kept, so the
original condition of sites remains unknown.
BELZONI – A FAMOUS TREASURE HUNTER
 One of the most famous treasure
hunters who made some magnificent
discoveries was Giovanni Belzoni, a
former Circus performer.
 He was employed by the British
Consul in Egypt to locate treasures.
 He was a ruthless and careless hunter
of valuables using very destructive
techniques, taking valuables and
selling them.
 Belzoni left an account of how he destroyed
one tomb:
 “When my weight bore on the mummy of an
Egyptian, it crushed like a bandbox. I sank
altogether among the broken mummies with a
crash of bones, rags and wooden cases... I could
not avoid being covered with legs, arms and heads
rolling from above”
 Belzoni did discover the famous tomb of
Pharaoh Seti I and the famous temples of Abu
Simbel.
 Egyptian mummies proved most fascinating to
private collectors in the 19th century. They
would be taken back to manors and castles
and kept in private displays.
 Sunday afternoon teas could be advertised
with the special feature of the unwrapping of a
mummy
 Folklore in late middle ages indicated that
grinding up a mummy and taking its powder
could be medicinal.
HEINRICH SCHLIEMANN, DISCOVERER OF TROY
 Schliemann was a German businessman who
dreamed of discovering Troy after reading about
the Trojan War as a child.
 While he DID find Troy (although he didn‟t realise
he had found it) his methods were questionable:
 He would hire local workers to do the digging and
stand over them with a whip and pistol
 He dug shafts straight through ancient sites,
destroying context as he went – no records were
kept
 He disregarded and threw aside valuable items
such as pottery and metal objects – because they
weren‟t gold or such
 He rolled big stone blocks out of his way – despite
these being the foundations of city walls.
 He smuggled golden treasure out of Turkey
including golden necklaces, headbands, brooches,
chains and bracelets
BIRTH OF MODERN ARCHAEOLOGY
 Sir Flinders Petrie was one
archaeologist who decided to adopt
more careful, systematic methods
of excavation – and to keep
detailed records.
 General Pitt-Rivers developed a
unique system called TYPOLOGY
which is a way of dating artefacts
according to their design and
fashion.
Pitt-Rivers also kept meticulous
records realising that archaeology
was destructive.
 OGS Crawford carried out
aerial photography during
WW1 and used this to help
identify and interpret
archaeological sites
 By the late 20th Century and
now in the 21st century,
more advanced methods
are employed by
archaeology:
 Use of electronic devices to
find sites
 Interdisciplinary approach to
history
MODERN ARCHAEOLOGY INVOLVES...
 Being interdisciplinary – drawing on
knowledge and expertise of various
sciences and professions.
Archaeologists are „scientific
investigators‟
 Not treasure hunting! Information is
the new treasure!
 Affiliations with universities and
museums to begin an expedition
 The new focus of protecting,
conserving and restoring sites
 Careful and systematic excavation
 Extensive record keeping
 Publishing all records and finds
ACTIVITES
 Distinguish between the disciplines of „history‟ and
„archaeology‟
 Why did interest in history and archaeology
stagnate in the Middle Ages?
 What was the method of the „treasure hunters‟?
Why is this frowned upon by modern
archaeologists?
 What important contribution did General Pitt
Rivers make to modern archaeology?
 Copy each of the sources over the slide and
indicate if a historian and/or archaeologist would
study it
 indicate if a historian and/or archaeologist would
study it indicate if a historian and/or archaeologist
would study each:
 The ancient Greek play „The Wasps‟
 A coin depicting Agrippina and Emperor Nero
 Statue of the pharaoh Thutmose III
 The letters of Cicero
 The Colosseum
 The graffiti on the walls of Pompeii
 The chariot of Ashurbanipal II
 Clay tablets of Linear A script from Minoan Crete
 Design a brief flow chart which shows the
development of history and archaeology over
time, from ancient times (Herodotus) to modern
archaeology