ANSO 207-01, Becoming Human: Archaeology and the Origins of Culture, Fall 2001

Abstract

To be a good archaeologist one must be a combination of a rigorous scientist, a clever detective and a sensitive humanist (rather than a "tomb raider" or a "raider of the lost ark.") The major challenge of archaeology is to piece together a story of past societies from minimal and often badly preserved material evidence in much the same way that Sherlock Holmes reconstructed past activities at the scene of a crime. However, rather than pursuing arch-villains, archaeologists are pursuing the roots of our cultural and social heritage. This is why an archaeologist is also motivated by a need to understand what it is to be human and to understand how it is we got to where we are today, culturally and socially speaking.