Learning Module on Archaeology

In this module, focus on learning about archaeology through the Adventures in Archaeology. Make a list of terminology and concepts that you find important. Turn to the area that focuses on the site of Slack Farms and explore how the loss of archaeological material occurs for the sake of profit and not understanding.. Examine how vandalism impacts indigenous peoples such as the Kogi of South America. Then turn to the way archaeological information can be used to not only learn about the past but also assist living people better their lives. Step back into the world of Tiwanaku in the high Andes and see a magnificent civilization that flourished before the environment changed dramatically the culture disappeared. Explore how one archaeologist could unlock the secrets of Tiwanaku and use that to help the Aymara people improve agricultural productivity.

Learn about the important terms and concepts within the discipline of Archaeology?

Exploring Archaeology

Ask yourself what can be lost as a result of what you find in this part of the exploration? Explore how the loss of information about the past is lost at the site of Slack Farms and listen to what some indigenous people feel is lost from vandalism of their ancestor's graves.

Ask yourself what can be gained if we use what we learn? Explore how the archaeological study of the prehistoric Tiwanaku Culture can be turned into information that benefits the living Aymara people of the Andes.

Reading by Jeremy Sabloff and his views of how archaeologists have tried to reconstruct their views of the Mayan collapse. Explore how Sabloff envisions what is interesting to him as an archaeologist and how bias must be controlled in an effort to properly understand the past. What is he interested in when he visits a museum? How can we be sure to reconstruct the past correctly?

CASE STUDY

Los Hornos is a prehistory town associated with the Hohokam culture of southern Arizona. Explore how a series of prehistoric houses accumulated over time and reconstruct the possible behavior that was present there.

If you are really interested in learning more about archaeology,  It is recommended that you explore   Kevin Greene's web area on archaeology. Other External Links

The Nature of Society, Economics, and Leadership

Growing Complexity Comes with Civilization

Shamans and the Central Religious Experience

Study how Anthropologists look at societies and social and political organization. Explore issues that result from increasing complexity within societies - ask yourself how this can arise?

People have lived as Hunters and Gatherers for longer than they have been farmers. Explore how these cultures were so successful. Read the article on "Wrong Assumption" and "Worst Mistake" and explore if you find part of the argument by Jared Diamond valid. Identify the things that Diamond suggests were issues that arose from farming that now lead him to think this was a bad mistake for human societies. Is there evidence to refute these or other issues you can define that would argue he is wrong.

Human societies create ways of interpreting the world and explaining the unknown. RELIGION AND CULTURE

The Worlds of the Supernatural and Living: A Reflection on Themes in Ancient Religions

Read Text

Listen to Audio

Story Telling as a Legacy of Time

Legacy of Human Civilizations

Explore the nature of the Moche Culture along the coast of South America and royal kings who engaged in bloody religious acts. Ask why a culture would sacrifice its elite? Explore how environmental fluctuations such as El Nino may have contributed to the nature of Moche religion and ultimate demise.

The Legacy of the Maya

The Mayan Kings led city-states in Central America. Explore the world of these kings. Contrast it with the kingships formed by the Moche. Examine the story of creation and how this relates to the Mayan ballgame and ritual warfare and sacrifice practiced by the Mayan elite. (More on the Maya.)

The Kogi of Columbia have survived since the time of European contact. The Kogi are highly structured as a society yet remain egalitarian to a large degree. What roles do the Mamas play in Kogi society as "rulers"? Why don't they appear to be "kings"?