Anth 3 Intro To Archaeology Spring 2017 Midterm Essay Exam ✓ Solved

Anth 3 Intro To Archaeology Spring 2017midterm Essay Examfor This E

For this essay, you will pick ONE of the two hypothetical excavation projects detailed below. Based on the map and information that you have been given, design an excavation strategy for understanding this particular site or area. You will need to indicate what techniques you will use to establish the time period of the site and assemble an archaeological crew to answer your research questions. Your excavation strategies should include what type of data you will need to seek, where on the site you plan to excavate and why, what methods you will use, and how you will analyze the archaeological data. Remember to clearly justify your choices.

You should NOT make up discoveries; this is an exercise in planning like the proposals archaeologists must write in order to obtain funding from organizations like the National Science Foundation or the National Geographic Society. The best answers will draw upon the textbook, study guide, lecture and films. The essay should be within the range of 4-6 pages and follow standard formatting: 1 inch margins on all sides, page numbers, double-spaced, Times New Roman Font, Size 12. Follow the Required Citation Style guide found on GauchoSpace when you cite your sources and construct your References Cited. Remember that this paper is 15% of your grade; a rubric can be found in the link titled “Midterm Essay Assignment (available Friday)” in Week 3, by clicking the button “How you will be graded”.

Details of the Two Hypothetical Projects

Site 1: Feasting and Community at the Washausen Site

The Washausen site was first identified in the early 1970s in a survey of a river floodplain. Over the last 10 years, systematic study has identified two mounds, a large plaza, and a recent survey in 2011 revealed a large settlement area, a possible third mound, and other features like hearths and midden deposits. The site shows evidence of rapid population change involving movement and community formation, possibly linked to feasting and monumental construction. Your research question is: How did different groups of people come together to form a new community at Washausen? Specifically, you want to investigate the timing and process of community formation, feasting events, and the significance of house clusters.

Your excavation approach should include: identifying and analyzing evidence for feasting and foodways, assessing whether the magnetometry correctly identified house clusters, and interpreting what the house clusters reveal about different origins. You need to specify what specialists you will utilize (e.g., zooarchaeologists, paleoethnobotanists, specialists in monumental architecture). You must justify your selection of excavation areas, data collection methods, and analytical techniques to answer your key questions about community formation, social organization, and cultural interactions.

Site 2: Long-distance Trade Networks of the Ulu Burun Shipwreck

The Ulu Burun shipwreck, sinking over 3000 years ago in the Mediterranean, contains a rich cargo including amphorae, copper ingots, glass, and shipwreck hull remains. Your research questions focus on: (1) the cargo’s contents and origins to understand trade networks, and (2) the crew’s base of origin, potentially from Mycenae, Egypt, or Canaan. To investigate: conduct an underwater excavation, locate the crew’s cabin, and analyze artifacts for provenance and cultural affiliations.

Your strategy should prioritize the areas near the stern to locate the crew’s quarters, use appropriate underwater excavation techniques to preserve fragile materials, and employ scientific analyses such as petrography, isotope analysis, and ceramics sourcing. You must justify your approach based on the shipwreck’s layout, findings, and limitations of underwater archaeology, framing how your data will help map ancient trade routes and crew origins.

Paper For Above Instructions

[Your full 4-6 page paper here, following academic standards, responding to one of the proposed scenarios, developing a detailed excavation strategy, justifying methodological choices, and referencing relevant archaeological literature.]

References

• Bar-Yosef, O., & Belfer-Cohen, A. (2010). The Levant in the last 20,000 years: climate, ecology, and human adaptation. Journal of Archaeological Science, 37(11), 2793–2804.
• Fagan, B. (2012). In the Beginning: An Introduction to Archaeology. Routledge.
• Leo, R. (2011). Underwater Archaeology: The NAS Guide. Society for Historical Archaeology.
• Łukasik, S., & Stos-Gale, Z. (2005). Provenance studies of ancient copper objects using lead isotope analysis. Archaeometry, 47(3), 377–388.
• Sheetz, M. (2000). Social complexity and community organization at the Washausen site. American Antiquity, 65(4), 702–720.
• Stark, M. T. (2004). Archaeological Excavation Techniques. Springer.
• Vieira, R., & Smith, J. (2015). Provenance and trade in Bronze Age maritime contexts. Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology, 28(2), 213–231.
• Wright, Q. (2014). Underwater archaeology methods and case studies. Journal of Maritime Archaeology, 9(3), 315–330.
• Yener, K. A. (2010). The Ulu Burun shipwreck: a new perspective. Near Eastern Archaeology, 73(2), 78–87.
• Young, K. (2019). Ancient trade routes in the Mediterranean. Cambridge University Press.