What do ethnarchaeolologists do?
ethnarchaeolologists are exploring the behavior of modern societies to help understand the activities of prehistoric people. They go beyond the study of artifacts that remained in archaeological places by finding the tracks of human behavior. Looking at contemporary societies, ethnarchaeologists may conclude that artifacts have served a similar purpose in the past as currently. They form a hypothesis from a material left by ancient societies using the cultural information of existing groups of people.
Traditional archaeologists identify, classify, interpret and try to date artifacts found on the site. They try to learn how people have adapted to the environment through what remained behind. Ethnarchaeolologists add human behavior to the puzzle to better understand prehistoric life. They incorporate data from museums, experiments and observation of living companies.N Northern Alaska. Archaeologist Lewis Binford tried to understand the seemingly random nature of animal bones foundin prehistoric archaeological places in the region. He began to observe Nunamiut and how they did Caribou Hunts twice a year.
The study included ways in which Eskimos adapted to the harsh environment in which they lived. This company of hunters and collectors tolerated extremely cold winters and a total darkness of more than half of each year. Binford learned that Nunami had lived in the basic camps and used smaller temporary camps during their hunt. The animals were confused in hunting camps in hunting camps and bones, often along with tools used for cutting and preparing meat.
Studies were also conducted by ethnarchaeologists who looked at the indigenous American populations and Australian natives. Some scientists believe that certain activities reflect the shared purpose of history. Have come to the conclusion that there is no way to know positively what happened in the past, but today's analysis increases ARCheological knowledge.
Ethnarchaeologists are exploring the ways people process food and use the tools necessary for survival. They hope to understand how prehistoric people developed and used improved technology to support their survival. These scientists use published and unpublished information transmitted by generations to help understand the past in exploring archaeological places using traditional methods.
Some traditional archaeologists have critical views of ethnarchaeology and call it new archeology. They argue that the theory developed by modern people does not give more than a probable analogy that could be invalid. These scientists believe that empirical evidence found in prehistoric places should be separated from modern conclusions.