Invitation to Archaeology

by James Deetz

In this original introduction to the subject, author James Deetz explores the principles, methods, and problems of the archaeologist, whose responsibility it is to uncover, interpret, and understand man's past. All aspects of archaeology from the nuts and bolts of excavation to the exacting science of radiocarbon dating, form analysis, and space-time slope patterns are eloquently discussed in this invaluable view of the profession.

Genres: Archaeology, Nonfiction, History

150 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1967

Reviews

[Xanthe · Rating 2 out of 5]

An incredibly dry read, but some useful information that I think that I will apply to my classical studies. It's outdated for sure, with him raving about the computer in the end part. Even though obviously it's an old book and it's bound to happen, it still pisses me off that he always refers to the archaeologist as a male and assumes that a man is reading the book. It's just annoying, happy late international women's day to me I guess.

[Matt Flathers · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Artifacts are man-man objects; they are also fossilized ideas”

This brief introduction to archaeology has aged remarkably well. It covers most of the basic strategies used in excavation and archaeological analysis incredibly well— managing to be both concise and informative at the same time. There are some longer dry sections attempting to do things like apply linguistic models to archaeology, and utilize other contemporary social science tactics that have since fallen out of favor. But we can hardly hold that against the book, as Deetz self admits that his field of archaeology was in its infancy at the time of his writing. He maintains a clear distinction between his ideas and generally accepted archaeological ideas and his future section at the end predicts the rise of computer relevancy to archaeological practice. Archaeology students may find this work to be a bit outdated and simple, but for the general reader curious about archaeology this is a great place to start.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a professor of archaeology, I can honestly say a book that I was pleasantly surprised that a 50+ year old book could still succinctly communicate important concepts of archaeology. You could easily read this book in a day, and have a much deeper knowledge and understanding of archaeology. Even if there is no discussion of GIS, computer science, GPS, and other modern technology, the theory and basic methods still hold up.

For a full discussion of the book, check out my episode of "From the Archives" https://anchor.fm/anthropologyarchives

[Michael Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deetz was one of the leading professionals of the past couple of generations in the field of material history and historical archaeology (as opposed to prehistoric anthropology), and also the author of In Small Things Forgotten, which I re-read recently and which led me back to this small classic. It’s a not-long introduction to the fundamental concepts and methods of archaeological research, focusing on North America of the past few centuries but applying to any excavation site, really. Deetz leads the beginning student through the basics of how one approaches a piece of ground of historical interest, whether there’s anything to see on the surface or not. He explains the principles of stratigraphy and seriation, surveys the basic methods of relative and absolute dating, and introduces the concepts of templates and typology, horizon and tradition, and the “space-time cone.” Then he leads you into a consideration of context, function, and structure, and the various levels of behavior and how they explain the artifacts one finds. (And explains the actual, proper meaning of “artifact,” for that matter.) And all this in less than 150 not very technical pages. While there have been enormous technological advances in archaeology in the half-century since this book appeared, the principles really haven’t changed at all. This is still a very, very good “first book” for anyone with an interest in archaeology. It will get your mind pointed in the right direction.

[dead letter office · Rating 2 out of 5]

i guess i'll basically read anything when cornered.