In this blog post, we will examine how archaeological research reconstructs human lives through artifacts from the past, using various theories and examples.
The artifacts unearthed by archaeologists contain only fragmentary information about the lives of people in the past. Archaeology utilizes theories from various fields to reconstruct the lives of people in the past based on this data. Archaeological research is essential for understanding human evolution and cultural development, and it also serves as a means of finding connections with modern society. For example, evolutionary archaeology focuses on the theory of evolution, which views human life as a selection process for better adaptation to the natural environment, to explain the past.
Let’s look at a specific example of evolutionary theory applied to the study of changes in pottery. This study examined the thickness of cooking pottery excavated from a single region over a period of about 1,000 years, from the 1st century CE, and the starch content of grains used in the food materials found carbonized inside the pottery. The results revealed that as time progressed, the pottery became significantly thinner and the starch content of the grains increased. Evolutionary archaeology explains this thinning of pottery thickness as an adaptation to external environmental changes, specifically the emergence of seeds with higher starch content. This explanation is based on the fact that thinner pottery is functionally superior because it conducts heat more efficiently, and that seeds with higher starch content become significantly more valuable as food when boiled at high temperatures for extended periods. In other words, as the natural environment changed, seeds with thicker shells and higher starch content became more abundant, increasing seed harvests. These seeds required prolonged heating, leading to the use of pottery with faster heat conduction.
Additionally, archaeological research focuses not only on the physical characteristics of artifacts but also on understanding the social context in which they were used. For example, the widespread use of a particular type of pottery during a specific period may not be solely due to functional reasons but could also be closely related to social and cultural changes at the time. Archaeologists strive to comprehensively understand the functional and social meanings of artifacts through this perspective.
However, more precise dating later revealed that the pottery thickness did not change gradually but underwent a sudden change around the 4th century, with little change thereafter. Additionally, it was discovered that foods with high starch content became widespread only after the 5th century. This finding weakened the natural selection explanation for the pottery thickness changes.
On the other hand, to understand the significance of using thin pottery, it is important not only to identify the causes of the changes in pottery thickness but also to consider why the thinner pottery was used for an extended period. For example, if high-starch grains were used as infant food, this could have helped increase birth rates by shortening the breastfeeding period for women. From this perspective, it is possible to offer an ecological explanation based on the theory that the prolonged use of thin pottery was not a choice to adapt to the natural environment, but rather an active human choice to make baby food. While ecological explanations are rooted in evolutionary theory, they place greater emphasis on the selection process driven by human rational thinking.
Unlike evolutionary archaeology, which emphasizes the functional aspects of artifacts, this perspective considers the context in which individual artifacts were used to be more important. It seeks to explain the meaning of artifacts through sociocultural factors such as the social status of the people who used them and changes in their preferences. From this perspective, the sudden thinning of pottery in the 4th century is explained as follows: It was due to active exchanges between groups, which led to the introduction of new pottery that people came to prefer. Such sociocultural interpretations broaden the scope of archaeological research and provide important clues for understanding the social and cultural trends of the time, rather than being limited to the functional aspects of artifacts.
In archaeology, artifact data is rapidly accumulated through excavations, and with the development of related sciences, new measurement methods are developed, leading to diverse interpretations. Therefore, rather than clinging to a specific theory, an open-minded approach that actively utilizes new data and methods to explore various interpretations is necessary. Archaeological research is a continuously evolving field, and through it, we can better understand the past and gain insights for the present and future.
