Archaeologists often face a tricky balancing act — presenting objective data while also interpreting what it means. Without written accounts, they must bridge the gap between evidence and audience. The dilemma: say 'I know my stuff' or admit 'I don't know'?
Archaeologists face dilemma between data and interpretation
Key facts
- Archaeologists face a dichotomy between presenting objective data (what was found, dates) and producing interpretive content
- In the absence of written accounts, archaeologists must insert themselves into the conversation between data and audience
- The dilemma is between saying 'I know my stuff' versus admitting 'I don't know'
- Archaeologists cannot simply say 'I don't know' because they are expected to produce something
Sources
Interpreting Objects and Collections | CDNcpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com
... archaeology is the event of excavation or writing, not the event of the past. Consequently, the archaeologist is not so much reading the signs of the past as.
Archeological Theory - an overviewsciencedirect.com
Many, if not most, archaeologists aim to describe, understand, and even explain what remains of the past—sites, landscapes, artifacts, and other material traces ...
Ethical Considerations with Archaeology and Community ...onlineethics.org
This stimulating case study illustrates, questions about informed consent relate to the many practical and ethical choices archaeologists must make.
Full article: Is Big Digital Data Different? Towards a New ...tandfonline.com
by J Huggett · 2020 · Cited by 119 — This paper seeks to unpick the nature of digital data and its use within a Big Data environment as a prerequisite to rational and appropriate digital data ...
On the Value of Informal Communication in Archaeological ...degruyterbrill.com
by Z Batist · 2024 · Cited by 3 — Archaeological data simultaneously serve as formal documentary evidence that supports and legitimizes chains of analytical inference and as communicative media.
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