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WEEK 1 - Ways of knowing the past

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CT Scan

  • X-ray used to produce 3D images 

  • Used especially in the study of fossils, mummies, and examining artefacts such
    as pottery, swords, and bronze statues

  • Positive as it is able to produce reliable recreations of artefacts and remains
    without being destructive

  • However it is an expensive process

  • This method is really interesting and hopefully in the future with technology
    improving and the price of using CT Scans reduces this will be a very common 
    practice on most sites

  • The possibilities that come with CT scans are incredibly exciting as artefacts can be sustained digitally and as seen in the British museum article digital recreations have been made of mummies thousand years old. 

  • CT Scans can also lead to the possibilities of 3D replicas - which is evident in the case of Otzi the iceman where resin replicas have been created. 

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DNA Analysis

  • Reliable in determining age, sex, lineage, genetic traits

  • Additionally can be contaminated by outside forces and materials

  • Not only can it be unreliable it is also destructive to specimen

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Excavation

  • The act of digging an archaeological site

  • Used to uncover physical evidence 

  • If not done right can possibly destroy artefacts

  • Even though now there are methods involved with how
    excavation is to be done, looking back on historical sights
    - such as troy - the treatment of artefacts and dig sites has not
    always been perfect

  • Examples of excavation site ​

    • Discovery of, initially believed to be Ramses II,
       a statue of King Psammetich I (as of 17th March) in Cairo

      • This ​was determined after finding the inscription "Nebaa," name closely associated with King Psammetich I

    • "We found the bust of the statue and the lower part of the
      head and now we removed the head and we found the crown
      and the right ear and a fragment of the right eye," Khaled al-Anani

    • After initial footage of the dig site at Cairo there was a lot of critiques of the techniques used to excavate the head of Ramses. Therefore newer techniques and methods of excavating have been put in place for the future of the dig site.

    • I personally find it really exciting to see the way that through examining artefacts closer our initial assumptions can be proven false, leading to more discoveries or questions about the object.

  • Troy as another example of critiques of excavation techniques

    • When Schliemann was excavating Troy he only had the through of discovery and treasure, rather than respect for the artefacts and dig site he was destroying.

    • Although he was highly criticised for being an amateur and going on a hunt for treasure and Troy.

    • A main criticism for his work is the disrespect he had for what he believed were "late and unimportant," digging down to where he believed Troy was located and ignoring above layers 

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Dendrochronology

  • Used for analysing atmospheric conditions through dating tree rings to an exact year

  • It is very accurate and reliable

  • It's amazing to see the value of something as simple as tree rings and what information and insight it offers archaeologists about  environmental conditions and events from history- and therefore how that contributed and impacted the society

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It is clear that not all of these methods are reliable and some of them even result in damaging artefacts and raise ethical issues of the study of human remains. It is evident that the field of archaeology has significantly improved in recent years in relation to the care and study of artefacts and remains, there are however still some critiques as seen in the example of the excavation site in Cairo. Even though not all these methods are seen as reliable, they are often incredibly useful in uncovering the past and learning more about past civilisations and peoples. Additionally with technology improving at its current rate the possibilities for the future are exciting as we learn more and more about how people lived thousands of years ago. 

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Bibliography

Archaeological methods

Link to article "British Museum uses CT scans to show mummies' faces after thousands of years"

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