Definition
What archaeological anthropology does
Dates first, then behaviour. Relative order vs a number of years.
- Archaeology: past cultures from material remains. Archaeological anthropology reconstructs society from that evidence.
- Remains: artefacts (made), ecofacts (seeds, bones, pollen), features (hearths, pits, walls).
- Garbology: William Rathje, Rubbish: The Archaeology of Garbage — landfills as consumption stratigraphy.
Key points
Relative and absolute dates
- Relative: stratigraphy, typology, fluorine, palaeomagnetism, a volcanic marker (Krakatoa 1883 as a teaching ash-line).
- C-14: half-life 5730 years; organic only; calibration; not for deep time.
- K–Ar: volcanic rock, very old; not for young sites.
- TL: heated quartz/feldspar (pottery, bricks, hearths); saturation and ‘must have been heated’ limits.
- ESR: microwave on enamel/carbonates. Fission-track: volcanic glass, zircon, obsidian (Neolithic Mexico obsidian teaching use).
- Molecular clocks: mutation rate as a dating chart for lineages.
| Method | Best on | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| C-14 | Bone, charcoal, seed | Range and calibration |
| K–Ar | Volcanic layers | Needs eruption |
| TL | Burnt clay, pottery | Must have been heated |
| Stratigraphy | Any layered site | Gives order, not years |
Method
Ethnoarchaeology
- Living people as a model for site formation — term associated with Jesse Fewkes; developed by Lewis Binford (Nunamiut, Navajo among teaching cases).
- J. Mark Kenoyer: Khambhat bead-makers as a window on Harappan craft, elite control, father-to-son skill, Mohenjo-daro debris.
- Onge microlith analogy is used in some notes — treat as a cautious living parallel, not a time machine.
WRAP Exams coaching notes for UPSC Anthropology optional. Pair with the official syllabus when you need every heading in order.