Table Of ContentARCHAEOLOGICAL THEORY
THE BASICS
Archaeological Theory: The Basics is an accessible introduction to an
indispensable part of what archaeologists do. The book guides the
reader to an understanding of what theory is, how it works and the
range of theories used in archaeology.
The growth of theory and the adoption of theories drawn from
both the natural and social sciences have broadened our ability to
produce trustworthy knowledge about the past. This book helps
readers to see the value of archaeological theory and beyond what
is sometimes thought to be just the use of indigestible jargon. Key
theories and concepts are introduced to the reader. Among the main
questions discussed are the following:
• What is theory and why do we need it?
• Which major areas of theory are, and have been, used and
debated in archaeology?
• What do they tell us about themes including human society,
evolution, culture, identity and agency?
• How might archaeological theory change in the future?
This book is written mainly for readers new to archaeology and will
help them to understand archaeological theory. It assumes no prior
knowledge of archaeological theory and presents it in a selective and
clear way, with case studies showing how theory is used in practice.
Robert Chapman is Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at the
University of Reading. His research interests include the later
prehistory of Iberia, the development of inequalities in human
societies, and archaeological theory.
The Basics Series
The Basics is a highly successful series of accessible guidebooks which
provide an overview of the fundamental principles of a subject area in
a jargon-free and undaunting format.
Intended for students approaching a subject for the first time, the
books both introduce the essentials of a subject and provide an ideal
springboard for further study. With over 50 titles spanning subjects
from artificial intelligence (AI) to women’s studies, The Basics are an
ideal starting point for students seeking to understand a subject area.
Each text comes with recommendations for further study and
gradually introduces the complexities and nuances within a subject.
INFANCY
Marc H. Bornstein and Martha E. Arterberry
EDUCATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE
Cathy Rogers and Michael S. C. Thomas
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY (SECOND EDITION)
Richard Martin
PLAY DIRECTING: THE BASICS
Damon Kiely
ARCHAEOLOGICAL THEORY: THE BASICS
Robert Chapman
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ARCHAEOLOGICAL THEORY
THE BASICS
Robert Chapman
Cover image: Bronze Age rock art, Ormaig, Scotland, Andrew Cochrane &
Aaron Watson
First published 2023
by Routledge
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and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 Robert Chapman
The right of Robert Chapman to be identified as author of this work has been
asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
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Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent
to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: 978-1-138-10124-1 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-10123-4 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-65709-7 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781315657097
Typeset in Bembo Std
by codeMantra
CONTENTS
List of figures and tables vi
List of boxes vii
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi
1 What Is Theory and Why Do We Need it? 1
2 Social Relations and the Legacy of Marx 26
3 Evolutionary Thought and the Legacy of Darwin 55
4 Culture, Agency and Identity 83
5 Being in a Material World 116
6 Where Now? 148
References 160
Index 179
FIGURES AND TABLES
FIGURE
4.1 Successive ritual practices (1–6) from death to
skull reburial in the Near East Middle Pre-Pottery
Neolithic B period. A more schematic version of
Kuijt (2008: Figure 2) with the addition of a stage
of excavation. Each stage from 1 to 6 takes place
over a variable length of time. The length of time
between stage 6 and excavation in stage 7 takes
place over 12 millennia 106
TABLES
2.1 Forces and relations of production 30
3.1 N eo-evolutionary typologies 59
4.1 Some definitions of culture 88
4.2 Three waves of feminism 110
5.1 Three definitions of materiality 118
5.2 New materialisms, key authors and their disciplines 130
BOXES
1.1 Human Nature and Essentialism 3
1.2 Medieval ‘Rubbish’ Pits 5
1.3 An Archaeologist and Her Archaeology 9
1.4 Multiple Lines of Evidence: Population Movement 21
2.1 Marx and Engels’ Materialist Philosophy 31
2.2 Gordon Childe’s Marxist Archaeology 41
2.3 Prehistoric Metal Production and Social
Relations in Southeast Spain 43
2.4 Two Examples of World Systems in Europe 47
2.5 Archaeology and Ideology 49
2.6 Ludlow and Working-Class History 51
3.1 Mesolithic Ecosystems in Europe 64
3.2 Biogeography and Mediterranean Islands 66
3.3 Diet Breadth and Patch Choice Models 69
3.4 Archaeological Applications of Optimal
Foraging Theory 70
3.5 Signaling Theory and Prestige Hunting 74
3.6 Modes of Transmission and Craft Skills 77
4.1 Standpoints and Multiple Narratives 85
4.2 Individuals and Individualism 95
4.3 Agency and Individuals 99
4.4 Agency and Unintended Consequences 100
4.5 Secondary Burial and Ritual Heirlooms 105
5.1 Makers and Materials 119
5.2 Experiencing the Landscape 125
5.3 Fragmentation and Personhood 128
viii
BOXES
5.4 Symmetrical Archaeology 134
5.5 Assemblage Thought and Chaco Canyon 140
5.6 Things, Objects and Artefacts 142
5.7 Path Dependence 144
PREFACE
Anyone who has read archaeological publications will have come
across the word ‘theory’, along with its own (often polysyllabic)
vocabulary drawn from disciplines in the natural and social sciences.
The introduction of such concepts and ideas from other disci-
plines was greeted with horror and indignation by many established
archaeologists in the 1960s. Five decades later, theory is recognised
as being as essential as practice for an education in, and understand-
ing of, archaeology. But there is still a suspicion that basic ideas are
being hidden behind a wall of jargon. For example (and I am not
picking on the writer), take the claim that Neolithic burial cairns on
Orkney ‘provided externalized ontological security within a fluid
and transient regime of dwelling’.
This book is intended for anyone interested in archaeology as
a hobby or career, or beginning to study archaeology on a degree
course, or perhaps already participating in field archaeology but still
more than a little baffled by theory. I hope to persuade the reader
that theory is embedded in the ‘doing’ of archaeology, essential to
our understandings of the past, as well as being intellectually stimu-
lating. It does not have to be confusing: once defined and set into
context, initially daunting ideas and concepts become more familiar.
I try to define key concepts, introduce the main theories and schools
of thought and show the diversity of theoretical approaches, as well
as their strengths and weaknesses. Selective coverage is unavoid-
able given the sheer volume of the literature on theory and the
word limit of this book. Theories also vary in popularity at any one
time, but it is important that we understand their nature and history
