Conjunctive archaeology
Encyclopedia
Conjunctive archaeology is a method of studying of the past developed by Walter Taylor in the 1940s that combined elements of both the traditional archaeology
and the allied field of anthropology
. It is exemplified by Taylor's A Study of Archeology (1948, American Anthropological Association, Memoir 69).
Taylor saw archaeology as an integrated discipline, combining the study of diet
, settlement patterns, tools and other elements to provide a holistic
view of the past. This approach, along with Taylor's open and specific criticism of leading archaeologists of his day, caused dismay amongst many archaeologists at the time, but Taylor's approach is now a standard practice in the discipline.
Taylor was one of the first to criticize the descriptive, historical approaches to archaeology that dominated the discipline. According to Patty Jo Watson, Taylor's purpose "was not to generate ill will but rather to stimulate examination ... of aims, goals and purposes by American archaeologists" (1983, Foreword to the 1983 edition of A Study of Archeology. Center for Archaeological Investigations, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale).
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
and the allied field of anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
. It is exemplified by Taylor's A Study of Archeology (1948, American Anthropological Association, Memoir 69).
Taylor saw archaeology as an integrated discipline, combining the study of diet
Diet (nutrition)
In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat. With the word diet, it is often implied the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management...
, settlement patterns, tools and other elements to provide a holistic
Holism
Holism is the idea that all the properties of a given system cannot be determined or explained by its component parts alone...
view of the past. This approach, along with Taylor's open and specific criticism of leading archaeologists of his day, caused dismay amongst many archaeologists at the time, but Taylor's approach is now a standard practice in the discipline.
Taylor was one of the first to criticize the descriptive, historical approaches to archaeology that dominated the discipline. According to Patty Jo Watson, Taylor's purpose "was not to generate ill will but rather to stimulate examination ... of aims, goals and purposes by American archaeologists" (1983, Foreword to the 1983 edition of A Study of Archeology. Center for Archaeological Investigations, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale).