Margarita Díaz-Andreu

Laura Coltofean-Arizancu

This book explores the history of interdisciplinary relationships between archaeology and other branches of knowledge in Europe and elsewhere. This is a largely untold history that needs to be unpacked. This book brings to light some of the events leading towards interdisciplinary relations in archaeology from the nineteenth to the twentieth century. It encompasses ten scholarly contributions that offer a critical overview of this complex, dynamic and long-lasting transformative process. This is a pioneering project in the field of the history of archaeology, as it is the first to examine the inclusion into archaeological practice of various disciplines categorized under the umbrella of hard, natural and social sciences, as well as the humanities. The authors of this volume include internationally acknowledged scholars of the history of archaeology, such as Margarita Díaz-Andreu, Nathan Schlanger and Oscar Moro, as well as other well-established authors in the field from Italy, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Switzerland. The chapters cover a wide range of topics. Several of them deal with interdisciplinarity in archaeology on a more general level by analysing its relationship with other sciences in specific countries. Other chapters discuss the incorporation of disciplines such as palynology and zoology into archaeology, either on a wider scale or using certain countries as case studies. Some authors focus on the work of scholars as starting points for examining the intersection between antiquarianism, archaeology, the natural sciences and numismatics, while others theorize on the influence of epistemology and philosophy of science on archaeological theory and practice. Finally, the influence of the army is also discussed in the development of archaeology.

Scientific Interactions in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Archaeology

Interdisciplinarity and Archaeology

Timothy Champion

Archaeologists from many different European countries here explore the very varied relationship between nationalistic ideas and archaeological activity through the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The resurgence of nationalism was one of the most prominent features of the European political scene in the 1990s, when this book was originally published. The past provides a large supply of ideas and images to support the claims of national identity deeply rooted in remote generations. The remote past revealed by archaeology also plays a part – heroes, heroines, golden ages long disappeared, objects to admire, and sites to provoke the memory, all called on to further the cause of nationalism. Drawing on the authoritative insights of the indigenous contributors, this book examines the issues throughout modern Europe. All of the chapters share a concern to see archaeology and the study of the past as intimately related to contemporary social and political questions. The present shapes the way we think about the past but the past also provides us with evidence for thinking about the present. These issues are timeless and this comprehensive examination of a host of issues remains important for historians and those pursuing nationalistic politics.

Nationalism and Archaeology in Europe

This book examines the relationship between British and Spanish archaeology in the light of international geographies of knowledge. It looks at the practical aspects of the personal relationships established between British and Spanish prehistoric archaeologists from the 1920s to the 1970s. Part I of the book sets the scene. It provides some contextual information on the main events in the archaeology of both countries in the period under study. It also introduces Professor Luis Pericot, the archaeologist whose archive serves as the basis for much of what is discussed throughout the following chapters. In Part II of the book an analysis of the correspondence held in the Pericot Archive (the Fons Pericot in the Biblioteca de Catalunya) is undertaken. The examination of the letters exchanged between Spanish and British prehistorians in general, and in particular between Luis Pericot and about a dozen major British scholars of his time, allows the reconstruction of the nature of the relationships formed between them. The analysis has been divided into three chapters, corresponding to the three main towns where his correspondents lived for most of their academic careers: London, Cambridge and Oxford. In Part III of the book the information obtained from the correspondence is then complemented and re-examined, considering three main aspects: the production, transmission and reception of knowledge. This analysis puts together aspects discussed in Part I of the book with the data gathered from the letters in Part II, as well as other information provided by publications including translations and reviews. First of all an assessment is made as to whether the geographical context affected the way knowledge of prehistoric archaeology was produced. Secondly, the mechanisms and networks that allowed the international transmission of both ideas and practices linked to prehistoric archaeology are assessed. A third aspect looked into is the reception of knowledge, linking this with issues such as academic prestige and authority.

Margarita Díaz-Andreu

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