My understanding, Harding, is that much of this began with the
establishment of the National Historic Preservation Act. Architectural historians
were not as keen on being a part of the governments efforts in historic
preservation as archaeologists, despite the fact that the effects of urban
renewal during the 1960s was the biggest reason for passage of the act in the
first place. This led to a number of regulations that favored archaeology.
Add to that, ongoing political maneuvering to protect and enhance grants and
regulatory control and academic turf protection.
Balkanization is probably the best word that one could use to describe this
endless standoff. We have seldom made much headway in Utah on the subject
and many, many construction projects have been approved here with only
consideration made for architecture. This, despite the fact that
archaeological components were either visible or almost certain to exist on the sites
being studied.
Mike Polk
Sagebrush Consultants
Ogden, Utah
In a message dated 8/22/2011 3:00:32 P.M. Mountain Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
Bravo! =20
Why the two should be considered in isolation has always been a mystery to=
me and represents Balkanization at its worse. The two disciplines comple=
ment each other and add to and broaden each field's study. The more they=
are combined the fuller picture of life at any particular site we shall=
have.=20
Harding Polk II
Archaeologist
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Southwest Region
Albuquerque, NM
-----Original Message-----
From: Jake Ivey <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Mon, Aug 22, 2011 2:20 pm
Subject: Thad Van Bueren's Archaeology & Architectural History
I've been thinking about Thad's posting, and now I'm going back to it=20
because I think the problem of interaction between historians,
architectur=
al=20
historians, and archaeologists needs more comment. I'm going to throw a=20
big chunk of text in here, taken from a report I wrote a few years ago in=
=20
the 1990s, that discusses this point. It's from an architectural and=20
archaeological history I wrote of the mission at Pecos Pueblo, in New Mexi=
co.=20
=20
'The archaeological information was not only critical to our knowledge of=
the dates of use and sequences of construction of the buildings at the si=
te [of the mission of Pecos], but also added to our knowledge of the histo=
ry of the Pecos mission in areas that the historical records alone were si=
lent. This is not an intuitive conclusion =E2=80=93 it rather tends to sur=
prise most people.=20
'In 1964, Ivor Noel Hume referred to historical archaeology as the =E2=
=80=9Chandmaiden to history=E2=80=9D =E2=80=93 where =E2=80=9Chandmaiden=
=E2=80=9D meant =E2=80=9Csomething whose essential function is to serve an=
d assist...=E2=80=9D Noel Hume reviewed the reasons for doing =E2=80=9Chis=
torical site archaeology=E2=80=9D and concluded that =E2=80=9Cthe only rea=
son for archaeological interest in the historical period is to obtain, not=
relics, but information.=E2=80=9D This information was not new historical=
data, whereby archaeology would be another source of information like doc=
umentary history, but rather could be used to help =E2=80=9Cto reconstruct=
and interpret the social history=E2=80=9D of a given period. Beyond this,=
archaeology and history complemented each other, he said =E2=80=93 =E2=80=
=9Cthe two disciplines combine to give the past a new dimension.=E2=80=9D=
That is, =E2=80=9Cby accepting and using the techniques and products of=
archaeology the historian is ... able to broaden his own knowledge,=E2=80=
=9D while at the same time making =E2=80=9Chis studies more readily accept=
able to the general public=E2=80=9D by giving the historian=E2=80=99s text=
-based research a physical aspect in terms of sites, building remains, and=
the artifacts of daily life of a time or person.=20
'This concept expressed by Noel Hume in 1964 that archaeology was princi=
pally a technique that would =E2=80=9Cserve and assist=E2=80=9D the histor=
ian was a restatement of the perception of the relationship between archae=
ology and history encountered throughout most of the twentieth century in=
this history of the archaeology and architecture of Pecos. That is, the=
historical documents revealed everything important about a site, and arch=
aeology simply provided artifacts and structures from the lives of those=
who lived at the site, while at the same time preparing it for public dis=
play. The possibility that archaeology could be a separate and powerful so=
urce of historical information was simply not a part of the thinking of mo=
st of those involved in historic sites research.=20
'As we have seen, however, no documentation adequately records the histo=
ry of a place. Even in a document-rich environment like the history of the=
missions of San Antonio, Texas, or the mission system of California, a gr=
eat deal has to be inferred beyond the specifics of the documentary record=
. At San Antonio, for example, the physical record of the construction and=
changes to the missions, as revealed by an intensive examination of the=
surviving structures of the mission buildings, and the archaeological evi=
dence for structural change found in the ground, allowed an interpretation=
of the architectural history that was not possible from documents alone=
=3D=20
|