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There is no one singular theory of archaeology, but many, with different archaeologists believing that information should be interpreted in different ways. Throughout the history of the discipline, various trends of support for certain archaeological theories have emerged, peaked, and in some cases died out. Different archaeological theories ...
Archaeological theory covers the debates over the practice of archaeology and the interpretation of archaeological results. There is no single theory of archaeology ...
A branch of research in archaeological ontology is known as typology which attempts to sort objects into classes based on physical characteristics. The existence and nature of time is also of concern in archaeological ontology. For example, what effect does periodisation, e.g. the three age model, have on archaeological theory and practice. [11]
The post-processualists' approach to archaeology is diametrically opposed to that of the processualists. The processualists, as positivists, believed that the scientific method should and could apply to archaeological investigation, therefore allowing archaeologists to present objective statements about past societies based upon the evidence.
This would mean that humans were occupying North America during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) – a theory that had previously been dismissed. [25] Though it is not currently the widely-accepted theory, these archaeological sites support alternative theories of early human migration such as a coastal migration route or the Solutrean hypothesis.
Hapgood's hypothesis states that one specific civilization is responsible for similar cultural practices in all other civilizations. Smith says that religions are proof of hyperdiffusionism, as similar worship ceremonies and symbols recur in geographically separated societies.
Migrationism explains cultural change in terms of human migration, while diffusionism relies on explanations based on trans-cultural diffusion of ideas rather than populations (pots, not people [1]). Western archaeology the first half of the 20th century relied on the assumption of migration and invasion as driving cultural change.
Living history and historical reenactment, which are generally undertaken as hobbies, are non-archaeological counterparts of this academic discipline. One of the main forms of experimental archaeology is the creation of copies of historical structures using only historically accurate technologies.