Vagueness and Archaeological Interpretation
A Sensuous Approach to Archaeological Knowledge Formation through Finds Analysis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6095069 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Marko Marila (0000-0003-3783-9769, University of Helsinki, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Volume | 50 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 66-88 |
| Publication date | 2017-01-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Norwegian Archaeological Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0029-3652 • E-ISSN: 1502-7678 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00293652.2017.1325393 |
| OpenAlex | W2624726575 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 16 |
| References cited | 146 |
The rapid development of natural scientific methods coupled with the recent popularity of new materialist philosophies in archaeological theory has raised discussion about the possibility of a return to empiricism in archaeology. While empiricism as a pragmatic philosophy is in line with archaeology’s hands-on character, the recent development has left some concerned about the vanishing role of vagueness and ambiguity in archaeological interpretation. In this setting, the exactitude of natural scientific methods is seen as a process of simplification that compromises the tacit dimensions of archaeological knowledge. This article discusses vagueness as an elementary part of all archaeological knowledge formation, with a particular emphasis on the role of perception and senses in finds analysis. Archaeological finds analysis is explored as an example of epistemologically vague and creative hypothesis formation
Ambiguity · Archaeology · Empiricism · Epistemology · Fuzzy logic · Interpretation (philosophy) · Linguistics · Materialism · Natural (archaeology) · Tacit knowledge · Vagueness · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Archaeology and Rock Art Studies · History · Image Processing and 3D Reconstruction · Philosophy
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| Unique citing works | 16 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2,29 |
| Citation span | 2019 - 2025 (7) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 16 |