This was our 15th meet-up of the Virtual SCRAP Reading Group–we’ve been meeting every two weeks since the spring (plus a couple breaks here and there). This week, our topic of discussion was on comparative approaches and analogical reasoning in archaeology. Our special guest was Dr. Rachel Horowitz. The short readings were chosen by Shawn, and below you will find his summary and discussion questions.

Horowitz, Rachel A. (2020) Between Rocks and the Maya: The Necessity of Comparative Approaches with Respect to Lithics, Methodologies, and Theoretical Frameworks. The SAA Archaeological Record, 20 (1): 18-21.

AND

Lamoureux-St-Hilaire, Maxime (2020) Comparative Approaches and Analogical Reasoning for Mayanists: Where to Go? The SAA Archaeological Record, 20 (1): 8-13.

Summary.
Both articles are derived from a special section of the Archaeological Record, in turn derived from a SAA Forum organized by Maxime Lamoureux-St-Hilaire. The two articles chosen work in complementarity, with Max’s article serving as a summary and framework for both the forum
and the section and Rachel Horowitz’s article as the case study—in this case, concerning lithic production and similarities/differences between sedentary societies and mobile foragers—and a common point of reference upon which we might build our conversation. Both, focus on the concept and use of analogy and cross-cultural comparison in archaeological analysis and interpretation.

Questions for Consideration, as per Max’s guidelines (p.9):

1. How might we identify relevant context-specific case studies for use in cross-cultural comparison? What contexts matter most? Technology? Economy? Ideology? Language? Socio-political structure? To what extent can we profitably extend analogies based on one point of comparison to others? Are we more likely to forward interpretations that defy testing?
2. What constitutes “appropriate space” in publications or presentations for defining the “loaded terms” we use? Is it sufficient to simply align one’s work with established bodies of literature, or should our works be essentially self-contained? What is the role/responsibility of the audience?
3. Comparison isn’t just about noting the similarities, but the differences. Does this change with scope (i.e. micro-scalar vs. macro-scalar)? How have you explicitly or implicitly referenced similarity or differences in your use of analogy?
4. Archaeology has always been a team sport. In what ways do you engage specialists in other fields or realms of archaeological knowledge in your work. What has this brought to the table (i.e. let’s raise a glass and take a moment to sing the praises of our colleagues)?
5. What is the audience’s role with respect to our choice of comparative case studies?

We are back to presenting our newly named pottery types (our project ceramicist is from the US and things went off the rails a bit around the election)!

The Hell Camp Brown type is not well represented in the ceramic assemblage at Alabama, but it is very distinct. The acidic soils have taken a toll prompting us to refer to this type as “Having a Bad Time Brown” in our initial classifications but it would have had smoothed surfaces that were likely slipped a red color in antiquity. The pottery was made using grog (crushed up pieces of pottery) and limestone temper which has only been documented (to date) in the Late to Terminal Classic Period in northern Belize. Interestingly, the grog temper in Hell Camp Brown most closely resembles pottery produced in the Belize Valley. We are not really sure where this pottery was made but (1) it was made in a way that has only been documented in northern Belize, (2) using grog temper that resembles ceramic vessels produced in the Belize Valley, and (3) has only been identified at Alabama in the Stann Creek District. Let us know your thoughts! It suggests to us that people were moving around and sharing information about pottery production much more than we previously realized.

This week, we took a break from reading and discussing and enjoyed a fun trivia night. In addition to categories on the 80s and Disney Princesses, we had two rounds that focused on Belizean trivia. See below for the questions. Answers are at the very bottom. Enjoy!

Trivia Rounds

ANSWERS