The Ecological Approach to Archaeology: Are We Really Trying?

Abstract

Explicit methodological statements on the needs for and goals of an “ecological” study of man’s past first appeared in the 1950’s. Since this time it has become fashionable to operate archaeological projects with symbiotic teams from diverse disciplinary backgrounds. Although government agencies and private foundations have shown a measure of sympathy toward the support of “non-anthropologists” engaged in archaeological projects, there has been little reflection on how successful such ventures have been.