Operationalizing Semiotic Theory as an Archaeological Research Method: A Levantine Case Study

Summary

Archaeology has long flirted with Peircean semiotics as an heuristic for interpreting prehistoric behaviors and the cognitive processes that support them. Yet beyond the widespread adoption of Peircean terminology (icon, index, symbol), the discipline has been unable to operationalize the approach as a viable research method. This paper introduces Peircean Semiotics as a means of re-classifying non-utilitarian artifacts in terms of their target audiences and concomitant social consequences. Preliminary results from an analysis of Levantine deposits dating from 200ky to the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary reveal different symboling behaviors across the region and with implications for the evolution of ‘modern’ human cognition. As a case study, this research highlights the potential for identifying the shared cognitive substrate and social implications of seemingly diverse artifact types and for articulating multiple theoretical perspectives for more holistic analyses in a range of research contexts.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

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