Ethnoarchaeology in Egypt's City of the Dead

Summary

Many of the initial approaches to understanding ancient cultures were centered on ethnographic observations. These early studies tended towards overly simplistic arguments that often either overtly or inadvertently supported social Darwinism. Recent applications of ethnoarchaeology have also been accused of falling into similar pitfalls. While the critics are right to highlight the limitations of this approach, scholars can avoid making dangerous assumptions by working alongside the societies they wish to study. Working with modern communities to interpret the past is a valuable technique that can reveal different ways of doing that may not have originally occurred to the investigator. This paper shows how the assistance and guidance of carpenters living and working in Cairo’s City of the Dead has enabled a more nuanced and realistic view of ancient woodworking practices. These modern artists have inspired hypotheses that, when tested against the material evidence, have led to a new understanding of technological processes and the position of craftspeople in ancient Egyptian society. Through this case study, the responsible application of ethnoarchaeology is explored in order to demonstrate its use as an invaluable tool for archaeological interpretation.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22214