Critically Reading the Theory and Methods of Archaeology

Gibbon is a professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota. He is the author of a number of books, including Anthropological Archaeology, Explanation in Archaeology, and The Sioux.

Gibbon’s main goal with this book is clearly indicated by his title: he wants readers to think critically when reading archaeological texts. He suggests that his book is appropriate for undergraduates, graduate students, nonprofessionals, and also professional archaeologists. He further suggests that students engaged in thesis writing and also professional archaeologists might find the book useful in helping them write more clearly and coherently. I think Gibbon succeeds with these goals, and I agree that both students and professionals will benefit from reading his book. . . .Gibbon’s writing is refreshingly clear: he practices what he preaches! I think undergraduates will find his writing accessible, and will also appreciate the brevity of the chapters, as I did. . . .Gibbon offers an up-to-date, concise, and readable summary of archaeological theory, informal logic, statistics, and philosophy of science. Undergraduates, graduates, and professionals alike might find that this book will not only make them more critical readers of archaeology, but also better writers of archaeology. That is, Gibbon’s book has the potential to make us better archaeologists.

• ContentsIntroductionPart One: Foundations1. What Kind of Archaeology Is It?2.What Kind of Investigation Is It?3. What Are the Issue and the Claim?4.What Is the Argument?5. What Are the Assumptions?6. Is the Writing Clear?7. Are (Deceptive) Rhetorical Devices Used?8. Is There a Fallacy in the Reasoning?9. Are There Skeptical Postmodern Themes in the Argument?Part Two: From Observations to Population Estimates10. Are Facts Clearly Distinguished from Opinions and Other Claims?11. How Are the Observations Summarized?12. Is There an Inductive Argument?13. Is There a Population Estimate from a Sample?Part Three: Interpreting the Archaeological Record14. Is There a Theory in My Reading?15. Which Research Program Is My Reading an Example Of?16. Is an Explanation Offered? 17. Is There a Causal Argument? Part Four: Evaluating Interpretations of the Archaeological Record18. Are Deductively Valid Conclusions Drawn? 19. Are Concepts Given Archaeological Interpretations?20. Are the Conclusions Reasonable?Coda: Is Critical Reading Worth the Effort?NotesBibliographyIndex About the Author