Household and Community in the Mesoamerican Past

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What is meant by the terms “activities” and “practices” and why is their study so useful to archaeologists? Please cite at least one specific example for the course.

While people use the terms activities and practices interchangeably, the two feature a significant difference. While the term activities refer to the events and engagements, which people or human beings oblige to do or participate in their day-to-day interactions and life, practices refer to the customs or the already formed predisposition of code of behaviors, which the society or human race uphold to in their day-to-day interactions and socialization. The study of the terms is quite imperative to archeologists because they help them or rather aid in understanding the ancient ways of life as led by the then people showing how the evolutions to the status of behaviors among different communities and societies went on. A good example is the evolution of science in various communities. For instance, they declare science as having originated from the artifacts, which the ancient people invented. Through such innovations, the study of science evolved as more designs that proved sophisticated came up day-by-day, following the engagement of the people in producing more complex and creative designs.

What do you see as archaeological evidence for community practices/activities in the settings we’ve considered for this course? That is, what kinds of behaviors can we recognize, and what forms of archaeological data are materials of that behavior? Please site 3 specific examples, each from a different week.

In the setting considered under this course for instance Ancient Egypt, Pompeii, and other settings, the archeological evidence concerning the communities’ activities and practices is the way of their life’s, interactions, beliefs and customs, values, and ways of interactions among other, which the communities had with each other. First, the structures they built provide sufficient archeological evidence. Most of the structures were built in different designs compared to the current designs, which clearly illustrate some variations in the way the people of those old days lived (Berry 12).

It, therefore, provides evidence and therefore a good tool for archeologists to study and come up with the right conclusion. Another good illustration of the archeological activities is the old paintings found at Colonial Williamsburg. These paintings depicted the life of the African-American in the eighteenth century. These paintings further depicted the kind of experience the African-Americans went through for instance slavery. They also illustrated the plays and dancing that went on in these settings probably a rural setting. Therefore, through these paintings, one seems able to recognize certain behaviors for instance unity of the African-Americans who remained committed to serving one another further showing their love and support for one another revealing the direction of their lives towards a common goal. Proves of these behaviors provide some more archeological data that is documented and transmitted to the upcoming archeologists. The three examples are the early forms of worship, different landscapes, and the then slavery of the African-Americans.

What do you see as archaeological evidence for household practices/activities in the settings we’ve considered for this course? That is, what kinds of behaviors can we recognize, and what forms of archaeological data are material signatures of those actions? Please cite 3 specific examples, each from a different week.

What I see as archeological evidence for the household activities and practices in the settings given in this course stands out through the remnants of the blocks of buildings in which these people lived. There stand a number of artifacts believed to be the tools and forms of arts in the ancient period that provides a clear picture and hence the evidence of the household activities associated with the people. For instance, the paintings done by the African-Americans on the walls of their houses depict the kind of activities and practices they engaged in for instance dancing and playing. In addition, the Oyo Empire in the Nigeria photos illustrated a certain cultural heritage, which they practiced. Furthermore, the pictures of the temples and houses shown through the video depict the style of worship of the then people who acknowledged the presence of a certain being or powers, which they believed to be superior from where they sought their divine interventions.

Which topic or case did you find most thought-provoking this term, and why? You are not being graded on your choice, only on the reasons you offer in support of making that choice.

The case I have found most provoking is the community of households in the early 19^th century who occupied the enslaved landscapes at the James Madison’s Montpellier. I found this case more interesting and thrilling to study because of how it was organized and demarcated. It had three living areas or rather quarters of the slaves called the Homes quarter featuring the south quarter reserved for slaves that resided in the formal grounds of the home and the stable quarters made up of the operations of the slaves charged with the responsibilities of gardeners, craftsmen’s (Ashmore and Wilk 24). The last was the field quarter meant for field slaves. The gist behind the arrangements has been my point of interest in reading the materials. Therefore, through this information, I have been able to come up with the relationships that existed between the members of different communities and societies even in these present days.

What are the relative contributions of the archaeological record and historical documents for understanding households and communities in the settings we’ve considered in this course? Please cite at least 2 specific examples, each from a different week and between which the relative contributions have varied.

The records and documentation of these households and communities have contributed positively to the current way of life and approach to various issues pertaining to life. For instance, they have helped us in understanding our roots revealing what our ancestors used to practice. This knowledge, therefore, has enabled us to co-exist peacefully with one another knowing the importance of staying together well with our brothers and sisters. A good example to illustrate this is the African-American paintings, which illustrated how they lived as united slaves coexisting well through plays and dances. Furthermore, these documents provide us with a point of reference to how certain actions or inventions came to being by presenting to us the ancient arts showing how science revolutionized to the current time. Therefore, it provides us with benchmarks or skeletons which then assist us in coming up with a creative mind of coming up with a good idea. For instance, a good example is the ancient building and architectures in Egypt that have provided the current architecture with ideas on how to come up with better designs (Lehner 79). From such drawings of the ancient buildings, the modern architectures have borrowed from such drawings pushing them into coming up with more sophisticated others.

We’ve encountered a number of issues (ethical, practical, methodological, and/or interpretive) that face those who engage in household archaeology and archaeology of communities. What issues do you think archaeologists and others need to address most immediately?

It seems true that there have been issues concerning ethics, practice, methodology, and many others that have faced the archeologists studying household or community archaeologies. Despite these, there stand some issues, which the archeologists need to think and address immediately for them to assume a better position in their studies. One of the issues is consistency based on the big problem when it comes to keeping good records of the events as they unfold. Therefore, the information they document seems scanty and not coherent hence making it difficult for close monitoring and drawing of conclusions. It, therefore, comes in as an issue of importance that the archeologists should keep their documents and information in a good way that aids in close monitoring in order to avoid drawing the wrong conclusion by basing on the information recorded.

Furthermore, there comes also a need for archeologists to present their information in detail to avoid unnecessary gaps. This will ensure that confidence among the users of their information is maintained. Archeologists should also be able to provide the readers with the relationships that existed or what the practices and the activities the communities or the households engaged implied or rather their meaning. For instance, the language, kind of interactions, values, and even the marriage patterns of these communities indicate how much they were valued. Therefore, they need to provide a comparison of how the previous households lived with the current activities and practices that are being observed. This comparison will then be used to point out the rate of magnitude or differences that have been witnessed.

What do you see as archaeological evidence for (a) ritual and (b) economic practices/activities at K’axob and San Lorenzo?

Archeological evidence at San Lorenzo and K’axob is the remnants of bundles of dead people’s bodies. Such remnants clearly illustrate to the archeologists the kind of rituals these people engaged in and practiced in ancient times (Hare 98). When it comes to the economic activities/practices, archeologists can study the kind of terrains and soils or the food productions that were being used by the inhabitants in those areas. By clearly understanding some of the activities the people of San Lorenzo practiced, the archeologists can then identify their economic practices and activities. Therefore, it is important for archeologists to study all these practices and rituals in order to come up with the right conclusions.

Works Cited

Ashmore, Wendy, and Wilk, Richard. Household and Community in the Mesoamerican Past. In: Household and Community in the Mesoamerican Past. Mexico: University of New Mexico, 2010.

Berry, Joanne. Houses and Society. In: The Complete Pompeii. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2009.

Hare, Timothy. Between the Household and the Empire: Structural Relationships within and among Aztec Communities and Polities. In: The Archaeology of Communities: a New World Perspective. Routledge: London/New York, 2000.

Lehner, Mark. Villages and the Old Kingdom. In: Egyptian Archaeology. Wiley-Blackwell: Malden MA, 2010.

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Household and Community in the Mesoamerican Past

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