Volume 4, Issue 3 (12-2024)
Archaelogy 2024, 4(3): 1-17 |
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Hoseinzadeh sadati J, Fazli Nesheli H. Culture-Historical Approach in Archaeology of Iran: An Unfinished Story. Archaelogy 2024; 4 (3) : 1
URL: http://archj.richt.ir/article-10-1968-en.html
URL: http://archj.richt.ir/article-10-1968-en.html
1- Assistant Professor, Department of Archaeology, Univercity of Kashan , javadhoseinzadeh@gmail.com
2- Professor, Department of Archaeology, University of Tehran
2- Professor, Department of Archaeology, University of Tehran
Abstract: (1855 Views)
One of the earliest coherent and goal-oriented approaches in global archaeology was the Culture-Historical approach, which aimed to establish chronological and spatial frameworks for past material cultures, often relying on diffusionist explanations for cultural change. Dominant in archaeological thought and practice from its inception through the mid-twentieth century, this approach significantly shaped the development of archaeology worldwide. However, with the emergence of a new generation of archaeologists—especially in North America during the 1950s—this paradigm gradually declined and was replaced by newer approaches collectively referred to as New Archaeology. In Iran, the Culture-Historical approach was adopted with a slight delay, primarily through the efforts of younger French and American archaeologists such as Roman Ghirshman and Erich Schmidt. This framework not only brought a degree of intellectual structure to Iranian archaeology but also, for the first time, provided a basis for establishing prehistoric cultural chronologies and boundaries. This paper first reviews the origins, development, and decline of the Culture-Historical approach in Europe and America, then traces its introduction, adaptation, and eventual transformation in Iranian archaeology. By critically examining its strengths and weaknesses in the Iranian context, this study seeks to familiarize readers—particularly younger archaeologists—with the intellectual history of archaeological thought in Iran and its impact on the discipline’s trajectory and progress.
Article number: 1
Keywords: Archaeology, Theoretical approaches, Culture-Historical approach, Traditional archaeology, New Archaeology
Type of Study: Original Research Article |
Subject:
Archeology and History of Art
Received: 2024/10/26 | Accepted: 2024/12/11 | Published: 2024/12/20
Received: 2024/10/26 | Accepted: 2024/12/11 | Published: 2024/12/20
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