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An Outline for the Research of Specific Archaeological Sites

Formulated by Professor Martha Sharp Joukowsky
Center for Old World Archaeology and Art

This is a guide that students in Professor Joukowsky's classes use when completing site abstract-term papers.

Site Abstract-Term Paper

Select a site or wait for the site lottery and research it using the original excavation report(s), and write a site abstract-term paper that includes a paragraph on each section below represented with capital letters (these should provide you with a guide for the logical development of the report). This is to be a typewritten paper; the body is to be 4-9 pages in length. The "Harvard system" of in-text references is to be used, i.e., "Joukowsky (196245) states that there was ..."; footnotes are to be descriptive.

The purpose of this research is to allow you to choose a specific site of interest and explore it in depth, using original archaeological site reports as part of your analysis. Be sure you cover the earliest report on the site, the most important work on it, and the latest book or article on it. An indispensable technique in archaeology is to be able to analyze sometimes verbose and confused reports, to extract the facts and to be able to organize them succinctly. Write up the results of your research using the form below as a guide. If you have any questions call Martha Joukowsky

  1. Site name and location
    1. Name of country, nearest modern township and local name of the site
    2. Environmental description
  2. Historical background
    1. Discovery (who discovered the site and when)
  3. Excavation aims and purposes
    1. Reasons for excavation - goals of the project
    2. Statement of archaeological problems resolved through excavation
    3. Sponsoring institution(s) and name of the director(s)
  4. Excavation
    1. Dates when work was carried out
    2. Area and extent of work
    3. Methodology
    4. Specialist studies and analysis
      1. Geological
      2. Vegetal
      3. Artifact Studies
      4. Other
  5. Results
    1. What was found (synopsis of strata)
    2. Summary and synthesis of stratified cultural levels and assemblages; occupation levels and/or structures that relate to each; dates and periods of cultural levels, if possible. Mention how the dating of various levels was confirmed.
    3. Artifact range and variations
  6. Interpretation and conclusions
    1. Cultural connections with other sites (parallels with similar or dissimilar cultures). What does the site bring to our knowledge of the area?
    2. Cultural context and ideas the site represents, i.e., your subjective analysis of the remains--this is to give the site its meaning!
  7. Bibliography--An annotated bibliography is to be included; it should list the books and articles you have read with a brief comment on each, such as, "up-to-date article but terrible pictures." Thus the bibliography should include the list of works you found useful with a critical comment about each.
  8. Illustrations--The paper is to be amply illustrated with photocopies or your own original works. Don't forget to cross-reference the illustrations with the text. The sources for illustrations should be given on either the illustration itself, or in a listing. The selection of meaningful illustrations is important.