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Similarities and Differences Between Prehistoric and Historic Period Archaeology

1. In the northwest historic period archaeology is growing in importance
   1. Somewhat due to mandatory "compliance" circumstances
      1. Historic period pretty recent in the northwest
      2. Until recently more reliance on historical research than historical archaeology
2. Goals and methods similar
   1. Cultural history/descriptive and chronological
      1. Important and different from history because many things not recorded
         1. Daily/ordinary activities
         2. Ordinary people and non-dominant societies
   2. Also seek explanation/illumination of social history, development and change
   3. Use many of the same techniques as archaeologists of the prehistoric period, but also some different
      1. Different resources available
         1. Written records
            1. Accounts of people and events in books, letters, diaries, maps, newspapers, government reports
            2. Written data, census records, shipping and billing records, birth, marriage, and death records, land title records etc.
         2. Different types of artifacts
            1. Metal, glass, ceramics
               • Many industrially manufactured
               • Often distinctive traits or markings that allow identification of who made the item, when it was made, and how it was marketed (ie. where and when sold), how many manufactured, selling price

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Project Director: Anne Pyburn
Indiana University Bloomington