He attended virginia polytechnic institute until 1952, when he joined the military. Nunamiut ethnoarchaeology, lewis roberts binford, 1978, social science, 509 pages. Lewis binford, contributions to archaeology, future research programs binfords first fifty years lewis r. It is an exhaustive analysis of the relationshipbetween 1 the behavior involved in the harvest of two species caribou and mountain sheep by a community of 126 people and 2 the. Srnithsonian institution nunamiut ethnoarchaeology i s the report of a field study carried out by lewis binford among the nunamiut eskimos of interior northwest alaska between 1969 and 1972. Lewis binford was the most influential archaeologist of the last. Lewis binfords work among the nunamiut caribou hunters in alaska is an example of. The main caribou migrations happen in march and april, when caribou move north through anaktuvuk pass to feed on the plains.
Abstract recent attempts by ethnoarchaeologists like hodder and binford to explain past human behavior lack credibility because they fail to identify or control for a wide enough range of relevant context. Binford was the most significant archaeologist in the last century in america, and arguably in the world meltzer 2011. Ethnoarchaeology is a research technique in archaeology that uses presentday ethnographic information to inform remains of sites. Except where otherwise noted, this items licence is described as attributionnoncommercial 4. His prolific publications invigorated the role of anthropology in archaeology, and pioneered the development of processualism, scientific archaeology, middle range theory, ethnoarchaeology, huntergatherer studies, and the use of global scales of analysis in constructing conceptual frameworks for. Nunamiut ethnoarchaeology foundations of archaeology. Soon after binfords death, science asked if i would provide a retrospective of him, and i was honored to oblige. In nunamiut ethnoarchaeology, the late lewis binford documents the hunting and butchering strategies of modern arctic big game hunters and the archaeological remains generated during the course of their yearly round of activitiesproducing a unique description of a complete annual cycle of subsistence activities, viewed simultaneously from both a behavioral and archaeological. Binford, lewis r, 1979, organization and formation processes. According to archaeologist lewis binford, the nunamiut depend on meat more so than any other living huntergatherer group. Binford 2 entire spatialtemporal span of mans existence for discussion, see kroeber 1953. Archaeology has certainly made major contributions as far as explication is concerned. Binford, nunamiut ethnoarchaeology new york, 1978, p. When he died on 11 april 2011, newspapers around the world noted his passing and memorialized his accomplishments.
He firmly placed science in the practice of archaeology, revolutionized how we think. Lewis roberts binford was born on november 21, 1931, to j. Lewis binford, who has died aged 79, was the most influential archaeologist of the 20th century. Binford was a hugely significant figure in the archaeology of the 20th century. In nunamiut ethnoarchaeology the late lewis binford documents the hunting and butchering strategies of modern arctic big game hunters and the archaeological remains generated during the course of their yearly round of activitiesproducing a unique description of a complete annual cycle of subsistence activities, viewed simultaneously from both a behavioral and archaeological perspective. Wac has established a memorial book to honour the life and work of professor lewis roberts binford. Lewis roberts binford november 21, 1931 april 11, 2011 was an american archaeologist known for his influential work in archaeological theory, ethnoarchaeology and the paleolithic period. Nunamiut ethnoarchaeology will become an in dispensable reference text for faunal analysts and inspiration for the next generations of ar chaeologists who may be unable to study living huntergatherers. Nunamiut ethnoarchaeology binfords work was a radical departure from anything previously known in archaeology in general. The result was nunamiut ethnoarchaeology 1978, which details his fieldseasons in north. Applied first in the late 19th century and at its height in the 1980s and 1990s, the practice has decreased in the 21st century. We would like to encourage people who knew binford, or whose. Srnithsonian institution nunamiut ethnoarchaeology is the report of a field study carried out by lewis binford among the nunamiut eskimos of interior northwest alaska between 1969 and 1972.
A discussion of methods and applications article pdf available in man 121. In nunamiut ethnoarchaeology the late lewis binford documents the hunting and butchering strategies of modern arctic big game hunters and the archaeological remains generated during the course of their yearly round of activitiesproducing a unique description of a complete annual cycle of subsistence activities, viewed simultaneously from both a behavioral and archaeological. In nunamiut ethnoarchaeology, the late lewis binford documents the hunting and butchering strategies of modern arctic big game hunters and the archaeological remains generated during the course of their yearly round of activitiesproducing a unique description of a complete annual cycle of subsistence activities, viewed simultaneously from both a behavioral and. Lewis binfords work among the nunamiut caribou hunters in. In general, binfords work is ingenious and timely, for it could not even be duplicated now. Description of subsistence practices of nunamiut eskimo nonaboriginal material introduction to archaeology, university of california, santa cruz, 2000, social science, 190 pages. Ethnoarchaeology anthropology oxford bibliographies. Although there was plenty about binford that was controversial, i still thought it possible to claim in that retrospective that lewis binford was the most influential archaeologist of the 20th century kelly, 2011a. On 11 april 2011, lewis roberts binford died of congestive heart failure at the age of 79 in kirksville, missouri.
Ethnoarchaeological research cultural resource management crm. Butchering, sharing, and the archaeological record sciencedirect. The annual cycle of nunamiut life revolves around the annual migrations of caribou. Binford, lewis r, 1978b, nunamiut ethnoarchaeology, academic press, new york. Technical study of eskimo hunting and meat consumption. Our current knowledge of the diversity which characterizes the. He is widely considered among the most influential archaeologists of the later 20th century, and is credited with fundamentally changing the field with the introduction of processual archaeology or the. Professor lewis binford 19312011 world archaeological.