Documentation of Floor Assemblages from Aguateca, Guatemala

The Study of Domestic Groups and the Documentation of Archaeological Remains

The last few decades witnessed significant developments in household archaeology. In most traditional societies, residential structures are not only spaces for private lives but also for economic production geared toward extra-household exchange and for political interactions with extra-household individuals (Inomata 2001a, 2001b; Webster 1989; Wilk and Ashmore 1988). Large structures of society may also play out through daily practices that take place in domestic spaces (Bourdieu 1977). Thus, a study of domestic groups contributes significantly to the understanding of larger social institutions. In addition, the development of gender studies led to the notion that households and other domestic groups are not internally homogeneous entities, but they comprise conflict, negotiation, and asymmetrical power relations among individual members (Tringham 1991). For a study of these groups, then, standardized classification of artifacts are not enough. It requires a deep contextualized understanding gained through close attentions and sensitivity to details that might reflect activities and intentions of individual agents.

A necessary step in a contextualized study is the careful documentation of archaeological materials through drawing and photograph that capture subtle information. The importance and effectiveness of meticulous documentation have been shown by photographs of polychrome vessels by Justin Kerr (1989-1997), photographs and drawings of inscribed monuments by Ian Graham (1975-97), and the state-of-art imaging of the Bonampak murals by Mary Miller. The significance of documentation through graphic media is not limited to iconographic and epigraphic studies, as seen in the long lasting impacts of well illustrated excavation reports, such as the Tikal and Altun Ha reports (Pendergast 1979-82: Shook et al. 1958). In the study of domestic groups that requires attention to details and subtleties, the graphic documentation of individual artifacts is an effective and necessary strategy.

Previous Page  |  Table of Contents  |  Next Page

Return to top of page