hey there
i had to do this question last year for an assignment, if its any help i got 24.5 out of 25 for it. i dont know how to post things properly so here it is:
By reference to specific examples, assess the contribution of science to the investigation, understanding and preservation of the ancient past.
Science plays a vital role in helping historians unravel and preserve the past. It assists in many ways, from the investigation and dating of artefacts and bodies, to locating sites, to uncovering fakes and proving the authenticity of artefacts and documents. It also helps us to understand how people lived and died and why they were so well preserved, using technology such as x-ray and DNA testing to help us understand what people worked as, ate and died of. Science has also lessened the need for destroying a site to discover the treasures that lie beneath the soil, by using technology to carry out selective excavation, hence preserving the ancient past. Historian Paul Craddock believes that “from the beginning of the serious academic study of antiquities… science has had a part to play (ed. Bowman, 1991, p.11). Without science, our role in deciphering the past would be far more difficult and far less effective.
One of the most important contributions of science to the investigation, interpretation and preservation of the past has been the development and application of dating techniques such as Carbon-14 dating, stratigraphy, dendrochronology, archaeomagnetic dating and thermoluminescence. Thermoluminescence is especially important in dating as it dates pottery; perhaps the most abundant form of artefact found anywhere. Because of this dating technique, it is very easy to identify eras and helps with dating layers of occupation in stratigraphy, which in turn gives much insight as to the level and state of technology and sophistication of societies. Dendrochronology has been especially helpful in maritime archaeology to help date shipwrecks by the wood used to build them. These dating methods have helped to revolutionise history’s understanding of the ancient past as well as being vital to determining the authenticity of finds and uncovering clever fakes.
Carbon-14 dating has been especially useful in dating artefacts and perhaps even more importantly, uncovering fakes. Piltdown man, briefly considered to be the link proving the theory of evolution, was exposed as a fake after the bones used to make up the skull were dated using Carbon-14 dating. After testing, the variety of bones used in the skull were dated at between five hundred and six hundred and twenty years old, whereas some of the teeth in the jaw were discovered to be genuine fossils. This discovery was momentous as it uncovered one of the greatest archaeological hoaxes of all time and in the process rewrote the history books, overturning a long-held belief in the authenticity of the find. This then warranted a closer investigation of other fossils previously dismissed as fakes as they conflicted with the evidence of Piltdown man. This is just one example of how science has contributed so significantly to the understanding of the past, as without the identification of Piltdown Man as a fake, people would still believe that he was the missing link in the evolutionary chain and would not have a proper understanding of the past.
Advances in the field of medicine have also been instrumental to the uncovering of fakes in more recent years as in the case of the Persian mummy, which would quite possibly have been the archaeological and historical find of the century, but was uncovered as a fake by a combination of Carbon-14 dating, CT scans and advanced forensic pathology. CT scans enabled archaeologists to see underneath her wrapping and discover the truth about her; the “Persian Princess” was, in reality, faked quite recently. It was originally thought that Egyptian embalmers had mummified her, but this theory was proved false as it was found that the incisions made to remove her organs were in the wrong places. She had died as the result of a blow to the spine, which was discovered during x-rays, and the case then turned into a murder inquiry. With out the help of Science, this illegal and murderous trail would have continued and claimed further victims. Other important mummies to benefit from the advances in medical technology have been numerous Egyptian mummies, such as Tutankhamun, whose success in DNA testing were “considered a scientific breakthrough” (Chamberlain and Pearson, 2001, p.115), and lead the way for DNA testing in other ancient mummies.
Advances in medicine and genetics have also led to the use of DNA testing in archaeology and historical investigations to gain insight into the diets and lives and lives of people in the ancient past. The advances in DNA technology, also called molecular archaeology, have enabled historians to discover the species, bloodlines and gender of ancient remains, whether human or animal. This is more important than it might be supposed, as it enables archaeologists to not only identify ancient biological remains, but also recover traces of food from ancient pottery, thus enabling them to determine what the people of the time ate. This also preserves artefacts and bodies with an absolute minimum of damage and needs only very small samples to be analysed. The best examples of this are the Tyrolean Ice Man and the Egyptian mummies, as very cold or very arid climates are best for preserving DNA. Through an analysis of his clothing, stomach contents, tools, and weapons, it was discovered that the Tyrolean Ice Man, nicknamed Otzi, had been a very skilled hunter. Through DNA testing, scientists were able to discover where he was from as well as what some of his tools were used for, and what food he consumed before he died. This has helped to prove “that high mountain ranges were visited in prehistoric times” (Chamberlain & Pearson, 2001, p. 129). Without DNA testing, very little of this analysis would have been possible and it is because of this, that we have a more extensive understanding of his civilisation and culture.
Science has developed Infra Red, microwave, magnetic vision and radar, which are all instrumental to discovering sites and determining where to excavate. Previously, archaeologists had to rely purely on walkover techniques to identify possible sites and consequently were unable to identify many places of interest. Science has also helped develop and adapt satellite imaging and geophysical imaging to further aid in the location of sites. This enables archaeologists to “move away from the complete excavation of sites towards a more selective approach” (What Lies Beneath, 2003, p. 75). This means that it instead of excavating huge areas of land, archaeologists can preserve sites for future generations who are likely to have far more advanced technology. This is called the conservation method of archaeology and is vitally important, as it preserves the past for our successors and enables us to have the best understanding of the past that is possible at this point in time. It also gives us a comprehensive understanding of the past with an absolute minimum of time, effort, money and destruction.
Science has also helped us excavate and find a range of sites that would have otherwise been inaccessible such as in maritime archaeology. Developments in the range and sophistication of underwater technology have given us a far greater knowledge and access to previously inaccessible sites, through submarine and preservation technologies. Science has developed many ways of preserving waterlogged and damaged artefacts, especially the wood of sunken ships. This is done through lyophilization, which freezes the water then converts it straight to vapour, thus bypassing the harmful evaporation, which can cause further damage to the artefacts. Electrolysis, developed by science for separating solutions, has been used to clean the surfaces of metals without harming them, such as bronze statues from the shipwrecks at Pointe Lequin. An important marine archaeological site is the wreck of the HMS Pandora, described by Frank Sturgess as “an absolute jewel of a shipwreck, a freeze-frame of the age of Pacific exploration and eighteenth-century naval life” (Sturgess, 1998, p.1). When combined with written accounts, this has given us an excellent understanding of naval life at the time. The whole ship was mapped out and located by using sonar technology, yet another tribute to the importance of science in preserving and understanding the past.
Some other important contributions science has had to the conservation and preservation of artefacts have been through the reversal of poor restoration techniques and the removal of artefacts so that they can be properly preserved in a controlled environment. This has happened in Athens at the Acropolis, as the remaining Caryatid statues were removed from their temples and replaced with replicas, so that the real statues could be protected from the acid rain that was gradually wearing them away and steadily destroying them. Science has also helped in locating the origin and purpose for many artefacts through its help in the analysis of organic remains, such as grasses, seeds, bacteria and diseases. This is evident in artefacts such as Otzi the Ice Man’s knife, which is now referred to as an early predecessor of the Swiss army knife due to its multiple uses, from cutting food, to sharpening weapons and many other uses.
Science is critical in helping us in the investigation, understanding and preservation of the ancient past and this role has increased over the years due to advances in techniques and technology. Without Science’s task in the dating, DNA analysis, site locating techniques, underwater technology, preservation methods and various other roles in the investigation of history, our understanding of the past would be far less comprehensive. Devoid of science, we would have a far smaller capacity to restore and preserve ancient sites, monuments and artefacts for future generations who may be able to glean even further information from these objects than has already been done. Although archaeological evidence taken by itself can give only limited insight into ancient civilisations, when taken with written evidence it provides a valuable source of verification and information. Science is by all accounts, indispensable to the investigation, understanding and preservation of the ancient past.
