After reading a small section of the introduction to my class textbook Classical Archaeology by Susan Alcock and Robin Osbourne, I was able to realize certain aspects of the book and to obtain a clearer definition of what classical archaeology is.
Classical archaeology as defined by the textbook is the study of the items that define our past. This does not simply imply the past of our wonderful blue marble Earth, but rather the human past; why we think the way we do, why we perceive the arts and the mind the way we do and in some cases, even earlier examples of modern tools we have. Though humans have technically existed for over 2 million years, we can say that the origins of our western ways of thinking began with the Classical Era of Greece and Rome. As a result, classical archaeology is not simply the study of items that are seen as classical but rather it is the study and the discovery of items that define an important part of human history: The Classical Period.
The textbook itself is organized in a very non-traditional way. As opposed to many textbooks that are organized in a fashion that begins with one civilization and is then sub-divided into the different categories of artifacts that exist from that civilization, Classical Archaeology speaks of both civilizations at one time (so as to compare them) under the same category of artifacts.
Some themes that will be discussed in Classical Archaeology include questions such as: What patterns of human behaviour can be established by the study of tools, artifacts, assemblages and sites? How can civic centres reflect the social lives of Greeks and Romans? What does a spread of artistic motif or style of stone used on buildings say about the interactions between communities of the Classical period? (Alcock and Osbourne, 2-3).
I believe the textbook will be a great tool to be used in understanding the aspects of classical archaeology as well as being able to make our theories and statements based on the textbook.
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