Some methodological aspects of the historical reconstruction in the Siberian archaeology
The ideological crisis of the 1990s lasted for two decades caused the methodological crisis in the Humanities and social Sciences. To a lesser extent it was reflected in the archaeological science. One thing is clear, that not all abandoned the principles of dialectical and historical materialism. By the second decade of the XXI century the ranks of specialists of archaeologists, historians, philologists were significantly filled up by young shots, whose humanitarian and scientific thinking was formed in the years of methodological crisis. Their methodological approach is demonstrated in the abstracts of dissertations. In most of the works it boils down to a set of methods. Is it legitimate to restrict the methodology to a set of methods and whether or not is there philosophical nihilism for this trend? The answer to this question depends on the position of the researcher to the subject of archaeological science. Not touching the reasoning and debate on the subject of archeology, it can be argued that this science has an independent and auxiliary character depending on the historical and chronological period it studies - preliterate or exploring complexes of the period of written history (antiquity, the Middle Ages, new and even modern times). In the framework of the narrow specialization a special attitude to the subject of archaeology can be formed. It should also be borne in mind that the methodological position of the researcher depends on the levels of knowledge in archaeological science, which are universally recognized. Thus, the methodological position of the researcher is mediated by the attitude to the subject of science, the objectives of the level of knowledge and, finally, the general historical and theoretical vocational training. No doubt, that when the examination of archeological complexes is conducted, as a part of which there are only things, fewer objects (housing, settlement, burial, etc.), the main objective is the analysis of their morphology, elements, properties. This analysis of the knowledge of the archaeological source is based on a complex of methods, among which there is a wide range of natural science. Respectively, when studying properties of archaeological subjects the methodology represents a complex of methods. But the explanation of objects of material culture in general, reconstruction of events contain a scientific methodological position of the researcher. The concepts "diffusion", "diffusive processes" borrowed from foreign archeology do not explain an origin of the items, as well as their distribution is not mechanically, but as a result of the conscious and selective actions of the person. Another aspect, which is a critical relationship, is paleogeographic reconstruction. In modern Western Siberian archeology it has become practically independent nature. But, in opinion of some experts, the natural-climate change is the cause of the ancient historical processes and peculiarities of the development of material culture. We have to move away from this determinism and use the experience of the East Siberian archeology, restoring the environment of the ancient populations in chronological sequence.
Keywords
методология, метод, теория, реконструкция, археологический источник, methodology, method, theory, restoration, archeological sourceAuthors
Name | Organization | |
Bobrov V.V. | Institute of Human Ecology, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Kemerovo State University | klae@kemsu.ru |
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