Abstract

D'AMORE, Leandro. To narrate practices of the past: The narrative potential of archaeological stratigraphy to represent social practices. Intersecciones antropol. [online]. 2007, n.8, pp.101-119. ISSN 1850-373X.

This paper aims to examine the importance of narration within archaeological interpretation. As such, on the basis of the study of archaeological stratigraphy it will be demonstrated how and why a narrative can be created and imagined that accounts for the development of the social, cultural and natural history of an archaeological site, focusing on social practices. Archaeological stratigraphy, particularly in Argentine archaeology is usually considered either a way to excavate sites or the description and interpretation of the depositional sequence (formation processes). But, can archaeological stratigraphy enable an interpretation of the structures and practices of social life in spaces occupied by human beings? Is the stratigraphic record representative of domestic practices? These questions lead to a rethinking of archaeological stratigraphy from the point of view of its socio-historical aspects, and to a break with suppositions which consider a stratigraphical sequence only as an excavation technique. It is argued that beyond every archaeological stratigraphic sequence there is a particular way of interpreting the past that differs from others.

Keywords : Archaeological stratigraphy; Social practices; Narrative.

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