Archaeological Science: An Introduction

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Whatever the scientific specialism in question, accuracy and precision, along
with the quantification (and articulation) of uncertainty remain of great importance
(Torrence et al. 2015: 4). The detailed and systematic reporting of data – whether it’s
radiocarbon dates (Wood 2015: 69) or stable isotope data (Szpak et al. 2017) – is
paramount. Increasingly, archaeology is moving into the era of ‘big data’ and the
future reporting and archiving of data is most likely to involve online depositories
and databanks (Britton 2017: 858). These will enable future archaeological scientists
to make the best use of legacy data and to make use of the same datasets for
disparate purposes (Torrence et al. 2015: 4). In many ways, the challenges for
archaeological science into the future are really no different than for that of all
archaeology, and we should all place the asking of valid questions, technical and
methodological rigour, accurate recording, reproducibility and meaningful interpretations of data at the forefront of our work (Torrence et al. 2015: 7).
Another priority into the future must be the continued integration of archaeological science datasets, and archaeological scientists themselves, into broader
archaeological frameworks. Without adequate integration, mainstream archaeologists can lack the understanding of specific scientific approaches (including their
caveats), and the archaeological scientist can lack understanding of the complexity
of the archaeological record of a particular place or period. Studies should embrace
the complementarity of multiple lines of enquiry, using diverse theoretical and
methodological approaches. Working with archaeologists from other subfields, and
engaging more broadly with the field itself, can help limit data overinterpretation
and promote rigour, and also ensure data are not only properly collected and
analysed but also contextualised (Marciniak and Rączkowski 2001; Pollard and Bray
2007; Torrence et al. 2015). This can of course extend beyond archaeology, as other
scientific fields might seek to make use of archaeological materials, for example, to
better understand past human and animal responses to climate change. To
adequately integrate archaeology, archaeological science and other scientific specialisms – such as ecology – cross-disciplinary methodologies and theoretical
approaches will need to be reconciled (Britton 2017: 859).
In order to achieve the goal of a truly integrated archaeological science, it is
essential that archaeology students be raised in both the social and natural sciences
in order to become future researchers who are comfortable working in both
spheres. While not necessarily aiming to produce entire cohorts of archaeological
scientists, university courses should hopefully aim to make all archaeology students
‘educated consumers’ of science (Killick and Young 1997: 523). An understanding of
the methods available and a grasp of the questions that can be (realistically) asked
introducing archaeological science 7

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