My ‘Archaeo’ nails: archaeologists with moustaches nail art

Why an archaeological nail art? Well, as a cultural assistant, I think there’s nothing better than learning while having fun. 

With this ‘archaeo’ nails idea, I wanted to introduce you to some real archaeologists who really did the history of this amazing discipline. Forget Indie.

Here’s what you’re going to need to recreate my ‘archaeo’ nails:

Archaeology students are very familiar with these names and faces. Why are they so important? How thair studied shape the evolution of the discipline? You’ll find more in this volume, Archaeology: Theories, Methods, and Practice, College Edition by C. Renfrew and P. Bahn, but here starting from my index finger, we get to know…

Evans (1851-1941) was an English archaeologist interested in Aegean civilisations. He’s known for his excavation in Crete and his studies concerning Cretan identity. 

His field works started in 1900 and led him to unearth Knosso palace and its precious (for us) clay tablet deposits. We own a lot to Mr Evans: he was the first to outline Minoans as a civilisation in its own right and analysed the three written systems used in the isle:
an ancient ‘hieroglyphic‘ system;
the so-called Linear A – an official writing system employed in administration and religious contexts, partially ideographic and syllabic that hasn’t been decrypted yet;
and the later Linear B – used by the Myceneans, deriving from Linear A and consisting of syllabic and phonetic signs. Finally decoded by Ventris and Chadwick in the ’50s, now we are sure it’s a written form of the archaic Greek language.

Binford (1931-2011) was an American archaeologist and anthropologist who shook and revolutionised the subject with his article ‘Archaeology as anthropology’ (1962) and later with the essay ‘New Perspectives in Archaeology‘ (1968). His school of thought is called ‘New Archaeology‘ and wants to be a totally different approach to the discipline. The ‘New Archaeologists’, instead of basing their theories upon scholars’ authority, try to explain the past by analysing cultures rather than merely describing them.

Childe (1892-1957) was an archaeologist born in Australia and academically active in the United Kingdom. His study field was Prehistory of Europe; his most important research was conducted in the Orkney Islands, at Skara Brae. 

Considered the father of palethnology, he gave prehistory importance, as a subject, never seen before. Childe’s approach is based on ‘cultures‘ and material cultures, seen as ‘organisms’ able to adapt and transform themselves. His theory was deeply influenced by Marxism; indeed, he introduced the key concepts of revolution in early human societies: the ‘Neolithic revolution‘ and the ‘Urban revolution‘.

Wheeler (1890-1976) was a British archaeologist who served as an official in the British Army during WWI and WWII. His name is tied to a massive step forward in excavation methodology: the ‘Wheeler method’. He introduced military precision in his fieldwork technique with the application of a square grid to excavate the ground accompanied by a detailed and scientific context recording. He operated in the UK at the famous Iron Age hillfort of Maiden Castle and in several Indian sites.

Sources:
Renfrew C., Bahn P., Archaeology: Theories, Methods, and Practice,  Thames & Hudson.
Giannichedda E., Archeologia teorica, Carocci editore.