Evidence of What? On the Possibilities of Archaeological Interpretation Gavin Lucas
This paper discusses the limits—and possibilities—of archaeological interpretation by framing the issue in terms of how to conceptualize archaeological evidence. It argues that two dominant metaphors have been used to understand archaeological remains: the fragment and the relic, with the former dominating. I suggest we reverse this and foreground the idea of the relic, which means thinking about the archaeological record in terms of survival. Using as a case study research into an abandoned fishing village in Iceland, this paper explores what such an approach might mean for archaeological interpretation.
