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Middle-range theory has been applied in the archaeology of nomadic peoples, amongst others [1] In archaeology, middle-range theory refers to theories linking human behaviour and natural processes to physical remains in the archaeological record. It allows archaeologists to make inferences in the other direction: from archaeological finds in the ...
A middle range theory could describe any cultural system outside of its specific cultural context, for example, the archaeology of agriculture. An upper range theory can explain any cultural system, independent of any specifics and regardless of the nature of the variables [clarification needed]. At the time Binford thought the middle range ...
Archaeological theory functions as the application of philosophy of science to archaeology, and is occasionally referred to as philosophy of archaeology. There is no one singular theory of archaeology, but many, with different archaeologists believing that information should be interpreted in different ways.
Middle-range theory can refer to theories in: Middle-range theory (archaeology) , describes how people use objects and structures, and the human behaviors associated with this use Middle-range theory (sociology) , a theory with limited scope, that explains a specific set of phenomena
Dunnell (1980) claims that even though the New Archaeology program insists on incorporating a scientific method, remnants of the early 1900s notion of evolution still remained, therefore ‘evolution’ as it is used in the hard sciences, has yet to be utilized with the same rigidity in the social sciences, specifically in archaeology. [7]
Darwinian evolution, Dunnell argues, holds that evolution is a two-step process in which variability generation is separate from mechanisms that sort that variability. While advocating "scientific evolution" as the basis for anthropological theory, Dunnell argued that the use of a strictly biological model was insufficient to explain cultural ...
This gave rise to middle range theory and the major questions asked by environmental archaeology in the 20th and 21st centuries. Research has since led environmental archaeology to two major conclusions: humanity originated in Africa and agriculture originated in south-west Asia. Another important shift in thinking within the field centered ...
Until the mid-20th century and the introduction of technology, there was a general consensus that archaeology was closely related to both history and anthropology. Since then, elements of other disciplines such as physics , chemistry , biology , metallurgy , engineering , medicine , etc., have found an overlap, resulting in a need to revisit ...