Page 369 - Green - Maritime Archaeology: A Technical Handbook. 2nd ed

348 Maritime Archaeology: A Technical Handbook, Second Edition
object-oriented level, and, by extrapolation, to the deeper patterns of cul- tural systems.
Archaeological research is the process of studying all the informa- tion collected from the site and interpreting its significance. The manner of the study will be determined by the particular theoretical framework the researcher applies to these data. There are several schools of thought governing maritime archaeological research: historical particularism (see, for example, Bass, 1983) and an anthropological approach. Historical particularists are artifact orientated and are concerned with the artifacts and their functions. This approach is particularly appropriate for the archae- ology of shipwrecks, because, being a relatively new field of study, the material artifacts are often not well understood. It is important, therefore, to build up a clear understanding of the material before constructing deeper hypotheses. Bass (1983) stated that one of the most important objec- tives for maritime archaeology was simply to build up catalogs of material from wreck sites in order to create a springboard for the generation of hypotheses.
The anthropological perspective is concerned primarily with the devel- opment of hypotheses which can be used to study societies and the way they operated. This approach is mostly used once the artifact assemblages have been classified and there is a clear understanding of the material. Gould (1983a,b) published some interesting papers illustrating these approaches. More recently, with sites belonging to the post-medieval period, the use of an integrated approach has been widely used. Here, both the archaeological and historical record are combined to produce a clearer overall picture. For example, many items will not appear in the archaeo- logical record of a shipwreck; perishable items may disappear, the origin, destination, and the reason for the voyage may not be known. Conversely, the historical record may not record items onboard the ship or the way the ship was built and its type. Through the careful integration of both sources a much more informed picture emerges, giving us a deeper understanding of the significance of the site. This is not always possible, but it is clear that an integrated approach will produce a better result.
Post-excavation research will initially focus on the artifacts through their classification and identification. At this first level the objective is identifi- cation. Scientific techniques may be applied to assist in determining the type of material the object was made of and its dating. Additionally, the histor- ical record may be helpful in the identification and dating of objects where there are contemporary descriptions of similar material. At the next level, archaeological research becomes involved with the interpretation of the function of the object and its relation to the other objects on the site. For