Dr. Susan C. Ryan, Executive Vice President of the Research Institute at Crow Canyon
“Artifacts,” “objects,” “material culture,” and “belongings” are terms used by archaeologists to describe anything made, used, and modified by humans. At our disciplinary core, we are concerned with interpreting the relationships between human behaviors and material culture in all times and all places with the goal of reconstructing human-object relationships to contribute to our understanding of the past. Material culture reveals insights into daily life, social structures, values, economies, religions, technological change, and so much more.
The word “artifact” has its origins in Latin, from the word “artefactum,” which is a combination of “ars” or “artis,” meaning art or skill and “facere,” meaning to make or to do. Thus, artifact means something made with skill or a product of skill. This term was adopted into the English language in the early 19th century A.D., mainly in the context of archaeology and anthropology, to describe objects created or modified by humans which hold historical and cultural significance. For centuries, artifacts have been studied through the lens of empirical observation as the fundamental feature of the scientific method, or the processes of collecting data though direct or indirect sensory experiences (what you see, hear, touch, taste, or smell).
Material culture studies have been limited to empirical observations for centuries, however, more recently, researchers have come to adopt a “materiality” approach. Rooted in anthropologist, Alfred Gell’s work on object agency and the role of material culture in social life, materiality shifts the focus from the objects themselves and emphasizes the ways in which they are actively used in social practices. Materiality has emerged as a powerful means to understand the recursive engagement that exists between physical objects and the behaviors that take place in relationship to those objects. In this sense, the Cartesian dualism of “subject” and “object” has been replaced by an interaction in which people and things mutually co-create each other. In a nutshell, materiality allows us to escape the ridged confines of counting, weighing, and sorting objects into typological categories and brings people back into the equation. Moreover, it allows us to consider how we are shaped by objects and how objects are shaped by us.
More recently, there has been an effort to replace the word “artifacts” with “belongings,” a term emphasizing the personal connection of an object to a person’s everyday life. Using “belongings” conveys respect for those who created and/or used material items and acknowledges these items were possibly cherished, had inherent meaning to their owners, and were significant to their lives as opposed to being mere historical curiosities or things for scientists to study. The term “belongings” brings a cultural sensitivity and respect for ancestors and descendant community members, particularly those from underrepresented communities.
A simple change in terminology makes a huge impact in the way we consider personal possessions as opposed to abstract, lifeless, “relics” of the past. Belongings allows us to frame material culture within the context of individuals or communal lives, highlighting the personal and complex cultural dimensions of those who came before. The next time you visit a museum or watch a documentary about archaeology, ask how a simple shift in terminology has the potential to open your mind and reveal a richer, more complex, and holistic understanding of our shared humanity.