COLLECTION AREA

HISTORY

Structurally, archaeology at Dartmouth is a field of study in the Anthropology and Classics Departments and its history is directly connected to the history of these 2 departments at the College. Anthropology at Dartmouth, while not a separate department from that of Sociology until 1967, could be said to have started in 1783 with the origin of ethnographic collections and the subsequent College Museum at Dartmouth, one of the oldest anthropological museums in the country. The department of Sociology was founded in 1893 and 16 years later, in 1909, the first instructor in archaeology was appointed. Anthropology continued to have a strong and growing presence in the department of Sociology as more anthropologists were hired until 1961, when faculty approved a full-fledged eight course major in anthropology, thereby creating a joint department of Anthropology and Sociology. Anthropology became a separate department 5 years later in 1967. Archaeology has had a strong representation from the hiring of Charles Hawes in 1909 through the tenure of Elmer Harp, followed by Deborah Nichols and Paul Goldstein, whose teaching and research focus upon the archaeology of Central Mexico and the Andean Highlands respectively.

The subject matter of classical archaeology had long been a part of courses in classics, ancient history, and art history, and by the 1950s it was formally represented by a pair of courses, one in Greek and one in Roman archaeology. By the 1970s four courses were offered. Today there are six core courses, three standard courses in Greek archaeology (GRS 20,21,22) and three in Roman (GRS 24,25,26). In addition there are now four courses dealing with archaeological topics in Art History (ARTH 20,21,22,25), taught by the Art History faculty. It is the opinion of the Classics Department that the range of courses they offer, and the quality of the existing library facilities, puts them in a league with universities offering graduate programs in Classical Archaeology. They feel the program is thriving greatly. Most Classical Honors theses are written in the area of Classical Archaeology. The major in Classical Archaeology continues to be very strong.

GENERAL PURPOSE

The general purpose of the collection is to support undergraduate instructional needs and the research requirements of the faculty in both the basic science of archaeology and in the archaeology of a number of specific geographical regions from earliest times up to the present. A very broad discipline within itself, definable as the study of past human life and activities as shown by the relics and remains of peoples and their cultures, archaeology at Dartmouth can be seen as both subject specific and interdisciplinary in a number of ways. The collection development policies for several subject areas cover some aspects of collecting for the archaeology of their discipline. This separate policy is required because the complementary relationships of those other subjects, the rationale for grouping many serials under the broad heading "archaeology," and the several purposes for which users see the subject all create a unique perspective.

DARTMOUTH COLLEGE PROGRAM

The Classics Department offers a major in Classical Archaeology. The Anthropology Department does not offer a distinct concentration in archaeology per se, but a de-facto one is possible by emphasizing the subject in elective courses; this is commonly done. At least one class in archaeology is a requirement for the Anthropology major. The departments of Religion, History, and Art History , the Native American Studies Program and the Latin American, Latino and Caribbean Studies Program draw upon archaeological studies. Techniques of archaeological dating, paleoecological and archaeometrical analysis and remote sensing of human and natural features are based upon earth, biological, and physical sciences and are employed in research and teaching in those subjects. In particular, dendrochronology and the geoarchaeology of North America are research and teaching foci in the Geography Department. In Classical Archaeology the primary emphasis is on the major archaeological sites in the Mediterranean area from pre-historic times to the late Roman Empire. There are foreign study programs in Greece and Rome. Members of Classics and Anthropology faculty regularly engage in professional research; student research in field and laboratory archaeology is also carried out.

GENERAL SUBJECT BOUNDARIES

Greek and Roman archaeology is found in Library of Congress DE-DG, with ancillary and more general materials in the C's and in D. CC is the classification for techniques of archaeology. Archaeological materials are found in the history classifications and Dewey 913, but when the emphasis in a publication is thought to be artistic rather than historical the material may be classed in the N's and Dewey 700's and be found in the Sherman Art Library. In addition, as archaeology embraces the methods of the physical and biological sciences some materials may be found in the Kresge, Dana, and Feldberg Libraries. For related areas see the Collection Development Policies for Classics, Anthropology , History, and Native American Studies.

LANGUAGES

English is the major language for secondary sources, but scholarly works are regularly acquired in French, German, Italian, and to some extent, Modern Greek. Archaeological publications in Spanish are collected for Central and South America. For students in the Classics foreign study program there are courses in Modern Greek for which ancillary material may be bought, but for Modern Greek literature per se, see the Collection Development Policy for World Literature.

GEOGRAPHIC AREAS

Emphasis in collecting for Classical Archaeology is on the major sites in Greece, both mainland and the islands, and in Italy, but all Greco-Roman areas in the Mediterranean, the Near East, the Continent, and Britain, are covered. The current focus of the Anthropological teaching and research in archaeology is in the American Southwest and in Central) Mexico and the Andes. The collection also reflects past research programs in the North American Arctic and sub-Arctic zones. The need for materials pertaining to archaeological techniques, and for comparative studies such as state formation, mean that materials are collected from all areas of the world, and that none are excluded.

TYPES OF MATERIAL COLLECTED

Monographs (single and in series), periodicals, atlases, bibliographies, encyclopedias, grammars, lexicons, thesaurae, dictionaries, and corpora of various types are collected. Festschriften, textbooks, dissertations, and conference materials are acquired on a highly selective basis. In Anthropology, special attention is paid to monographic series and occasional papers in series from North American museums and research institutes in archaeology.

FORMAT OF MATERIALS COLLECTED

The general approach to collecting for archaeology is in traditional bound books and serials, but microforms, computer applications and audio-visual media are added as appropriate and available. Archaeological monographs are acquired with 'split formats;' printed materials are combined with associated maps, overlays, microforms, or computer disks. As stated in the Fine Arts Policy, slides are collected by the Art Department.

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND MANUSCRIPTS

While he was primarily a cultural anthropologist, the 12 linear feet of papers of the late Robert Addison McKennan, Professor of Anthropology, include archaeological materials; some other faculty papers also include archaeology. The Special Collections Library is actively seeking papers specifically focused upon the Arctic region.

OTHER RESOURCES AVAILABLE

Aside from resources available in other RLG libraries, there are no resources on a local or regional level which affect collection activity.

OTHER RELATED COLLECTION POLICIES

Classics,
Anthropology,
History,
Native American Studies

Creation Date

December 1993, William S. Moran and Gregory A. Finnegan

Revision Date

April 1999 (W.S. Moran and R.W. Ghezzi)

LC Class

See General Subject Boundaries above.

Bibliographers

William S. Moran(Classics)
Ridie W. Ghezzi (Anthropology)

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Last updated April 14, 1999 by: (z)