Migration in Archeology: The Baby and the Bathwater

Abstract

Migration has been largely ignored by archeologists for the last two decades. Yet prehistoric demography and population studies are accepted as central concerns, and neither of these can be studied profitably without an understanding of migration. Recent books by Rouse and Renfrew have resurrected migration as a subject of serious analysis. It is proposed here that systems‐oriented archeologists, in rejecting migration, have thrown out the baby with the bathwater. Traditional archeological approaches to migration fall short because a methodology for examining prehistoric migration must be dependent upon an understanding of the general structure of migration as a patterned human behavior. Aspects of such a structure are suggested and an application to a particular case in Eastern Europe is described.

Mobility, mortality, and the middle ages: Identification of migrant individuals in a 14th century black death cemetery population

“…Periods of famine in more recent recorded history have led to temporary increases in mobility as desperation has driven groups and individuals to leave home and security to seek out resources unavailable in their home area (O'Grá da, 2009). Traditionally, mobility has been viewed as the prerogative of young males, at least in the initial phase of migratory events (because males are seen as being less vulnerable to the dangers of lone travel) (Anthony, 1990;Prowse et al, 2007) and potentially carrying an urban-to-rural directionality (O'Grá da, 2009). However, history has not borne these assumptions out with any degree of consistency: during the Irish Great Famine of the 1840s, a total failure of the potato crop caused by blight, large numbers of women migrated from their rural villages to urban Dublin to engage in prostitution (O'Grá da, 2009).…”

“…Mobility and migration patterns have become a topic of vital concern in archaeology, following a long period of neglect (Anthony, 1990). Some archaeologists see migration as an aberration and confounding factor in the attempt to characterize and describe processes of broad cultural change, while others see the study of mobility as an opportunity to identify subcultures, kinship networks, and trade relationships through predictable patterns of migration (Anthony, 1990).…”

“…Some archaeologists see migration as an aberration and confounding factor in the attempt to characterize and describe processes of broad cultural change, while others see the study of mobility as an opportunity to identify subcultures, kinship networks, and trade relationships through predictable patterns of migration (Anthony, 1990). In the latter view, migrants are the exception that proves the rule: in archaeological cultures as in modern society, individuals matter.…”

Hacia una Arqueología de la Etnicidad

“…Además, dada esta condición no puede ser directamente inferida a partir de la genéti-ca (Mirza y Dungworth 1995), aun cuando ésta pueda resultar en un futuro de gran utilidad para la identifi cación de migraciones (Anthony 1990;Prien 2005) o individuos "foráneos" (Pollex et al 2005), aspectos muy conectados con las interpretaciones étnicas. Por tanto, aunque la paleogené-tica llegara a ser un elemento más de obtención de 'indicios' (Jones 2006), en nuestra opinión hay que mantener ciertas reservas ante los intentos de conceder 'certifi cados' de etnicidad pretérita a través del ADN o de los análisis de isótopos de estroncio (Knipper 2004).…”

Mobility and African archaeology: an introduction

“…Perhaps notably, though, we are happy to have such a strong and diverse set of papers from younger scholars, many of whom are currently completing, or have recently completed, their PhDs (with the respectful omission of Paul Lane!). (Anthony 1990). This paper marks a watershed in mobility research, reigniting interest in older migration narratives -for example the Indo-European origins debate (e.g.…”