Ethnoarcheologie

Ethnoarcheologie, or ethnoarchaeology in English, is a subfield of archaeology that studies contemporary or recently living societies to illuminate how human behaviors create the material traces found in the archaeological record. It aims to interpret how objects are produced, used, discarded, and reworked, and how daily practices shape the arrangement of sites, tools, and remains. In French-language scholarship the term ethnoarcheologie is commonly used.

Researchers conduct ethnographic fieldwork alongside artifact analysis, using methods such as participant observation, interviews, time-use studies, and recording production sequences (chaîne opératoire). Ethnoarchaeology often combines ethnography with experimental work, use-wear studies, and landscape or settlement analysis to connect behavior with material signatures.

The approach helps archaeologists infer activity patterns, subsistence strategies, craft organization, and exchange networks from traces left by people in the past. Classic studies have investigated pottery making, tool production, food processing, and housing practices in various cultures, providing models for how everyday actions become durable evidence. By linking living practices to material remains, ethnoarcheology offers a dynamic framework for interpreting past lifeways.

While ethnoarcheologie offers valuable insights, it depends on ethnographic analogy and careful consideration of cultural change and context. Critics warn against assuming universal or one-to-one relationships between modern practices and ancient behaviors. The field remains interdisciplinary, integrating anthropology, archaeology, and related sciences to refine interpretations of the archaeological record.