Time Perspectivism, Temporal Dynamics, and Battlefield Archaeology: A Case Study from the Santiago Campaign of 1898

Authors

William E. Altizer

Date of this Version

2008

Document Type

Article

Comments

Published in Nebraska Anthropologist Vol. 23 (2008). Copyright © William E. Altizer; published by The University of Nebraska-Lincoln AnthroGroup.

Abstract

Given the unique ability of archaeology to illuminate temporal processes, archaeologists have begun employing a number of theoretical models to understand the nature of these processes, and the ways in which the modern archaeological landscape retains their physical traces. Battlefields, as discrete temporal events taking place in physical settings with their own history, offer an intriguing avenue to explore archaeological temporality. This paper reviews the ways in which archaeologists have employed the Annales approach and time perspectivism, and considers a case study in battlefield archaeology - the 1898 battlefield of EI Caney, Cuba.