archaeology

Question

The successful--of an archaeological site  requires scientific knowledge as well as cultural--.   A. evolution.. awareness  B. revelation.. depth   C. reconstruction.. sensitivity   D. analysis.. aesthetics   E. synthesis.. understanding Since there’s no implication for the first  blank, I focused on the second one. Then I chose understanding because of knowledge.  However, the answer is C. I don’t get, especially the first blank!!!!

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

You chose the wrong blank to deal with. I searched the first blank first, and the only word that collocates well with archaeological site is reconstruction. Archeologists try to mentally reconstruct what a site might originally have looked like. Then, of course, I checked to be sure cultural sensitivity makes sense in the context, and it does.

Paco2004 · Answer

From the first blank, I will delete the possibilities of A and E. From the second blank, I will negate the possibility of B. "Cultural aesthetics" would mean an academic division that focuses the perception about artistic beauty in various cultures. I think it could be someway helpful to analysis of some archaeological sites like Alta Mira. On the other hand, "cultural sensitivity" could represent various concepts including "keen awareness of differences between various cultures". So I think both C and D can be answers.

paco

Waïti · Answer

Allow me to barge in... Should there be the need to decide between C and D, then I believe C would be better : cultural aesthetics sounds a little odd to me as an expression (only 2.000 'exact match' hits in google). Whereas cultural sensitiviy is widely used (over 600.000 google hits for the full expression).

Jeff_999 · Answer

Thank you all. But this kind of question is not about choosing a word to make it lingually right, but about making it logically right in the very context.

Like this question:
Because modern scientists find the ancient Greek view of the cosmos outdated and irrelevant, they now perceive it as only of ----- interest.
(A) historical
(B) intrinsic
(C) astronomical
(D) experimental
(E) superfluous
We can perceive ancient Greek view of the cosmos as intrinsic interest, astronomical interest, etc., without the suggestion of key words like “modern”.

And this one is more obvious:
Because the high seriousness of their narratives resulted in part from their metaphysics, Southern writers were praised for their ---- bent.
(A) technical
(B) discursive
(C) hedonistic
(D) philosophical
(E) scientific
The word in boldface is the key word.

Though the original question is obscure in suggesting key information that helps answer the quesion, I think MrM. hit the mark.

I searched the first blank first, and the only word that collocates well with archaeological site is reconstruction. Archeologists try to mentally reconstruct what a site might originally have looked like.

But I just don’t get “archeologists try to mentally reconstruct what a site might originally have looked like.” Hope he will explain it for me.

Mister Micawber · Answer

An archeological site is generally nothing but flat dirt with a few embedded artifacts and foundation outlines. To make sense of it all, one of the great skills of an archaeologist is to be able to reconstruct-- build again-- what the place must have looked like. It turns out, however, that the reconstruction I associated with archaeology is more concrete than I had thought:

Archaeological Reconstruction
Archaeological reconstruction and experimentation is a valuable interpretive tool as well as an excellent form of outreach, supplying tangible and relevant heritage to the wider public. Results from these experiments can feed back information to the original excavations so that certain questions can be answered. (missing image)		(missing image) The staff at ARS Ltd have considerable experience in the reconstruction of full scale archaeological sites. Through the Maelmin Heritage Trail, Milfield, and the Brigantium Centre, Rochester, ARS Ltd has undertaken the experimental and visitor reconstructions of a wide variety of monuments and structures. Highlights include:
		A construction of the Milfield North henge, built with a team of volunteers living and working as Neolithic people over two weeks. Two recreations of the Mesolithic hut excavated on the Northumberland coast at Howick. One version was thatched while it was decided that the other should be turf-roofed to allow for different interpretations and experiences for visitors. The first stone-built Romano-British roundhouse with thatched roof based on the Woolaw site in Redesdale. A Neolithic ‘hut’, consisting of a light timber frame and turf roof based on a site excavated near Bolam Lake, Northumberland.

Davkett · Answer

I'm not sure what the problem would be with (D), though.

The successful analysis of an archeological site requires scientific knowledge as well as cultural aesthetics.

Archeological sites are as often (maybe more often) analysed as reconstructed, and they cannot be reconstructed unless they're properly analysed, which would include the application of scientific knowledge and, most probably, knowledge of the aesthetic concerns of the culture which produced the architecture.

Perhaps there is something slightly wrong with the phrase 'analysis requires aesthetics'?

(For some reason, I hadn't seen the entire thread before posting. I did not use 'reconstruction' above in the 'mental' sense. Still, analysis precedes even 'mental reconstruction'.)

Waïti · Answer

I agree with you mister Davkett. There seems to be something missing that ties 'cultural aesthetics' to the subject performing the 'analysis' we'd be talking about with D. The first part 'scientific knowledge' is ok : knowledge from the archeologist conducting the analysis. The second part 'cultural aesthetics' isn't and it would have to be 'sense of cultural aesthetics' or 'understanding of cultural aesthetics' or anything that would suggest the exposure to cultural aesthetics from the person doing the analysis.

Jeff_999 · Answer

Thank you all.

Now I know what "reconstructing archaeological sites" is about. It’s just like some peasants found a pottery warrior when digging a well, and we evacuated the whole Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor First. Then we rebuilt the site (some work like gluing up the relics has been done) in order to present the awe-inspiring Mausoleum of an emperor to the world wide people. And it highly requires cultrual sensitivity. I don't think "cultural aesthetics" would be enough to perform research in archaeology field. Maybe a person whose field of study is archaeology would explain it well.

Davkett · Answer

All early cultures create their forms not only according to functionality but in accordance with symbolic and artistic canons-- in other words, with aesthetic concerns.

My reservation about (D) had to do with the phrase, 'successful analysis requires...cultural aesthetics'. I would have been more persuaded by the phrase, 'successful analysis requires...knowledge of the culture's aesthetics'.

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