Suchergebnisse

En este artículo exploramos las potencialidades de la categoría historiográfica "presente-pasado" en historia de la arqueología. Dicha categoría debe ser considerada como un instrumento que permita a los historiadores comprender (A) la importancia del presente en la definición del pasado y (B) el impacto que la arqueología ejerce sobre nuestras modernas sociedades occidentales. Tomando como ejemplo la cueva de Altamira, analizaremos en primer lugar la importancia que nuestras modernas categorías ejercieron sobre la definición del arte paleolítico a finales del siglo XIX. En segundo lugar, mostraremos la influencia (económica, cultural, política) que el arte paleolítico ejerce sobre nuestras modernas sociedades contemporáneas. De este modo, esperamos demostrar las potencialidades de la categoría "presente-pasado" en historia de la ciencia. ; In this paper we will investigate the potential for the application of the concept of "present-past" in the study of the history of archaeology. We suggest that this category provides archaeologists with a useful model in order to understand (A) the role of our present concepts and ideas in the definition of the past and (B) the impact of archaeological finds on modern Western societies. Taking the example of the cave of Altamira into account, we will analyse first the importance of assumptions deeply embedded in Western culture in the definition of Palaeolithic art at the end of nineteenth century. Secondly, we will show the influence (economic, cultural, political) that Palaeolithic art exerts on our modern societies. Through this examination, we will show the way in which the concept of "present-past" can be used in history of science.

Methodological innovations have a special status in disciplinary histories, because they can be widely adopted and anonymised. In the 1950s, this occurred to Georges Laplace's innovative use of 3-dimensional metric Cartesian coordinate system to record the positions of archaeological objects. This paper proposes a conceptual and social history of this process, with a focus on its spatial context, the Pyrenean region (Spain, Basque Country, and France). Main results of this research based on archives, publications, and bibliometric data, include: 1) a critical discussion of the notions concerning authorship of such methodological innovations; 2) a presentation of the lesser-known aspects of Laplace's method, showing its contribution to the abstraction and formalisation of archaeological observations and data recording; and 3) the identification of an international Pyrenean intellectual lineage of innovation regarding stratigraphy and excavation methods, from the late 19th century to the early 21th century.