On interdisciplinarity in the humanities : A comment on Fanta
et al. (2020) on the bias in dating obtained from historical
sources

J 2021

On interdisciplinarity in the humanities : A comment on Fanta et al. (2020) on the bias in dating obtained from historical sources

KOLÁŘ, Jan and Péter SZABÓ

Basic information

Original name

On interdisciplinarity in the humanities : A comment on Fanta et al. (2020) on the bias in dating obtained from historical sources

Authors

KOLÁŘ, Jan (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution) and Péter SZABÓ (348 Hungary)

Edition

Journal of Archaeological Science, Academic Press, 2021, 0305-4403

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Článek v odborném periodiku

Field of Study

60102 Archaeology

Country of publisher

United States of America

Confidentiality degree

není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství

References:

URL

Impact factor

Impact factor: 3.508

RIV identification code

RIV/00216224:14210/21:00123657

Organization unit

Faculty of Arts

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2021.105392

UT WoS

000681104200001

Keywords in English

Settlement history Written records Middle ages Time lag Archaeological method Bohemia Central Europe

Abstract

V originále

Medieval settlement history in Europe is a common topic in several scientific disciplines. Recently, Fanta et al. (2020) examined colonization processes in Bohemia through the comparison of archaeological evidence and historical records. They concluded that the first mentions of settlements in historical documents are not reliable sources for settlement dating and should always be verified and preferably superseded by archaeological data, which are, in contrast, mostly unproblematic. We argue that this conclusion is controversial from several aspects. Firstly, it neglects the disciplinary constraints of archaeological evidence for medieval settlement development, as regards quality and chronology. Secondly, there are several legitimate perspectives from which to analyse the data. Our reanalysis of the original dataset showed that – in partial contrast to the conclusions of Fanta et al. (2020) – when viewed from the point of view of historical evidence, the time lag between the historical and archaeological dating increased with time and that the historical dating of most of the settlements between the 10th and 13th centuries was supported by archaeological evidence. Lastly, we demonstrated how research combining different disciplines (archaeology, history, palaeoecology, geography) and types evidence can reveal the manifold processes of human settlement dynamics. In our view each type of evidence has advantages as well as drawbacks, therefore strictly prioritising one at the expense of others hardly furthers the understanding of complex social phenomena.

Citovat

KOLÁŘ, Jan and Péter SZABÓ. On interdisciplinarity in the humanities : A comment on Fanta et al. (2020) on the bias in dating obtained from historical sources. Journal of Archaeological Science. Academic Press, 2021, vol. 132, August 2021, p. 1-5. ISSN 0305-4403. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2021.105392.

@article{1819740,
   author = {Kolář, Jan and Szabó, Péter},
   article_number = {August 2021},
   doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2021.105392},
   keywords = {Settlement history Written records Middle ages Time lag Archaeological method Bohemia Central Europe},
   language = {eng},
   issn = {0305-4403},
   journal = {Journal of Archaeological Science},
   title = {On interdisciplinarity in the humanities : A comment on Fanta et al. (2020) on the bias in dating obtained from historical sources},
   url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305440321000625?via%3Dihub},
   volume = {132},
   year = {2021}
}

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PY  - 2021
TI  - On interdisciplinarity in the humanities : A comment on Fanta et al. (2020) on the bias in dating obtained from historical sources
JF  - Journal of Archaeological Science
VL  - 132
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PB  - Academic Press
SN  - 03054403
KW  - Settlement history Written records Middle ages Time lag Archaeological method Bohemia Central Europe
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N2  - Medieval settlement history in Europe is a common topic in several scientific disciplines. Recently, Fanta et al. (2020) examined colonization processes in Bohemia through the comparison of archaeological evidence and historical records. They concluded that the first mentions of settlements in historical documents are not reliable sources for settlement dating and should always be verified and preferably superseded by archaeological data, which are, in contrast, mostly unproblematic. We argue that this conclusion is controversial from several aspects. Firstly, it neglects the disciplinary constraints of archaeological evidence for medieval settlement development, as regards quality and chronology. Secondly, there are several legitimate perspectives from which to analyse the data. Our reanalysis of the original dataset showed that – in partial contrast to the conclusions of Fanta et al. (2020) – when viewed from the point of view of historical evidence, the time lag between the historical and archaeological dating increased with time and that the historical dating of most of the settlements between the 10th and 13th centuries was supported by archaeological evidence. Lastly, we demonstrated how research combining different disciplines (archaeology, history, palaeoecology, geography) and types evidence can reveal the manifold processes of human settlement dynamics. In our view each type of evidence has advantages as well as drawbacks, therefore strictly prioritising one at the expense of others hardly furthers the understanding of complex social phenomena.
ER  -

KOLÁŘ, Jan and Péter SZABÓ. On interdisciplinarity in the humanities : A comment on Fanta et al. (2020) on the bias in dating obtained from historical sources. \textit{Journal of Archaeological Science}. Academic Press, 2021, vol.~132, August 2021, p.~1-5. ISSN~0305-4403. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2021.105392.

Detailed Information on Publication Record