Interpreting Agency Through an Archaeological Artifact

Agency can be simply defined as “the ability to take action or to choose what action to take in a given situation.” Identifying and interpreting agency in the archaeological record can be very difficult for a wide range of reasons, including the fact that archaeologists must infer past human behavior through the materials that have survived over time. For this assignment, you will have to select one archaeological artifact and argue how we can interpret past examples of agency using this object while also identifying the limitations of what we can infer from this artifact. Take a look at chapter 9 as you start to think about what kind of argument you will make in your essay. You will have to select one artifact that you can use to illustrate the benefits and limitations of using material objects to interpret examples of agency in the past. The artifact that you chose must have come from an archaeological context, but you can select any time period, region, or material type that you are interested in. Include an image of your chosen artifact in this submission.Your essay should be between 1,000 and 1,200 words not including your references page. At least 5 sources that discuss your artifact, the cultural context it came from, or how objects like the one you chose can be used to interpret past agency in some way.