The Use of Migration as an Explanatory Concept in Archaeology
David J. Willers
Migration Studies
Migration Studies
David J. Willers, Southern Methodist University E-Mail: dwillers@smu.edu
Migration Studies in Archaeology
The Mayflower. LInk to source
Stories of migrations are found in the histories and legends of virtually all of the people groups in the world. Many of these migration stories are very familiar, such as the Biblical Exodus and the sailing of the Mayflower. As the world has become increasingly global, migration stories are not only about the past but also include personal experiences. These migration experiences have likely touched many, if not all, of us in some form. These can range from participating in a move, living in a community at the receiving end of immigration, or simply hearing about someone who is moving several villages away. With migration being the common occurrence it is today and its appearance in our histories; belief in
migrations is easy. However, actually documenting and identifying these migrations is quite difficult. The strongest inference can be constructed when multiple lines of evidence converge. In some rare cases the linguistic, historical, biological (inc. genetic) and archaeological data all match up and a strong argument can be made for the occurrence of a migration. Unfortunately these approaches are not all available and the task of documenting these migrations is often left to archaeology.
Read more about how archaeologists study migration.
See some of the scholars involved in migration studies.
Learn more about some of the influential writings.
Read more about how archaeologists study migration.
See some of the scholars involved in migration studies.
Learn more about some of the influential writings.
This page was created as part of a project in Dr. Sunday Eiselt's Principles of Archaeology class at Southern Methodist University in the spring of 2008. For more information about the project and to see other student's webpages click here.