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J Social Archaeol 2 (1)
Title
The title of the publication or report
Title:
J Social Archaeol 2 (1)
Series
The series the publication or report is included in
Series:
Journal of Social Archaeology
Volume
Volume number and part
Volume:
2 (1)
Publication Type
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Publication Type:
Journal
Editor
The editor of the publication or report
Editor:
Lynn Meskell
Chris Gosden
Publisher
The publisher of the publication or report
Publisher:
Sage Publications
Year of Publication
The year the book, article or report was published
Year of Publication:
2002
Source
Where the record has come from or which dataset it was orginally included in.
Source:
BIAB (The British & Irish Archaeological Bibliography (BIAB))
Relations
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Relations:
URI:
http://jsa.sagepub.com/content/vol2/issue1
Created Date
The date the record of the pubication was first entered
Created Date:
23 Feb 2004
Please click on an Article link to go to the Article Details.
Article Title
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Page
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Abstract
Is what you see all you get?
Alexander A Bauer
37 - 52
Archaeologists wishing to interpret the meanings of artefacts, both symbolic and functional, have increasingly drawn from Saussure-inspired linguistic models as a way to `read' the archaeological record. This article suggests that this may not be appropriate for a number of reasons, and favours a discourse-centered interpretation, which investigates meaning through practice -- an approach currently gaining popularity among American linguistic anthropologists. Using the semiotic theory developed by Charles Sanders Peirce, this article focuses on how people use and interpret material signs such as the artefacts we excavate and analyze to produce knowledge, and how those meanings shift across contexts. Specifically, the semiotic mediation of artefacts is examined in the present context of museum displays to illustrate how the interpretation of artefacts crucially depends on their recognition as meaningful signs by knowing agents.