Culture History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Culture History - Essay Example Because it is only through the material remains discovered that some peoples and cultures are now known to have existed, we can only understand these societies by comparing what has been left behind with other cultures that we have more knowledge about. We can interpret the findings in many different ways, all of which may contain some truth relating to the original society, but perhaps none of which offers any accuracy. Yet culture history can provide some accuracy as it is constrained by the artifacts found and the necessities common to all human life. In considering the idea of culture history, it must be acknowledged that nothing is certain regarding our interpretations, but it is also a very real part of our present existence. While we do not have the first-hand accounts of the 15th-century diarist, we do have the ability to compare to human needs as they are expressed today. â€Å"The only way in which we can understand their meaning [the artifacts] – if you will, the way in which we can state the archaeological record in words – is by knowing something about how these material things came into being, about how they have been modified, and about how they acquired the characteristics we see today. That understanding is dependent upon a large body of knowledge which links human activities to the consequences of those activities that may be apparent in material things† (Binford, 19). In the end, we learn more about ourselves because of archaeological study into cultural history.