McKern and Kidder systems
This topic addresses some of the first efforts, undertaken in the early 1900s, to develop regional classification systems for use in the United States. Read the two articles that are posted and refer to pages 278 to 290 in this week’s assigned reading in the textbook. Discuss the two classification systems that are described in the articles (these were applied to two different areas). Address the following points: according to the authors, why were these systems needed at that time? What had archaeologists been using to organize their data before these were developed? How important was chronology in each of these two systems? Why do you think each system required a whole group of archaeologists to come to a consensus? In general, were McKern and Kidder both working with the same kinds of data in their respective study areas? (You don’t need to discuss the details of each system).
