Untitled Document Social Identities Lab Introduction to Archaeology Archaeology utilizes material culture to form a picture of a society. One area of archaeological interest is the role of social identity in the organization and functioning of societies. Social Identity has multiple facets.
Identity can consist of several inter-acting, sometimes competing elements.
These include status and class identities, ethnic identities, and gender identities. Many archaeologists believe these sorts of identities are important elements in the organization and structuring of a society and therefore are important to understand. The following exercises and discussions should give you some insights into how we spot these identities and how complex they are. Although there are some differences between status and class, the emphasis here is on how we spot differences in wealth, power, and differential access to resources critical for life. It might be helpful to think about what kinds of things would indicate differences in wealth, power and control of resources in our society.