ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author returns to the subject of the comparison between archaeology and forensic science. The comparison is the subject of the chapter partly because it coincides with my own interests and partly because the author sees here an opportunity to build a bridge not just between Russian theoretical archaeology and Western theoretical archaeology but also between theoretical archaeology and the philosophy of history. Those who work within these fields tend to be ignorant of one another's endeavours. Klejn's view of forensic science is generally accurate is confirmed when we look at the textbooks of that discipline. Klejn's view of archaeology as an applied science, allied to forensic science, leaves him with some sympathy for Walter Taylor's view: archaeology is no more than a method and a set of specialised techniques for the gathering of cultural information. Klejn agrees with Collingwood that history is essentially a humanistic discipline.
