ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. In 1916, the Chicago Tribune reported this now-famous quote by industrialist Henry Ford. In shortened form"history is bunk" it has become a catchphrase for the forward-looking, history-disparaging viewpoint of the industrial age. But a little more context, of both the quote and Ford's life, is in order. The year 1916 was in the middle of World War I and all the knowledge of history in Europe did not stop that horror. He was interested in the history of ordinary people but didn't find it in the texts of the time or, presumably, in his rudimentary education. Archaeological sites and collections are part of our heritage, both globally and locally. Historical archaeologists combine the methods of both history and archaeology. People study both documents and material remains to investigate the past. For the most part, the past we study concerns the development of the modern world.
