Archaeology is a source of history, not just a humble auxiliarydiscipline. Archaeological data are historical documents in their ownright, not mere illustrations to written texts. Just as much as any other historian, an archaeologist studies and tries to reconstitute theprocess that has created the human world in which we live -- and usourselves in so far as we are each creatures of our age and socialenvironment. Archaeological data are all changes in the material world resulting from human action or, more succinctly, the fossilizedresults of human behavior. The sum total of these constitutes what may becalled the archaeological record. This record exhibits certain peculiarities and deficiencies the consequences of which produce a rather superficial contrastbetween archaeological history and the more familiar kind based uponwritten records.

　　Not all humanbehavior fossilizes. The words I utter and you hear as vibrations in the airare certainly human changes in the material world and may be ofgreat historical significance. Yet they leave no sort of trace inthe archaeological records unless they are captured by a dictaphone orwritten down by a clerk. The movement of troops on the battlefield maychange the course of history, but this is equally ephemeral fromthe archaeologists standpoint. What is perhaps worse, most organicmaterials are perishable. Everything made of wood, hide, wool, linen, grass,hair, and similar materials will decay and vanish in dust in a few years orcenturies, save under very exceptional conditions. In a relatively briefperiod the archaeological record is reduced to mere scraps of stone, bone,glass, metal, and earthenware. Still modern archaeology, by applyingappropriate techniques and comparative methods, aided bya few lucky finds from peat-bogs, deserts, and frozen soils, is able to fill upa good deal of the gap.

　　全文翻譯：

　　考古學是歷史學的一個來源，而不是地位卑微的輔助學科。 考古學資料本身也是一種 歷史文獻，而不僅僅是文字資料的例證。 正象任何一位歷史學家那樣，考古學家研究調查 并盡力去重構一個過程。 這個過程創(chuàng)造了我們生活的人類世界，也創(chuàng)造了我們自身，因為 我們都是我們所處的時代和社會環(huán)境的產物。 考古學的資料就是人類行為所造成的物質變 化。 更簡潔地說，是石化了的人類行為。 這些變化的總和構成了我們所說的考古學記錄。 這些記錄自有其獨特和不足之處，因而導致人們對考古歷史和更熟悉的文字記載歷史進行相 當膚淺的對比。

　　并不是所有的人類行為都留下化石。 我說的話，你通過空氣振動聽見，這 當然是人類造成的物質變化，也可能有重大的歷史意義，但這些話在考古學中未留下絲毫痕 跡，除非有人用錄音機錄下來或文書把這些話寫了下來。

　　戰(zhàn)場上軍隊的行動可能改變歷史 的進程，但從考古學的觀點來看，這同樣是難以捕捉的;可能更糟的是，多數(shù)有機物質會 腐爛。 任何由木頭、生皮、絨線、亞麻、草、毛發(fā)以及相似物質做成的東西除非在一些非 常特殊的條件下，幾年或幾個世紀以后，會在塵土中腐爛并消失。 在短時期內，能留下考 古記錄的東西也都會退化為石頭、骨頭、玻璃、金屬和陶器的碎片。 然而，現(xiàn)代考古學通 過運用適當?shù)募夹g和比較的方法，在從泥炭、沙漠和凍土中所獲得的一些幸運發(fā)現(xiàn)的輔助下， 能夠填充這個空缺的很大部分。

　　Archaeology is a source of history, not just a humble auxiliarydiscipline. Archaeological data are historical documents in their ownright, not mere illustrations to written texts. Just as much as any other historian, an archaeologist studies and tries to reconstitute theprocess that has created the human world in which we live -- and usourselves in so far as we are each creatures of our age and socialenvironment. Archaeological data are all changes in the material world resulting from human action or, more succinctly, the fossilizedresults of human behavior. The sum total of these constitutes what may becalled the archaeological record. This record exhibits certain peculiarities and deficiencies the consequences of which produce a rather superficial contrastbetween archaeological history and the more familiar kind based uponwritten records.

　　Not all humanbehavior fossilizes. The words I utter and you hear as vibrations in the airare certainly human changes in the material world and may be ofgreat historical significance. Yet they leave no sort of trace inthe archaeological records unless they are captured by a dictaphone orwritten down by a clerk. The movement of troops on the battlefield maychange the course of history, but this is equally ephemeral fromthe archaeologists standpoint. What is perhaps worse, most organicmaterials are perishable. Everything made of wood, hide, wool, linen, grass,hair, and similar materials will decay and vanish in dust in a few years orcenturies, save under very exceptional conditions. In a relatively briefperiod the archaeological record is reduced to mere scraps of stone, bone,glass, metal, and earthenware. Still modern archaeology, by applyingappropriate techniques and comparative methods, aided bya few lucky finds from peat-bogs, deserts, and frozen soils, is able to fill upa good deal of the gap.

　　全文翻譯：

　　考古學是歷史學的一個來源，而不是地位卑微的輔助學科。 考古學資料本身也是一種 歷史文獻，而不僅僅是文字資料的例證。 正象任何一位歷史學家那樣，考古學家研究調查 并盡力去重構一個過程。 這個過程創(chuàng)造了我們生活的人類世界，也創(chuàng)造了我們自身，因為 我們都是我們所處的時代和社會環(huán)境的產物。 考古學的資料就是人類行為所造成的物質變 化。 更簡潔地說，是石化了的人類行為。 這些變化的總和構成了我們所說的考古學記錄。 這些記錄自有其獨特和不足之處，因而導致人們對考古歷史和更熟悉的文字記載歷史進行相 當膚淺的對比。

　　并不是所有的人類行為都留下化石。 我說的話，你通過空氣振動聽見，這 當然是人類造成的物質變化，也可能有重大的歷史意義，但這些話在考古學中未留下絲毫痕 跡，除非有人用錄音機錄下來或文書把這些話寫了下來。

　　戰(zhàn)場上軍隊的行動可能改變歷史 的進程，但從考古學的觀點來看，這同樣是難以捕捉的;可能更糟的是，多數(shù)有機物質會 腐爛。 任何由木頭、生皮、絨線、亞麻、草、毛發(fā)以及相似物質做成的東西除非在一些非 常特殊的條件下，幾年或幾個世紀以后，會在塵土中腐爛并消失。 在短時期內，能留下考 古記錄的東西也都會退化為石頭、骨頭、玻璃、金屬和陶器的碎片。 然而，現(xiàn)代考古學通 過運用適當?shù)募夹g和比較的方法，在從泥炭、沙漠和凍土中所獲得的一些幸運發(fā)現(xiàn)的輔助下， 能夠填充這個空缺的很大部分。