You must consult a minimum of four academic sources. Two must be published in a peer reviewed article or book; two can be academic websites (such as a museum or a university; do not use popular websites, such as tourism sites). If you can find these sources on your own, I will be willing to pay more, as long as they are run by me first. To keep to a reasonable length, you may have to focus on key issues for the object, but include at least brief answers to as many of the basic questions as you can. The questions should serve as a starting point for developing a clear thesis and giving a well-rounded analysis of the material culture. Include in your essay a short description of the physical appearance of the object, its archaeological history, and its importance. Be critical. Have assumptions been made, or logical leaps? Aim to make connections to specific concepts learned in the course related to the theory and practice of archaeology. Avoid making overly general statements. Your essay should have a thesis; it should not be a list of facts, even though facts should be included. Why is this object interesting? What problems are associated with it, and what do you think about them? What is the angle of your investigation? Follow the Chicago style. For complete citations, you must have both footnotes and a bibliography. Reference all your sources scrupulously. Even if you are paraphrasing and not using direct quotations, you still need to cite where you got each piece of information: that is your source, and you need to cite all your sources to avoid plagiarism (see the course outline for academic regulations, and below). Do not cut and paste or use Chat Gpt; use your own words. If you are quoting directly, use quotation marks and reference properly. If you cut and paste without doing so, your work will be submitted to the dean in charge of academic integrity. Do not use chat GPT to generate your paper for you; learn to use your own critical skills to select the details that you find interesting and write about them in your own words. THINGS TO INCLUDE IN THE ESSAY. Not all are required but a good chunk should be answered What is the object? Does it have a common name(s)? What does it look like? Describe its physical appearance. How big is it? What is it made of? Is it known where the materials to make it came from? Is it known how it was constructed? Is it decorated? Is there a particular significance to the decoration? Does it belong to a particular style or type? What was its purpose or function, or how was it used? To what time does it date? How do we know? Did researchers date it through stratigraphy and association, or typology or radiocarbon dating? When was it found? Where was it found? By whom? Under what conditions or circumstances? Was it found in association with other objects? What was its context? Where is it now? What happened to it in terms of cultural and natural formation processes? Who used it? To what culture did it belong? Is it associated with any literary texts from its culture? Are there other similar objects or is it unique? Any comparanda? What is its historical context? Are any of the above questions problematic or debated? Why is this object important for the archaeological record? If willing to do the research and find the sources, please run them by me first and start when I give the okay. I will pay more for this, as the research part is the worst for me. If not, please tell me ahead of time and I will try and find sources for you.
