Explain how and when written documents and oral traditions are used in archaeology.

Archaeology refers to the discovery of treasures of the past, partly the meticulous work of scientific analyst, partly the exercise of the creative imagination. It is toiling in the sun on an excavation in the desert of central Asia; it is working with living limit of the snows of Akska. Archaeology then is both a physical activity out in the field and an intellectual pursuit in the study or laboratory. (Renfrew et al, 2012).Generally, archeology is the scientific study of the past human culture and behavior from the origin of human to the past. Archeology past human behavior through examination of human material remains of previous human society. These remains include the preserved bones of human, food remain, the run of buildings and human artifacts items such as tools, pottery, and jewels. Archeology become established as a formal discipline in 19^thcentury and early 20^th.At that time most Archeological works were confirmed to Europe o the so called Cradle of civilization in South western Asia and far areas of Americans. The early Archeological sites include those at Hadar(Ethiopia), Olduvai Gorge and lactoli in Tanzania. Archaeology can be categorized into artifacts, Eco facts structures and features.

According to Vansina (1984), oral tradition can be defined as a testimony transmitted orally from one generation to another. Testimony refers to a serious historical events or information given by an informer. Testimony consists of all statements made by one person about single sequence of past event the information coming to all tradition go beyond the life style or generation of informer. Also he emphasized that, the fact that oral tradition can provide should be critically analyzed by historians, the facts should be critically examined before used. Vansina(1965), also categories oral tradition in various types such as narratives, formulae, poems and epic poems. Also he argued that a history degree of confidence is needed for various oral tradition forms and thus archeological confirmation is one way to heightened velocity. Therefore oral tradition as one of the archeological method information handled down through words of mouth from one generation to another.

Written document refers to the writings that provide information especially information which are official in nature. The writings include the books, journals, newspapers and magazine. The origin of written documents began in 5000 years ago in parts of south western Asia and recently as the late 19^thc AD in central Africa and part of America. In pre historic archeology was practiced by archeologist known as pre historians and deal with ancient cultures that did not have writing of any kind. For example pre historians specialized in studying various periods of the Stone Age. This period of the human cultural development began about 2.5 million years ago when human leant to make simple tools. There is a huge area where until 15^th  century the written sources is nonexistence and what is a second late Arabic source for say the Maghreb takes on prime importance for basin. For Africa except Egypt but including the Maghreb written documentary materials is always entirely represented by narrations source until 12^thcentury.The amount and quantity of such sources differs widely of course as various regions and the situation changed from one century to another even more complicated is the distribute according to the language, character, purpose and origin of the document (Ki-zerbo1981:92).

Both written and oral tradition as methods in archeology played a great role in obtaining archeological materials to enrich archeological study as far as oral tradition used to discover new sites and written documents used by new archeologist to refer the works of past archeological finding. Hence contribute in collection archaeological information for the coming generation for more approval.

The following are application on how oral tradition and written document are used in archeology especial before and after excavation process as follows;

Oral tradition is used to locate and interprete archeological sites. Archeologist get new sites by the information from oral tradition through consult elders who give the information about the past cultures. By oral tradition that presented the sites and ritual centers set a trend followed by different archeologist who used oral histories of a frame of inquiry and sought to validate African narratives hence can emphasize interpretation and generated new past, for example the work of Sultton and Robert (1968) an archaeologist and historian who collaborated in integration of the uvinza salt works in western Tanzania. Robert careful analyses of ethno historic sources and interview demonstrate the potential that oral tradition contributed in reconstruction of the salt trade and its role in the 19^thcentury state formation (Drewett1999:18).

In written documents helps archeologist to know the sites through passing from different archeological document done by previous archeologist. They discover a site by reading past archeological works and go to that site to make their excavation and they come up with additions on the materials obtained in such sites. Also written document used for reference to identify sites hence were able to investigate and excavation the particular sites, for example the particular sites through passing the literatures such as book on periplus explain the Rapta area through giving longitude, latitude and period.(Biginagwa 2012) 

It used to explain cultural materials of the particular society. Before excavation the archeologist through oral tradition (narrating people) especially the elders can tell the archeologist what existing phenomena of the certain area before cleaning an area for excavation. For example the Haya culture provide the opportunities to explore  several aspects of culture especially the productive economy(Agriculture and iron working and spirit medium ship) to see how the Haya conceptualization of the past related to the patterning of the materials  remains left by iron age people during  the last twenty-five hundred years. Also the painted cave of Old Stone Age such as Lascaux in France (Drewett1999:22).

Drewett (1999), in written documents also used to explain culturally material of the particular society when the archeologist pass through various documents which write about the social economic relation of the particular society. These writings help the archeologist who read to make excavation to get prior knowledge on the cultural materials of the certain society so when engage in excavation the archeologist already know on what may exist on the areas to be excavated. For example the Mississippi River had been built not by the indigenous native America, but a mythical and vanished race of mound builders. That Jefferson adopted what today we should call a scientific approach, that is he tested ideas about the mounds against hard evidence by excavating one of them.

Also written document used to review the works that other have done concerning the work. Through passing and investigating the other work either by research or reflection. Because chronologically it when an entire continent with different civilization and looking the language cultures tradition and type of the particular area. Hence it helps to raise the source (analysis by the periods, region, and type) before making a critical inventory. To make a critical inventory therefore we must review our text by periods and by region but we must recognize at the outset that through the region and source in a few languages only of certain limited types and that they do not always originate in the area they treat of an area not always contemporary with what they describe for example the review can be made in book, journal, newspaper and magazine (Ki-zerbo 1987:91)

Through passing various reviews the archaeologist identify the gap in order to fill the gap. The recent archeologist after reviewing different document they identify the weakness or gaps where they go to make excavation on such sites where they come with additional knowledge to fill the gap they identified. They also cross check methods and theories which used by past archeologist where they criticize the methods and theories and come up with new ideas which are more improved concerning the remains of past human cultures. Hence enable the archaeologist to fill the gap that happened at the past. For example William Holmes (1846-1933), he was an archaeologist who reviewed different document about Stone Age where request five years studying the “Pal eolith” question. He collected innumerable specimens and proved that there were no Stone Age tools at all but simply refuses of Indian implement making from recent times. He even manufactured identical “Pal eoliths” himself (Renfrew, 2008)

 Fagan and Willet (1996:22), they argue that written documents it helps to explain chronological structuring of dynastic histories as well as the historian of occupation of at least one major site. The connection between the data source was established by application of structure principles hence written documents and oral tradition became proving. Through written document can reviews on texts in order to discover different theories and periods which the phenomena and activities or events happen for more approval. The archeologist takes data and use in archeological survey and excavation as references.

Also both of the methods used to construct historical archeology and prove archeological remains. Through oral traditions and written documents help and compliment history by offering studies on material to be companied by documents to have clear ideas of how the interpretation was done and evidence arrive to an inference, intermit data for this reason archeologist must be carefully trying to explain the background culture in the present they have and which part of evidence they focused. The possibility of knowing how past people lived in different cultures, the art and culture themselves of civilization and capacity at the end of know humanity better are the things for which a person can have this discipline and thus gives us the first idea about the importance of archeology. It is essential for better understanding on how world and actual context of society is changing through archeology survey (Biginagwa 2012).

Oral tradition used as a methodology of historical reconstruction and collect data on oral form where different cultures of the past could be obtained but bringing material obtained into archival materials so as to make relationships. Each strategy should be kept distinct unconfused by data proper to other strategies until the selected line of investigation has completed when two or more separate strategies have been followed out preferably by different investigator they may then be examined cognition. There were three possibilities: That support each other that they contradict each other and they do not have any common reference or meeting point. We expect all three to occur if we have enough instance to compare when contradict there must be no validity but also strategies used may not be reliable. When we lack written records on boundaries we should look for oral records, if these have been forgotten we have more exploration on records (Daniel 1994:146).

Therefore both written and oral sources as archaeological methods which cross check each other to enrich historical archaeology and give the light for archaeology on where to do survey and excavation. But oral tradition did not give evidence of remains beyond 2.5 million years ago so oral tradition used when written records are not available, some instances in which oral traditions are accepted as valid historical testaments simply because they are believed as true, skepticism that runs the risk of submerging historicity. The oral traditions are conferred with truth quotient but that as archaeologist we must submit all testimonies to critical analysis, searching for agreement as well as dissonance. Apart from these methods also archaeologists use archaeological survey and excavation to obtain archaeological information of the particular past societies.

REFERENCES

Biginagwa,T.J.(2012).Historical Archaeology of the19^thcentury caravan Trade In North- Eastern, Tanzania, a Zoological perspective, university of York.

Daniel,F.M.(1964). African Time perspectives discussion of historical reconstruction, From written sources, published by Boston University Press

Drewett,P.(1999).”Field Archaeology” An introduction, published 1999 by UCL press.

    Fagan,B.M(1996).The oxford companion to Archaeology oxford. Oxford University press, Inc class

Ki-zerbo, J. (1990). Methods and African Pre-history published by James currey

Renfrew,G and Bahan, P.(2012). Archaeology, theory, Method and practice. London: Thames and Hudson.

Vansina,J (1984).Oral traditions of History England, the University of wisconsm Press