Archaeology and racism
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Racism in archaeology covers the phenomenon of interpreting archaeological remains in terms of speculations about the putative racial profiles of the peoples who created the structures which excavations have brought to light. Archaeologist Chris Gosden wrote "Racism occurs when judgements about people always proceed from their physical features of their body; when biology is given social force."[1]
Such racial readings of archaeological remains have a history which may be traced back at least to Josiah Priest and his 1833 book American Antiquities. A prominent example is Great Zimbabwe, a medieval city whose advanced architecture was attributed to non-indigenous origins due to prejudiced beliefs.