Prehistoric archaeology and social anthropology: two related disciplines working on ineffable

Abstract

This paper questions the epistemology of prehistoric archaeology. In particular, the author analyses the epistemological value of the concept of ‘archaeological fact’. She suggests that this value can be compared to that of the words recorded by the anthropologist during his fieldwork. Without calling into question the progress of archaeological science, the author calls for a certain ‘epistemological modesty’, considering the fragility of archaeological hypotheses that are, for the most part, highly interpretive