Missing Evidence in the Study of Ancient Cultures: Methodological Reflections and Case Studies on Fragmentary Sources

Missing Evidence in the Study of Ancient Cultures: Methodological Reflections and Case Studies on Fragmentary Sources

Edited by: Cécile Michel , Michael Friedrich and Jorrit Kelder 

 

Ancient cultures are studied through literary sources and artefacts, both of which are limited and often contradictory. Scholarly traditions often privilege one type of evidence over the other, depending on their research questions and the stories they want to tell. As a result, our understanding of the past may be shaped by bias. New archaeological discoveries force historians to rethink their views of the past. Missing evidence, though difficult to identify, can lead to educated guesses and a re-evaluation of previous ideas. However, over-reliance on a single dataset leads to the risk of overlooking important perspectives. While scholars have developed methods for dealing with insufficient data, methodological reflection on the subject is rare.
This volume presents case studies from ancient civilisations that explore how different types of missing evidence (e.g. missing, contradictory or neglected evidence) affect our perceptions of ancient cultures and shape the narratives we provide. Covering Southwest Asia, China, India, Greece, Etruria, early Christianity, Mesoamerica and Central Asian Buddhism, it invites scholars to compare the situation in their own fields to the state-of-the-art in others.  

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783112215692

eBook ISBN: 9783112215692

Hardcover ISBN: 9783119144988

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BY-NC-ND 4.0

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Frontmatter

Open Access

	I
Contents Open Access

	V
Written Artefacts, Transmitted Literature and Missing Evidence: An Introduction Cécile Michel, Michael Friedrich and Jorrit Kelder Open Access

	1
Absence of Evidence: Lost or Neglected
The Lost Libraries: An Archaeology of Maya Books Christophe Helmke and Kerry Hull Open Access

	13
Missing Evidence and Clues to Evidence, a Dialectic Process: The Apostolic Tradition Alessandro Bausi Open Access

	65
Reconstructing the Book of Zambasta: The Role of ‘Missing Evidence’ Nicholas Sims-Williams Open Access

	95
Quantity of Evidence: Too Little or Too Much
Identifying Missing Evidence in an Abundant Cuneiform Corpus Cécile Michel Open Access

	119
Minding the Gap: The Administrative Documents of the Old Kingdom and the Wadi el-Jarf Archive Pierre Tallet Open Access

	147
Some Methodological Reflections Concerning Ancient Chinese Manuscripts Michael Friedrich Open Access

	161
Quality of Evidence: Fragmentary or Contradictory
Missing Evidence and Evidence Dismissed: Mycenaean Archaeology and Its Struggle with Contemporary Written Sources Jorrit Kelder Open Access

	201
Direct and Indirect Evidence about Etruscans: Partial and Contradictory Views Dominique Briquel Open Access

	221
In Lieu of a Conclusion
Missing, Lost, and Forgotten Sources: Some Thoughts on the Situation in Ancient India Oskar von Hinüber Open Access

	253
Contributors Licensed
Indices Licensed