I got this question recently and would appreciate any information,
suggestions, references to articles. I will forward all replies on to him.
Please send all answers directly to Valerie Wheat at [log in to unmask]
 
I am searching for methodologies for examining artifacts (sculptures, reliefs,
standards, inscriptions, vases) as primary sources and incorporating these
into classroom teaching. While my interest is a pedagogical one, the
information I seek may include scholarly articles in the fields of art history
or museology. My interest is in finding systematic ways to examine artifacts
that would place the artifact on equal footing with the written word as a
primary source through which to examine the historical past. Articles may
include scientific-like methods (inducation, deduction), studies that examine
the process of formulating inferences based on artifactual evidence, and
studies (ingeneral) that may focus on systematic ways to elicit the cultural
and /or historical significance of an artifact.
 
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