Empirical Urban Theory for Archaeologists

Citation: Smith, Michael (2011) Empirical Urban Theory for Archaeologists. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory 18: 167-192. (RSS)
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Summary

Archaeological theories related to urbanism and the study of ancient cities encompasses a wide theoretical base, what Smith refers to as constituting a body of "Empirical Urban Theory". This article discusses eight of these theories, all of which can be considered middle-range theory. Middle-range theory differs from high theory, or grand theory, in that it is only one logical step removed from the observation. High theory has been criticized for being incredibly general and abstract, as to not be immediately applicable to the observed data.

In sociological terms, middle-range theory can be defined as theories that guide empirical inquiry, especially for delimited social phenomena. As such, contained units like cities and urban areas are nicely suited to this type of theoretical framework. Unlike high level theory, middle range theories are capable of directing how archaeologists actually analyze settlements, potsherds and other archaeological materials.

The range of theories discussed in this article look at how people interact with, construct, and are constructed by their urban and social environments. Some of these theories include Reception Space theory, Space syntax, Environment-Behavior Theory, Architectural Communication Theory, Urban Morphology Theory, as so forth.