The role of technology in V. Gordon Childe's Archaeology

Abstract

There is no better perspective from which to examine Childe's thought than by surveying his changing understanding of technology, which from first to last remained a key concept in his work. In his early culture‐historical studies he adopted a functionalist view of culture that took account of the special utilitarian properties of technology. In the late 1920s he sought to escape the limitations inherent in a narrowly technological concept of cultural development by examining broader economic trends. Still later a deeper appreciation of Marxism led him to interpret technological change and stability in terms of systematic interactions with social and political systems. Ultimately he examined technology as an expression of human thoughts and ideas within a holistic social framework. Yet he held his ground as a materialist and with increasing success as a Marxist scholar.

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