The Use of the Terms “Subsistence”, “Everyday Culture”, and “Culture of Everyday Life” as Applied to Studying Societies of the Historical Past

Abstract

The article discusses the possible uses of the terms “subsistence” (and its derivatives), “everyday culture”, and “culture of everyday life” as applied to studying the societies of the past that are reconstructed on the basis of archaeological data. The relevance, validity, and applicability of these terms in archaeological research are addressed. The author argues that concepts such as “everyday culture” and “culture of everyday life” in archaeological reconstructions (approximate models of ancient societies) are largely redundant and the use of the corresponding terms, if it is chosen for one or another reason, should be well grounded and carefully substantiated. The article is followed by comments by N.L. Pushkareva, M.V. Dobrovolskaya, and A.N. Yamskov.