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Anthropological archaeologists have long attempted to develop models that will let them better understand the evolution of human social organization. In our search to understand how chiefdoms and states evolve, and how those societies differ from egalitarian 'bands', we have neglected to develop models that will aid the understanding of the wide range of variability that exists between them. This volume attempts to fill this gap by exploring social organization in tribal - or 'autonomous village' - societies from several different ethnographic, ethnohistoric, and archaeological contexts - from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic Period in the Near East to the contemporary Jivaro of Amazonia.
For decades archaeologists have used pottery to reconstruct the lifeways of ancient populations. It has become increasingly evident, however, that to make inferences about prehistoric economic, social, and political activities through the patterning of ceramic variation, it is necessary to determine the location where the vessels were made. Through detailed analysis of manufacturing technology and design styles as well as the use of modern analytical techniques such as neutron activation analysis, Zede–o here demonstrates a broadly applicable methodology for identifying local and nonlocal ceramics.
Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) has become one of the standard tools in the archaeologist's array of methods, but users still struggle to understand what the images tell us. In this book—illustrated with over 200 full-color photographs—Lawrence Conyers shows how results of geophysical surveys can test ideas regarding people, history, and cultures, as well as be used to prospect for buried remains. Using 20 years of data from more than 600 GPR surveys in a wide array of settings, Conyers, one of the first archaeological specialists in GPR, provides the consumer of GPR studies with basic information on how the process works. He show how the plots are generated, what subsurface factors influence specific profiles, how the archaeologist can help the surveyor collect optimal data, and how to translate the results into useable archaeological information.
Roots of Sedentism takes the reader to one of the most inadequately understood points of cultural transformation in prehistory: the origins of settled village life and the origins of a dynamic culture in the American Southwest, the Hohokam. The results of large-scale excavations at Valencia Vieja, a pristine early village in the southern Tucson Basin founded in the fifth century is presented. Occupied for no more than 275 years, the village was left untouched until archaeologists began excavation. Estimated to have over 400 pit structures, Valencia Vieja residential, activity, and refuse zones were arranged in concentric rings around a central plaza that contained a probable cemetery. Comprehensive testing and extensive horizontal excavations resulted in an unusually complete picture of village structure and growth. A sequence of rebuilding episodes is documented, detailing the impacts of aggregation and early sociopolitical developments. Radiocarbon dates, house-rebuilding sequences, and key artifacts provided strong dating control and permitted comparison with similarly dated remains elsewhere in the Hohokam region of southern Arizona. The rise of maintained aggregation, residential permanence, and the establishment of permanent ritual facilities were key factors in the growth of Hohokam Culture. This volume has much to offer for scholars interested in the effects of sedentism and aggregation in agricultural societies and is a boon to Hohokam archaeologists who have strived to understand the origins of this desert culture.
New Lives for Ancient and Extinct Crops profiles nine plant species that were important contributors to human diets and medicinal uses in antiquity: maygrass, chenopod, marsh elder, agave, little barley, chia, arrowroot, little millet, and bitter vetch. Each chapter is written by a well-known scholar, who illustrates the value of the ancient crop record to inform the present.