bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Small Pressures and Cultural Drift as Explanations for Abandonment of the San Juan Area, New Mexico and Arizona
Authors: Davis Emma Lou 
Published: April 2006

AbstractDuring the 12th and 13th centuries A.D., diverse populations of Pueblo Indians gradually withdrew from the drainages of the San Juan River and its tributaries, leaving the area uninhabited and open to future reoccupancy by Navajos. Two hypotheses have been put forward to explain these emigrations: the great drought theory and the Athabaskan raider theory. However, data from recent field work in the Four Corners area can be put together with clues from the literature to construct a third hypothesis: that late Pueblo II population shifts from the north created multiple, small pressures which slowly built into a chain-reaction of anxieties, producing widespread population rearrangements in the San Juan regions, cultural and stylistic changes and, finally, an increasing trend toward emigration. Paiute pressures in the north may have combined with climatic deterioration to initiate withdrawal of the Utah peripheral farmers who, in retreating, disturbed precarious balances of San Juan groups who were already maximally expanded in population. These, in turn, began to move about more frequently than previously, disturbing one another. Stylistic changes in pottery and architecture, large towns, and defensive sites reflect the unrest which resulted in final migration to more peaceful drainages.
A UNIVAC Analysis of Sherd Frequencies from the Carter Ranch Pueblo, Eastern Arizona
Authors: Brown J. A. , Freeman L. G. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractThree factors contribute to differences between archaeological samples: sampling error and functional and temporal differences between the parent populations from which the samples are drawn. Many archaeologists have explained such differences as due only to temporal variations between the parent populations, thereby ignoring sampling error and relegating functional specificity to a minor role.A statistical analysis of potsherd frequencies in samples made by the Chicago Natural History Museum from an eastern Arizona pueblo, the Carter Ranch site, was undertaken using UNIVAC. By taking into account sampling error, differences between parent populations appeared that could most logically be attributed to functional differences. From the calculations, four possible functional constellations of pottery types were discovered, four types of rooms were isolated, a probable ceremonial complex of five pottery types was established, and differential areal disposal of sherds was found. It was impossible to demonstrate temporal differences between provenience units on the basis of sherd frequencies. Any such differences played a minor part in contributing to sample variation as compared to functional differences between provenience units.
Cire Perdue Copper Casting in Pre-Columbian Mexico: An Experimental Approach
Authors: Long Stanley 
Published: April 2006

AbstractSahagún's General History of the Things of New Spain, a Nahuatl text completed in 1555, contains an ethnographic description of cire perdue gold casting. Aboriginal copper casting was not described. However, it is believed that his gold-casting description also constitutes a basically valid description of copper casting. To test this, experiments were undertaken to cast copper bells following Sahagún's description of gold casting and using native materials whenever possible. From the resultant successful casting of several copper bells it is inferred that the above belief is valid.
Ancient Maya and Contemporary Tzotzil Cosmology: A Comment on Some Methodological Problems
Authors: Vogt Evon Z. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractRecent ethnographic work among the Tzotzil Indians in Highland Chiapas has revealed the presence of cosmological concepts and patterns of behavior that may have an important historical relationship to the ancient Lowland Maya. While these data offer exciting possibilities for inferences concerning the ancient Maya, we need to proceed with caution and to take account of a number of critical methodological problems before we project these patterns back into the prehistoric past. We know that all cultural systems are in a constant state of change; hence we should not assume that we are finding any exact survivals from the past, but rather hope that the trends of change in the Tzotzil area have been consistent enough to make inferences possible and productive. We also know that there is a great deal of variation among Tzotzil municipios (and even within municipios), so that statements about “Tzotzil cosmological concepts” need to be treated with caution. Finally, the hypotheses I have advanced in previous papers — such as the possible relationship between sacred mountains in contemporary Zinacantan and pyramids in ancient Maya archaeological sites, or the possibility that some system of rotation in priestly roles was functioning in the ancient Maya ceremonial centers — should be treated strictly as hypotheses and not converted into statements or propositions as Holland did in his recent paper.
Fremont Culture: Restatement of Some Problems
Authors: Aikens C. Melvin 
Published: April 2006

AbstractCurrent emphasis on the definition of areal variation within the Fremont culture requires a re-examination of existing hypotheses of Fremont origins. The evidently very early appearance of regional variation suggests that Fremont crystallized out of a partial unification of several already differentiated Archaic (Desert culture) variants. This crystallization occurred at least partially as a result of adoption by Archaic groups of a horticultural complex of ultimately Mexican origin. Many of the characteristics which bind the Fremont regional patterns into a broader Fremont culture are elements of this horticultural complex, although the earlier Archaic variants presumably also shared basic similarities which contributed to the general unity of the later Fremont culture. Earlier hypotheses of Fremont origins are evaluated from this viewpoint. This is a revised version of a paper delivered in the Fremont Culture Symposium, 35th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, April 30-May 2, 1970, Mexico City, D. F., Mexico.
Arikara Native-Made Glass Pendants: Their Probable Function
Authors: Howard James H. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractArchaeological finds from the Leavenworth and Sully sites in South Dakota have served to revive interest in the use of native-made glass beads by the Arikara and neighboring tribes of the Upper Missouri region. Although the distribution of these objects and the techniques involved in their manufacture are known, little has been said concerning their function. Ethnographic data suggests that one type of native-made bead, the sub-triangular pendant, was a forelock ornament employed in a ceremony known as the Blue Bead rite. Associations of native-made pendants with skulls from the Leavenworth site would tend to support this hypothesis.
Deerskins and Hunting Territories: Competition for a Scarce Resource of the Northeastern Woodlands
Authors: Gramly Richard Michael 
Published: April 2006

AbstractIt is argued that conflict and the need for defense arose in the Late Woodland Stage of the Northeast and Ontario in response to competition for a vital resource, deer hides. Furthermore, the distribution of populations and the size of hunting territories can be directly linked to sustained yields of this scarce good.
Pre-Valdivia Occupations on the Southwest Coast of Ecuador
Authors: Bischof Henning , Gamboa Julio Viteri 
Published: April 2006

AbstractRecent excavations at the Valdivia site (G-31) have led to the discovery of a pre-Valdivia pottery complex named San Pedro, and of apparently preceramic occupation layers, below deposits of the Valdivia phase. A description of the San Pedro pottery is offered and the implications of the new evidence are discussed.
The Trouble with Significance Tests and What We Can Do About It
Authors: Cowgill George L. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractThe rationale of customary "null hypothesis testing" procedures of statistical inference is examined. This approach is not incorrect, but it is prone to misuse and misinterpretation, including neglect of "power" and inappropriate conclusions based on conventional significance levels. The estimation approach, which often seems preferable, is briefly described. The kind of reasoning involved in statistical inference is required whenever we wish to assess the evidence relevant for or against any general proposition, whether we make any formal computations or not, and whether or not we have observed all possible real instances of relevant evidence. Statistical inference is logically unproblematic if we interpret it as a way of assessing the evidence more clearly. But statistical results cannot be directly converted into probabilities of the truth of hypotheses. This requires additional assumptions about appropriate probabilities of the hypotheses prior to consideration of the research evidence.
The Meaning of Style in Archaeology: A General Model
Authors: Sackett James A. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractTo frame a model of style valid for archaeology in the general case it is necessary to begin by stripping away all the specialized connotations the word has assumed until there only remain the fundamental tenets without which the essence of the matter would itself dissolve and escape. It is never easy to feel that one has reached the bottom of things. Nevertheless, the pursuit of this exercise over a considerable period of time has gradually led me to three conclusions which I regard as the basic tenets upon which a general model can be constructed. The first is that all theories of style ultimately rest upon two primitive givens: that, whatever else it may entail, style (a) concerns a highly specific and characteristic manner of doing something, and (b) that this manner is always peculiar to a specific time and place. The second conclusion is that, when projected into the realm of archaeology, style in this general sense is the perfect complement of function regarded in an equally general sense.
Sujang: A Stirrup Spout Vessel from Nigeria
Authors: Pearlstone Zena 
Published: April 2006

AbstractSeveral years ago it was generally thought that the stirrup spout form was unique to the New World and that diffusion could account for all of its occurrences. When 2 African stirrup spouts from the Congo were documented, the question of independent invention was raised, even though the Congo vessels were similar to American types. Recently, various stirrup spout vessels have been found in Nigeria. A Mwona stirrup spout, like those of their neighbors, appears to have little in common with American stirrup spout vessels and the vessels reported from the Congo. The differences in form and function of the documented Nigerian vessels make independent invention of the stirrup spout form a more plausible hypothesis than has been previously believed.
Thermally Altered Siliceous Stone from Prehistoric Contexts: Intentional versus Unintentional Alteration
Authors: Gregg Michael L. , Grybush Richard J. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractRecent studies have demonstrated that the flaking characteristics of certain siliceous stone materials are enhanced by carefully controlled annealing and that intentional annealing was indeed practiced by prehistoric Native Americans. A note of caution is extended here to investigators who might extend evidence for thermally altered siliceous stone from a site to interpretations that intentional annealing was practiced at the site. The use of fire in quarrying has a long history throughout the world, and much heat-treated material from sites may have been thermally altered unintentionally, the result of quarrying practices.
Multistage Fieldwork and Analytical Techniques
Authors: Redman Charles L. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractIn an effort to operationalize recent advances in archaeological theory and technique, this paper presents a systematic organizational strategy for field investigations and artifact analysis. Four general principles are suggested that lead to productive archaeological research designs: the explicit combination of inductive and deductive reasoning, the utilization of programmatic and analytical feedback, the employment of probability sampling in a multistage framework, and the formulation of analytical techniques appropriate to assumptions underlying the research and to the hypotheses being tested. These principles and associated statistical methods are discussed as they have been applied to the investigation and analysis of the material from the eighth millennium early farming village of Çayönü in southeastern Turkey.
Culture Sequence at the Old Fort, Saline County, Missouri
Authors: Wood W. Raymond 
Published: April 2006

AbstractThe Old Fort (23SA104), an earthwork enclosure and mound complex on a high ridge near the Missouri River in central Missouri, has long been considered a Middle Woodland or Hopewell construction. Excavations in 1970 cross-trenched prehistoric ditches and embankments on the north end of the enclosure. A well-developed soil profile containing predominantly Middle Woodland pottery was exposed, into which aboriginal ditches had been cut. Oneota pottery lay on the floors of these ditches, embedded in a thin laminated horizon of alluvium. Oneota and Middle Woodland pottery are mixed in ditch fills. Field data, although limited, thus support the identification of the enclosure as Oneota, aboriginally constructed on a Middle Woodland habitation site.
Confirmation and Explanation in Archaeology
Authors: Salmon Merrilee H. 
Published: April 2006

In recent discussions by archaeologists who are committed to the scientific nature of archaeology, philosophic commitment to an excessively narrow view of “the scientific method” is common. These narrow conceptions can be broadened, clarified, and made more adequate without diminishing a commitment to scientific archaeology.The hypothetico-deductive method of confirmation is an oversimplified account of scientific reasoning. There are severe limitations for its application, particularly in archaeology. The deductive-nomological model of scientific explanation likewise has serious drawbacks for explaining the sorts of phenomena which interest archaeologists. Understanding of the problems with this model is hampered by trying to force systems models of explanation into the deductive-nomological mold. Worse still, the separate issues of confirmation and explanation are not kept distinct.
Computer Use at an Archaeological Field Location
Authors: Gaines Sylvia W. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractThe investigation reported here tested the use of a computer to assist in an ongoing archaeological excavation and survey. To provide rapid computer results, a remote terminal at the site was connected by telephone service to a time-sharing computer some 300 miles distant. Techniques developed and evaluated ranged from initial program preparation and testing through evaluation of field procedures in an environment involving an interactive computer. The ability to generate requested information rapidly enough to aid in tactical decisions affecting field procedures on a daily basis was demonstrated.
Meadowcroft Rockshelter, 1977: An Overview
Authors: Adovasio J. M. , Gunn J. D. , Donahue J. , Stuckenrath R. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractMeadowcroft Rockshelter is a deeply stratified multicomponent site in Washington County, southwestern Pennsylvania. The 11 well-defined stratigraphic units identified at the site span at least 16,000 years and perhaps 19,000 years of intermittent occupation by groups representing all of the major cultural stages/periods now recognized in northeastern North America. Throughout the extant sequence, the site served as a locus for hunting, collecting, and food-processing activities, which involved the seasonal exploitation of the immediately adjacent Cross Creek Valley and contiguous uplands. Presently, Meadowcroft Rockshelter represents one of the earliest well-dated evidences of man in the New World as well as the longest occupational sequence in the Western Hemisphere.
The Social History of Evolution in Britain
Authors: Gordon Mark A. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractIt has come to be common for scientists to study the history of scientific thought. But too often even today, we assume our present theories are "Truth." Scientific histories usually describe intellectual events as either having enhanced or impeded discoveries consistent with modern theory. However, by applying the same standards to Western thought that we apply to non-Western cosmologies, we find that the development of Western worldview closely reflected its own changing social structure. The idea that nature was fixed permanently by God during the creation gave way to the idea of a constantly changing, evolving world-and, at the same time, the fixed class system of European society gave way to an industrialized society characterized by class mobility. This paper will analyze British scientific theories and biohistoric models from the Reformation to Darwin's Origin of Species.
Some Uses of R-Mode Analysis in Archaeology
Authors: Dumond D. E. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractOne kind of R-mode analysis, the examination of the co-occurrence of particular artifact classes across a number of collections, facilitates the identification of recurrent artifact clusters. Its use with proportional data, however, requires the safeguard of equalizing collection sizes, which in turn may necessitate the use of some statistic other than the product-moment coefficient of correlation. Two examples of R-mode analysis are given, both using an average-linkage clustering procedure. The first uses proportional data from unmixed collections of a southwestern Alaskan phase of the Arctic Small Tool tradition, permitting a definition of artifact groups that may represent specialized activities, and highlighting 1 cluster that may have specifically temporal significance; some results of factor analysis are compared. The second example employs presence-absence information from surface-collected ceramics from Tlaxcala, Mexico, and makes possible a refinement of the ceramic sequence.
Iron Utilization by Thule Eskimos of Central Canada
Authors: McCartney A. P. , Mack D. J. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractIron fragments located during 1969 by the Northwest Hudson Bay Thule Project at the Thuleage site of Silumiut have been subjected to spectrographic, microscopic, microprobe, and neutron activation analyses to determine their origin. Both meteoritic and terrestrial iron are represented and are presumed to have been traded from north-western Greenland. Meteoritic iron is widely spread around Melville Bay, and Norse iron was available from the same area by at least the twelfth century A.D. Norse iron from the Silumiut site is the most southerly known and the earliest radiocarbon dated in the central area. This iron and that from Naujan, Repulse Bay, indicate that native and European metal was an integral, albeit low frequency, part of the central Eskimo tool kit at least 400 yr before Hudson"s discovery of his bay.
Spiral Fractures and Bone Pseudotools at Paleontological Sites
Authors: Myers Thomas P. , Voorhies Michael R. , Corner R. George 
Published: April 2006

Spiral ("green bone") breakage has been suggested as an indicator of human activity by some workers. Our examination of broken ungulate long bones from six paleontological localities in western Nebraska, however, shows that such fractures commonly occurred in the Miocene and Pliocene, long before the advent of man in North America. Pseudotools also occur frequently in these sites. We postulate that spiral breakage, including the production of pseudotools, may be due to trampling by animals.Our study demonstrates that neither spiral breakage nor gross morphology, alone or in combination, is diagnostic of human activity. Problematical examples must be accepted or rejected wholly upon the basis of patterned wear on the supposed tools.
The Third Dimension in Site Structure: An Experiment in Trampling and Vertical Dispersal
Authors: Gifford-Gonzalez Diane P. , Damrosch David B. , Damrosch Debra R. , Pryor John , Thunen Robert L. 
Published: April 2006

AbstractTwo measured and weighed assemblages of lithic debitage were subjected to human treadage, one set on a compact sandy silt (“loam”) substrate, the other on unconsolidated sand. The assemblages were excavated, plotted in three dimensions, and documented for damage. Downward migration of pieces at the loam site was minimal: fracture of small pieces was the dominant damage pattern. Most sand site pieces migrated to 3-8 cm depth; vertical distribution of pieces approximated a normal curve, and edge-damage to larger pieces was the dominant damage pattern. Vertical distribution of artifacts at the sand site approximated a pattern observed in two other trampling experiments and a number of archaeological occurrences. Factors influencing these distributions are discussed.
North American Archaeology and Archaeologists, 1879-1934
Authors: Meltzer David J. 
Published: April 2006

In February of 1879, Dr. J. M. Toner, Professor Otis Mason, and Col. Garrick Mallery placed an advertisement in the Washington, D.C. newspapers that read, in partMany persons interested in American archaeology have expressed a desire for an organization in this city to promote study and diffuse knowledge upon the subject. All willing to join an Archaeological Association are requested to attend a meeting at the Smithsonian Institution . . . for a conference upon the subject and the formation of such a society [Lamb 1906:564-565].
Mesoamerica: Events and Processes, the Last Fifty Years
Authors: King Jaime Litvak 
Published: April 2006

Paul Kirchhoff defined the whole region(Its trait was a bloody religion)Then came Caso, BernalMacNeish, Willey et al.And of E. Willys Andrews, a legion.The Chilam Balam of ChapultepecBy the early thirties Mesoamerican archaeology was already indelibly marked. Ricketson, at Uaxactun from the late twenties, and Caso, at Monte Alban, had the general sequences for the culture area as early as that.