Lagunillas: A New Archeological Phase for the Lake Maracaibo Basin,Venezuela

Abstract

This paper describes and compares the newly established archeological Lagunillas phase for the Lake Maracaibo Basin in northwestern Venezuela. Lagunillas is characterized by subsistence based on corn, by pile dwellings, and by complex pottery emphasizing plastic decorative techniques. A set of radiocarbon dates places Lagunillas into Period II (1000 B.C.-300 A.C.) of the regional chronology. Although it shares some traits with other western Venezuelan pottery traditions, Lagunillas also shows northern Colombian, Ecuadorian, and, indirectly, Amazonian influences.     

Who provided maize to Chaco Canyon after the mid-12th-century drought?

Between A.D. 1181 and 1200, in the early part of a climatically wet period, corn was imported to Chaco Canyon from a region outside the Chaco Halo (defined in this paper as the region between the base of the Chuska Mountains and Raton Wells). Strontium-isotope (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) analyses of 12 corn cobs dating to this period match ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios from five potential source areas, including: the Zuni region, the Mesa Verde-McElmo Dome area, the Totah, the Defiance Plateau, and Lobo Mesa. The latter two areas were eliminated from consideration as possible sources of corn in that they appear to have been unpopulated during the time period of interest. Therefore, it appears that the corn cobs were imported from the Zuni region, the Mesa Verde-McElmo Dome area, or the Totah area during a time when the climate was relatively wet and when a surplus of corn was produced in regions outside Chaco Canyon. Based on proximity to and cultural affiliation with Chaco Canyon, it is hypothesized that the corn probably was imported from the Totah.     

STABLE ISOTOPIC RECONSTRUCTION OF DIET AND RESIDENTIAL MOBILITY IN A POSTBELLUM AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY IN RURAL GEORGIA

Abstract

Despite popular belief, the Great Migration following the Civil War was not a singular event but a long-term demographic phenomenon marked by freed African Americans returning to their natal communities or establishing new communities elsewhere and was presaged by smallerscale movements of African Americans between different regions of the Emancipation-era South. This study analyzes carbon and oxygen (δ¹³C, δ¹⁸O) stable isotope ratios in enamel carbonate from 34 individuals recovered from the Avondale Burial Place, an Emancipation-era cemetery, in Macon, Georgia, in order to reconstruct residential origin and early-life diet and examine whether these individuals immigrated to the site from elsewhere in the South. Carbon isotope results suggest mixed C₃/C₄ agro-pastoral subsistence rather than a reliance on C₄ products such as corn and corn-fed livestock as suggested by historical accounts. Oxygen isotope results suggest that the majority of individuals buried in the Avondale Burial Place were likely born in the area as well; in comparison with other isotopic studies from postbellum contexts, these results support the interpretation that the Great Migration was a gradual process with varying impacts in different areas. Interestingly, a sex-based divergence in both carbon and oxygen isotope values during childhood suggests differences in diet and water consumption possibly related to divergent gender roles. Overall, these results indicate that despite continued hardships, the members of this community consisted of local residents, and they do not indicate the presence of migrant individuals; this isotopic analysis, therefore, contributes to a growing body of bioarchaeological research reconstructing the lost and varied histories of postbellum African American communities.     

Architecture,Local Elites,and Imperial Entanglements: The Wari Empire and the Cotahuasi Valley of Peru

Abstract

One of the enduring problems in the archaeology of ancient states and empires is the recognition of different forms of regional consolidation in the archaeological record. Among the clearer markers of direct control over an area is thought to be the construction of an administrative facility. Our recent research on the impact of the Wari Empire (A.C. 750–1000) in the Cotahuasi Valley of Peru, however, suggests that facilities built by and for local elites may emulate so many aspects of state facilities that they can be misinterpreted as intrusive sites. We demonstrate how the Cotahuasi sites diverge from the architectural canon found at Wari administrative facilities and suggest why this convergence of local and imperial architectural styles occurred.     

Out of the shadow of man

R. D. Martin, G. A. Doyle and A. C. Walker, eds. Prosimian Biology. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1974. xxi + 983 pp. Figures, tables, indices. $48.00.

Ian Tattersall and Robert W. Sussman, eds. Lemur Biology. New York and London: Plenum Press, 1975. xiii + 365 pp. Figures, tables, and index. $22.95.

W. Patrick Luckett and Frederick S. Szalay, eds. Phylogeny of the Primates: A Multidisciplinary Approach. New York and London: Plenum Press, 1975. xiv + 483 pp. Figures, tables and index. $39.50.     

A comprehensive numerical chronology for the pre-Columbian cultures of the Palpa valleys,south coast of Peru

Before the arrival of the Spaniards in Peru in 1532, many different societies flourished in the coastal desert of southern Peru. Of these, one of the best known is the Nasca culture (living in the area between about 260 cal BC and 640 cal BC.), which created the famous geoglyphs on the desert floor. In this paper we present a numerical chronology for the cultural development in the valleys of Palpa, in the northern part of the Nazca region, which spans the time from the Archaic Period (starting there around 3760 cal BC) to the Late Intermediate Period (terminating with the arrival of the Spaniards in 1532 AD). The chronology is based on more than 150 ¹⁴C samples collected by our project from well-documented archaeological excavations of 17 different sites in and around Palpa. Thanks to the advanced AMS-¹⁴C dating technique, demanding only few milligrams of organic material, we could focus on samples of plants, like beans, corn, or reed, representing single years of growth or use, and also on delicate materials like straw from clay bricks (adobe) and textiles. All single ¹⁴C dates were combined to cultural phases using a Bayesian statistical model, implementing the a priori information of the archaeological contexts, and adopting the relative ceramic chronologies available for this area.     

Radiocarbon Dating and the George C. Davis Site,Texas

Abstract

Seventy-nine radiocarbon samples were assayed from the George C. Davis Site, a prehistoric Caddoan settlement in the central portion of east Texas. Statistical analysis of the dates convincingly establishes the age of the site as extending from about 780 A.C. to 1260 A.C. and enables us to place the cultural remains into three temporal periods. These dates also provide specific and useful examples for improving the application of radiocarbon dating to archaeological problems.     

The Batan Grande-La Leche Archaeological Project: the First Two Seasons

Abstract

Batan Grande, occupying an area of some 55 sq. km. in the small coastal valley of La Leche in North Peru, is known as a mecca of grave looting that has yielded a considerable quantity of gold funerary artifacts. These destructive clandestine operations have not only prevented serious fieldwork but also effectively obscured the complexity and significance of archaeological remains that include nearly 50 extensive cemeteries and massive adobe constructions that together span some 2,500 years since the Formative period (ca. 1300 B.C.). Since 1978, the multi-year, interdisciplinary Princeton University Batan Grande-La Leche Project has been carrying out intensive field work with principal research interests in (a) evaluating the role of organized religion in cultural development, (b) establishing a regional chronology, (c) elucidating cultural interaction during the problematical Middle Horizon Period (ca. 600–1000 A.C.), and (d) documenting systemic relationships between cultural and natural processes. This paper presents the major results and interdisciplinary research strategies of the first two seasons as well as a model of the Batan Grande burial and religious tradition.     

The Development of A Prehistoric Complex Society: A Regional Perspective from the Valley of Mexico

Abstract

A regional perspective is desirable in the archaeological study of prehistoric complex societies. Over the past decade systematic surface survey has provided such a perspective for the period between 1100 B.C. and 1520 A.C. in the Valley of Mexico. This paper attempts to illustrate something of the utility of regional settlement pattern analysis as one phase of a long-term research program aimed at explaining cultural evolution in precolumbian Central Mexico.     

Artists' Impressions of Aberdulais Mill

Abstract

During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries Aberdulais Falls was occupied by a corn and grist mill, and became a popular subject for topographical artists and painters. Since almost no archaeological evidence for the mill complex can be discovered, these illustrations are an invaluable source for reconstructing that period of the site's history. This article discusses the approaches to, and the problems inherent in, interpreting this kind of material for strictly archaeological purposes, and concludes by suggesting that expertise should be sought from other disciplines before any proper interpretation is attempted.     

STABLE ISOTOPE ANALYSIS AND DIET IN EASTERN OKLAHOMA

Abstract

Over the last three decades, significant quantitative information on prehistoric diets has come to light from a variety of locations in the Caddoan archaeological area, a region encompassing eastern Oklahoma, western Arkansas, northeast Texas, and northwest Louisiana. Most of this research is based on macro-botanical and faunal remains analysis. As an additional line of evidence for the growing body of botanical and faunal data, stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes in bone collagen were analyzed from 82 human and faunal samples from the Arkansas basin and Ozark Highlands in eastern Oklahoma. The research investigates the role of maize in diets through time and across sex and status dimensions. Spanning six phases, within the time range 300 B.C. to A.D. 1650, mean δ¹³C values increase from –19.2 to –12.7 parts per million ‰. Although present prior to A.D. 1000 substantial increases in the use of maize do not begin until the Harlan phase (A.D. 1050–1250). Even with increased use, maize never dominates the diet to the extent seen in Mississippian period sites farther east.     

International Regimes and Commercial Hegemony: Control of the Arabian Littoral, 1800–1905

Herbert Hoover's Plan for Ending the Second World War; Joan Hoff Wilson

Modern Chinese Diplomatic History: A Guide to Research; Immanuel C.Y. Hsu     

Changes in Architecture and Land Use Strategies in the American Southwest: Upland Mogollon Pithouse Dwellers,A.C. 200–1000

Abstract

This study combines functional theories of architectural design with concepts from engineering to devise a method for ranking the effort invested in house construction. Investment in construction is in turn linked with the intensity of site use. Analyses show that from A.C. 200 through A.C. 1000, Upland Mogollon pithouse dwellers invested ever greater effort in building long-lasting, maintainable houses. The implications for models of land use and agricultural dependence are discussed. It is suggested that the architectural trends are consistent with models that characterize Upland Mogollon pithouse dwellers as increasingly sedentary and increasingly dependent on agriculture after A.C. 550.     

Middens,Construction Fill,and Offerings: Evidence for the Organization of Classic Period Craft Production at Tikal,Guatemala

Abstract

The production of artifacts of stone, shell, and bone at Tikal, an important center in the Southern Maya Lowlands, created quantities of durable waste, referred to as debitage. Yet debitage is not a reliable indicator of production area because of the spatially flexible nature of Prehispanic technology and site-maintenance activities that shifted manufacturing debris into secondary contexts. Nevertheless, debitage, even in secondary context, provides important information on the organization of craft production at Tikal, particularly during the Classic Period (ca. A.C. 250–850). Most crafts were organized as household industries, carried on by independent, part-time specialists living in the central area that surrounded the monumental core of the city. The elite probably supported some full-time production to satisfy their demands for status goods and tools for construction projects. Expedient production by nonspecialists, using locally available materials such as chert and bone, occurred at all times.

Production waste was recovered from the construction fill of public and residential architecture and from household middens, mixed with domestic trash. The largest concentrations, however, were found exterior to elite chamber burials and within cached offerings. The delayed identification of debitage from ritual contexts exemplifies the reflexive nature of the way archaeologists classify material culture and their interpretations of the contexts from which it is recovered.     

Some Observations on Alexios Philanthropenos and Maximos Planoudes

Abstract

The campaign of Alexios Philanthropenos in Asia Minor, and his subsequent rebellion and punishment were among the most dramatic events in the Byzantine Empire in the 1290S. When first he assumed the responsibilities of a general and doux of the Thrakesion theme, Alexios was the great hope of the Emperor, Andronikos II, and of the population of Asia Minor. With his army, the general soon achieved spectacular victories in the Maeander valley. The Turks of the area were defeated, the Greek population took heart, deserted cities and villages were repopulated; he was able to send back to Constantinople the spoils of war, gold and silver and corn, and many captives. Large numbers of Turks, pressed on the other side by the Mongols, preferred to join Philanthropenos' army, and came to form a substantial part of it. To his own followers he gave a considerable portion of the spoils, and this too spurred them on to greater victories. The local population, having at last found a defender, joined him and gave him their loyalty. At Constantinople, the Emperor and Philanthropenos' friends rejoiced at the success of the young and brilliant general.     

Chronology and Cultural Activity in Johnson Canyon Cliff Dwellings: Interpretations from Tree-Ring Data

Abstract

Archaeological tree-ring samples were collected during the summer of 1974 from nine cliff dwellings in the tributaries of Johnson Canyon on the Ute Mountain Indian Reservation in SW Colorado. The cliff dwellings belong to the Mesa Verde branch of the Anasazi cultural tradition and on the basis of ceramics and architecture could be assigned to the McElmo phase (1050-1150 A.C.) and the Mesa Verde phase (1150-1300 A.C.). Of a total of 461 tree-ring samples, 352 could be dated. These dates and other observations made during the analysis are applied toward refinement of the dating of the sites as well as to interpretations about utilization of timber resources, environment, and demography. Two clusters of cutting dates consistently occur in most of the sites indicating two periods of construction activity, one in the middle 1100s and the other in the early 1200s. The existing architecture at these sites dates to the early 1200s while the earlier structures have apparently been dismantled and their materials reused. These data suggest an occupation of the area beginning in the 1140s, followed by an abandonment by the 1160s. The area was reoccupied in the early 1200s for only 30 to 40 years before final abandonment.     

Qumran Textiles in the Palestine Exploration Fund,London: Radiocarbon Dating Results

Abstract

Three pieces of fabric from Qumran's Cave 1 have been stored in the Palestine Exploration Fund collection since the 1960s but have hitherto never been tested or re-examined. The fabric is made of linen, and was probably used for wrapping or packing scrolls, or sealing jars. New radiocarbon dating on one piece of fabric indicated a probability of 55% for it being made between 1 and 55 A.D., and a probability of 95.4% that it was made between 50 cal B.C.–80 cal A.D.     

Recent Canadian ethnographies

Richard W. Brislin, Walter J. Lonner and Robert M. Thorndike. Cross‐Cultural Research Methods. New York John Wiley & Sons, 1973. v + 351 pp. Tables, charts, bibliography, and index. $16.95.

Harry C. Triandis, in association with Vasso Vassiliou Yasumasa Tanaka and A. V. Shanmugam. The Analysis of Subjective Culture. A Volume in Comparative Studies in Behavioral Science: A Wiley Series, edited by Robert T. Holt and John E. Turner. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1972. v + 382 pp. Tables, charts, and index. $16.95.