Eating Barrelled Meat in Upper Canada: Cultural and Archaeological Implications

Much of the meat consumed in nineteenth-century southern Ontario (Upper Canada) came in the form of preserved barreled products. The specific ways of obtaining, preparing and consuming these products resulted in unique regional foodways. Through analyses of historical and archaeological evidence, this paper investigates how barreled meat was packed, shipped and purchased in Upper Canada and discusses the various ways its consumption impacted the lives of its residents and contributed to the formation of local identities. An investigation of butchery marks and body portion distributions lead to a possible method for archaeologically distinguishing between barreled and non-barreled meat assemblages.     

Motivation and Scale: a Method of Identifying Land Speculators in Upper Canada

Land speculation played a major role in the settlement of Ontario. Its impact has been discussed in great detail but there always remained the problem of identifying individual speculators. Previous studies have identified land speculators solely on the basis of the amount of land held. This paper presents an alternative method of identifying speculators by calling attention to the motivations behind speculation and manifestations of these motivations as inferred in landholding behaviour. In addition, a typology of speculators is presented. Elizabethtown Township provides the setting for an application of the proposed method and a brief analysis of the speculative patterns that emerge.
Les achats speculatifs des terrains, ayant joué un rôle majeur dans la colonisation de l'Ontario, ont souvent été examinés en détail: le probléme de l'identité des speculateurs est pourtant resté sans solution. Dans des études déjà parues, ceux-ci ont été discernés en ne tenant compte que de la superficie des terrains qu'ils detenaient. Cet essai presente une autre méthode pour identifier les spéculateurs en examinant les mobiles de la spéculation tels qu'ils sont révéles par la conduite de Tacheteur: nous avons aussi formulé une typologie des spéculateurs. Nous avons appliqué la méthode proposée à la ville d'Elizabethtown pour analyser brièvement les mouvements spéculatifs qui s'y présentent.     

Digging Franco's Trenches: An Archaeological Investigation of a Nationalist Position from the Spanish Civil War

Abstract

As part of a project on the archaeology of the civil war and dictatorship in Spain, a Nationalist position was excavated in the village of Abánades (Guadalajara), which was occupied between March 1937 and the end of the war. The sector that was excavated comprised a trench, two dugouts, and a stone-and-concrete covered trench. The findings reveal more about daily life in General Franco's trenches, while they also offer insights into totalitarian ideology, international involvement in the conflict, and the war economy.     

The Distribution and Research Value of Archaeological Mussel Shell: An Overview from Mississippi

Abstract

Archaeological mussel shell rarely has been employed beyond paleodietary analysis in eastern North America, and most published work is site-specific in nature. Broad-scale syntheses of data on freshwater mussel shells are needed to realize the research potential of this common archaeological material. Such syntheses should also reveal gaps in our knowledge and perhaps illuminate reasons for why such gaps exist. In this paper, data on freshwater mussel shells from sites in Mississippi are gathered, and broad patterns in temporal and spatial distributions as well as site structure are discussed. The spatial data clearly suffer from survey, recovery, analytical and reporting biases, while data on temporal trends and site structure are lacking or are available at only gross levels. Given that shell data can be used in a number of research areas (e.g., biogeography, paleoenvironment, chemical sourcing, measurement of environmental disturbance), such unsystematic treatment of shell remains is unwarranted and should be corrected.     

Crossing the Border from Slavery to Freedom: The Building of a Community at Buxton,Upper Canada

In November 1849, the first settlers arrived at what was to become the Buxton Settlement, the most successful all-black community established in Canada prior to the U.S. Civil War. A community soon had been established, a community based on freedom and hope for the future. In the late 1850s, Buxton's population reached close to 700 inhabitants. Three schools and four churches of differing denominations served the community's needs. Several graduates from Buxton's schools attended various colleges to study law, medicine, or for the ministry. A lumber mill and brick-making facility promoted community industry. The settlement boasted a two-story brick hotel, a general store, and a post office. Buxton's rich history lends itself to the study of several topics vital to the social history of both Canada and the United States, particularly the development and strength of a true community: Buxton became an interactive community based on self-reliance and independency.     

Cultural Identity and the Archaeological Construction of Historical Narratives: An Example from Chaco Canyon

The Bonito Phase (ca. AD 850 to 1140) in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, is widely assumed by archeologists to reflect the growth and decline of a coherent sociopolitical entity, one of the classic examples of emergent social complexity among ancient indigenous North American populations ending in a societal collapse. This understanding of Chaco is based, in part, on the interpretation of temporal changes in material culture as intentional efforts to maintain cultural identity and continuity in the face of social disruption. In this study, I suggest that the Bonito Phase actually encompassed at least one major episode of cultural discontinuity, calling into question the perception of a distinct “Chaco society.” Instead, patterns of material production in Chaco point to multiple cultural identities linked to serial reoccupation of the canyon.     

Imaging Radar and Archaeological Survey: An Example from the Gobi Desert of Southern Mongolia

Abstract

The application of spaceborne imaging radar data to archaeological survey in arid regions was investigated at a study area in the Gobi Desert of southern Mongolia. A repertoire of computer enhancement regimens specific to archaeological applications was applied to RADARSAT imagery of the study area to reduce noise, detect lineaments, or otherwise enhance the data. The imagery was then georectified and integrated into a large area mosaic, creating detailed multi-layered image-maps that were used to direct ground exploration. During two field seasons with the Joint Mongolian-Russian-American Archaeological Expedition (JMRAAE) in 1997 and 1998, precise latitude/longitude information was obtained with Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) devices, establishing Ground Control Points with which to further georectify the image-maps. Both navigation and archaeological site selection were enhanced by hydrologic and topographic information in these satellite image-maps. The JMRAAE field team successfully located Palaeolithic cultural artifacts showing little or no surface expression, most often in association with ancient watercourses. The team was able to navigate accurately through the extreme desert terrain using the image-maps and GPS in this otherwise only minimally mapped area, thereby facilitating detailed archaeological reconnaissance and survey.     

An Index of Invasiveness for the Measurement of Unifacial and Bifacial Retouch: A Theoretical,Experimental and Archaeological Verification

Archaeologists are increasingly in need of quantitative measures of stone artefact retouch. Existing techniques fail to provide a generic measure of retouching for all chipped stone artefacts. A fast and reliable index is proposed which measures retouch in terms of the invasiveness of flake scars on the surfaces of complete stone artefacts. Unlike other measures, the index of invasiveness is well suited to the analysis of bifacially worked artefacts such as bifacial points and bifaces. Experimental tests demonstrate a strong correlation between the index and measures of reduction based on diminishing flake weight and numbers of retouch blows. Inter-observer reliability is also demonstrated through the use of a blind test. Limitations of the method are discussed, although potential techniques for surmounting problems are identified. An archaeological application of the index demonstrates the utility of the method in the context of regional assemblage variability in northern Australia.     

Using Information Technologies for Collaborative Learning in Geography: A case study from Canada

In this paper, we share our experiences in designing, offering and evaluating undergraduate assignments that used information technologies to help undergraduate students from different universities collaborate on resource and environmental management problems in Canada. We focus on conditions of collaborative learning and peer review, especially how our uses of information technology reduced or increased the challenges of creating the conditions necessary for collaboration. In particular, we consider our successes and setbacks regarding five challenges: (1) composing effective groups, (2) providing sufficient time, (3) encouraging individual accountability, (4) enhancing regional perspectives, and (5) incorporating peer review and reducing competitiveness.     

A Bayesian Approach to Ageing Perinatal Skeletal Material from Archaeological Sites: Implications for the Evidence for Infanticide in Roman-Britain

The skeletal remains of substantial numbers of perinatal human infants have been excavated from within a variety of archaeological contexts dating to the Romano-British period. It has been argued that the distribution of ages at death of these infants, which appears to exhibit a pronounced neonatal peak, provides evidence for infanticide. This study re-evaluates the osteological evidence for infanticide in Roman Britain by first identifying biases in traditional techniques for estimating the age of perinatal skeletons and then using a Bayesian procedure to reassess the ages at deaths of almost 400 infants from a number of Roman sites throughout England. We conclude that the apparent peak in neonatal mortality shown by earlier investigations is an artefact of regression-based age estimation. The distribution of ages at death in Romano-British infants is similar to a natural mortality profile.     

南方潮湿地区考古遗址迁移保护初探——以长沙国际金融中心建设工地考古遗址迁移保护工程为例

长沙国际金融中心建设工地考古遗址迁移保护工程是大遗址保护实践的有益探索,也是目前遗址保护与区域经济建设协同发展模式下较具现实意义和操作性的一种大型遗址保护途径。本次迁移保护工程是湖南地区首次遗址类不可移动文物大规模迁移保护,采用"表面加固"、"分段整体切割"、"探铲打孔底板嵌套插入隔断"、"聚氨酯发泡固型"四个步骤,对各类型遗存进行科学、完整的迁移保护,该技术在长沙首次成功运用,解决了潮湿土遗址迁移保护的饱水环境、遗址基层不稳定、安全施工等技术难题。希望为南方潮湿地区遗址、墓葬的整体迁移保护提供有益的借鉴。     

Rock Art and Ritual: An Archaeological Analysis of Rock Art in Arid Central Australia

Rock art researchers throughout the world have explicitly or implicitly invoked ritual as an activity associated with the production of rock art but the articulation between the structure and composition of rock art assemblages and ritual behaviour remains poorly understood. Anthropologist, Roy Rappaport (1999) argued that all ritual, whatever the content or focus, has a universal structure. We review this proposition in the context of ritual studies and propose a method aimed at assessing the potential for identifying ritual structure in rock art assemblages. We discuss an archaeological analysis undertaken on the rock art assemblages in arid Central Australia, which aimed at distinguishing such a ritual structure among engraved assemblages, likely to have a Pleistocene origin, as well as more recent painted, stencilled and drawn assemblages. This analysis, despite its limitations, provides the foundation for developing a model, which will enhance the understanding of the relationship between the production of rock art and ritual.     

偃师商城建筑概论--1983年～1999年建筑遗迹考古

偃师商城是１９８３年春季中国社会科学院考古研究所洛阳汉魏故城工作队发现的①。偃师商城位于洛阳盆地东侧,北依邙山,南临洛河,背靠黑石关,东行连结商人故有活动基地,面对二里头夏都,便于监视夏之顽民,形势十分险要。城址分小、大两座城。小城临洛河,平面呈长方形,南北长１１００米,东西宽 ７４０米,城墙现厚 ６米～ ７米,面积约８０万平方米,在东、西城墙上各发现一道城门。大城是在小城基础上建立起来的,南部城墙与小城南城墙相重合,并以此为依据,北延东扩而成,北依邙山,平面呈“菜刀”形,南北最长１７００米,东西…     

State Archaeology and the Private Museum: An Integrated Approach to Archaeological Site Management for Local People in China

During the emergence of Chinese archaeology, the legislative system of cultural heritage in China included archaeological excavations and investigations as being the ‘exclusive right of state’. This mode of state archaeology has proved its worth by increasing the authority and quality of archaeological research and excavations, as well as enhancing the social values and benefits at the state level. The local communities, however, have hardly been embedded into the archaeological projects, nor have the archaeological projects been employed to improve local and regional economic development. This paper considers private museums as embodying regional values and beneficial to projects under the mode of state archaeology. With a case study outlining collaborations between archaeologists and local agents under the excavation and conservation of ancient kiln sites at the town of Zichuan, I argue that private museums could be relatively prominent platforms for public engagement in activities of state archaeology. It might contribute to a reconsideration of the following: indirect archaeological concerns, local economic benefits, identities and alternative interpretations of locality.     

An Anthropological Archaeologist: The Contributions of William A. Longacre to Archaeological Theory,Method, and Practice

Of the “new archaeologists” who developed social models for prehistoric organization, William A. Longacre was a pioneer. Here, we review his contributions and the role he played in expanding archaeological method, theory, and practice. His innovative work in the American Southwest involving ceramic sociology was emulated, critiqued, and extended by several generations of archaeologists. Recognizing the concerns raised by this early work, Longacre developed one of the most successful ethnoarchaeological projects in the world among the Kalinga of northern Luzon in the Philippines. His work and that of his students and colleagues examined multiple, inter-connected aspects of ceramic variability linked to a variety of social, technological, functional, and economic processes. Kalinga data and analyses continue to inform archaeological practices and conclusions. Throughout his career, Longacre mentored archaeologists in both the USA and the Philippines, extending his influence geographically and establishing himself as one of the most important practitioners of processual archaeology.     

A Reconsideration of Rwandan Archaeological Ceramics and their Political Significance in a Post-Genocide Era

This paper reviews Rwandan ceramic typologies and integrates these with recent regional ones through the consideration of four new ceramic assemblages dating to three distinct phases across the past 2,000 years. In addition to providing a synthesis of ceramic approaches as a research resource, it also suggests that ceramics previously termed type C might now better be understood as a transitional form of Urewe. In so doing, it both describes how previous accounts of Rwanda's archaeological ceramics reproduced a contested ethno-racial colonial construction of Rwandan society and suggests the replacement of these with non-ethno-racial explanations of material culture change proposed elsewhere for comparable circumstances in Great Lakes Africa. Finally, as the government seeks to reintroduce secondary school history teaching using archaeological narratives, it discusses the contemporary political significance of this and other research in post-genocide Rwanda, arguing that archaeology, whether framed in technical language or not, has contemporary political reference.     

Taken with a Grain of Salt: Experimentation and the Chemistry of Archaeological Ceramics from Xaltocan,Mexico

Neutron activation analysis (NAA) of ceramics from Xaltocan (n?=?651) displays high values for sodium and potassium and low concentrations of many transition metals and rare earth elements compared to other sites in the Basin of Mexico. Given that Xaltocan was situated on an island in the middle of a saline lake, the potential reasons for this chemical signature are diverse. On one hand, if the sodium and potassium were elevated due to some behavioral aspect of the potters, the Xaltocan chemical groups provide a glimpse at the behaviors of Xaltocan potters that permit more precise source designations. On the other hand, if this chemical fingerprint arose due to contamination in a saline post-depositional environment, the Xaltocan chemical groups would not be valid references for provenance studies. To evaluate these alternative hypotheses, we employ several lines of evidence: (1) comparison of the Xaltocan ceramics to over 5,000 NAA assays of clays and ceramics from the Basin of Mexico, (2) experimental doping of clays with water of different salinities and fired to different temperatures, (3) leaching experiments of archaeological pottery sherds (n?=?22) recovered from the site of Xaltocan, and (4) laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry of the clay and temper fraction of a small sample of Xaltocan ceramics to determine which component is responsible for the elevated sodium and potassium values. The results suggest that the high sodium and potassium values were present in the ceramic paste before firing. We then use these newly established reference groups to better understand the role of Xaltocan in the regional economy. The type of experimentation employed in this study has proven to be an important method for determining the behaviors of ancient potters and distinguishing them from post-depositional processes.