The Prehistoric Development of Intensive Green-Cone Piñon Processing in Eastern California

Abstract

The upland piñon zone has long been an important source of data for archaeological theorybuilding in the Western Great Basin. Recent excavations in the piñon zone on Sherwin Summit eastern California, the traditional homeland of the Owens Valley Paiute, have shed much light on the role of rock rings and charcoal stains in green-cone piñon processing and storage. Radiocarbon dating points to a late prehistoric intensification of green-cone processing in the area (ca. 500–100 b.p., uncalibrated), which we suggest is the result of scheduling conflicts during late summer and fall. Green-cone procurement allowed local residents to harvest piñon earlier in the season, freeing time to harvest irrigated and wetland seeds, to participate in annual festivals, and to hunt.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article:
The Cosmo-Creative Society: Logistical Networks in a Dynamic Economy , edited by Åe E. Andersson, David F. Batten, Kiyoshi Kobayashi, and Kazuhiro Yoshikawa.
Regional Advantage: Culture and Competition in Silicon Valley and Route 128 , by Anna Lee Saxenian.
Potentials and Bottlenecks in Spatial Development: Festschrift in Honor of Yasuhiko Oishi , edited by Hirotada Kohno and Peter Nijkamp.
Diffusion and Use of Geographic Information Technologies , edited by Ian Masser and Harlan J. Onsrud.
The Colonizer's Model of the World: Geographical Diffusionism and Eurocentric History , by James M. Blaut.
Guangdong: Survey of a Province Undergoing Rapid Change , edited by Y. M. Yeung and David K. Y. Chu.
Urban Development in the Muslim World , edited by Hooshang Amirahmadi and Salah S. El-Shakhs.
The Lost Frontier: Water Diversion in the Growth and Destruction of Owens Valley Agriculture , by Robert A. Sauder.
The Costs of Worker Dislocation , by Louis Jacobson, Robert LaLonde, and Daniel Sullivan.
Foreign Direct Investment in the United States , by Jan Ondrich and Michael Wasylenko.
Rural America and the Changing Structure of Manufacturing: Spatial Implications of New Technology and Organization , Conference Proceedings.     

Cultural transmission, copying errors, and the generation of variation in material culture and the archaeological record

Archaeologists are adept at analyzing variation in artifacts. The discipline has well established and tested methods to track change through time and to evaluate the function of artifacts that depend upon measures of variation in the archaeological record. Although a critical concept, the means by which variation in material culture is generated is not well understood. This paper explores one source of variation, copying errors, and systematically examines how cultural transmission processes act to amplify, reduce, or maintain such variation. Using simple models, we generate expected distributions for the amount of variation that occurs through time under varying circumstances. This variation is caused by small errors that are transmitted from one person to another in the propagation and replication of cultural traits. These baseline values provide useful null models for explaining variation in prehistoric assemblages of artifacts. We use measurements of projectile points from Owens Valley and Woodland ceramics from Illinois to demonstrate the value of this approach.     

Measuring prehistoric mobility strategies based on obsidian geochemical and technological signatures in the Owens Valley,California

We compare the organization of obsidian flaked stone technologies in two different time periods at CA-INY-30, a village site in southern Owens Valley, eastern California. Previous archaeological studies suggest a reorganization in settlement patterns between the Newberry (ca. 3500–1500 BP) and Marana (ca. 650-contact) periods, from a highly mobile to a more residentially sedentary one. New geochemical data, based on laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analyses of obsidian artifacts associated with discrete house floors, support this basic settlement model, but reveal new detail in how people moved across the landscape and accessed, extracted, reduced and used obsidian resources. In the earlier Newberry period, there is no relationship between flake size and distance-to-source, and the falloff curve relating frequency of obsidian against distance is more gradual, as expected, but contrary to our expectations, source diversity is not higher. These factors suggest extremely high mobility, but also selective extraction of particular sources. Newberry obsidian may have been acquired by groups of hunters who embedded quarrying within long-distance trips to distant hunting grounds, and subsequently transported bifacial cores to base camps. By contrast, Marana patterns show strong relationships between flake size and distance from source and steeper fall-off curves, suggesting groups acquired their obsidian primarily from closer sources, likely via exchange networks. At the same time, geochemical diversity, especially among smaller resharpening flakes, is higher in the Marana period, highlighting the wide-ranging conveyance systems through which obsidian moved.     

Seismic Hazards and Water Supply Performance

This article describes seismic hazards, including fault rupture, liquefaction, landslides, and site amplification, using Los Angeles as a case study. Water supply simulation results are presented for a 7.8 M_W earthquake on the San Andreas Fault. Severe water losses are shown after 24 h, with nearly 2,700 locations of pipeline damage and a 66% decrease in normal water service. The water supply system was modeled with and without reservoirs that have been removed from service to meet water quality standards. The results show that opening the disconnected reservoirs immediately after a serious earthquake is an effective strategy for emergency response.     

A LEAD ISOTOPE DATABASE: THE LOS PEDROCHES – ALCUDIA AREA (SPAIN); IMPLICATIONS FOR ARCHAEOMETALLURGICAL CONNECTIONS ACROSS SOUTHWESTERN AND SOUTHEASTERN IBERIA*

One hundred and twenty‐five new lead isotopic analyses on galena, mainly from the Los Pedroches – Alcudia Valley area of southern Iberia, are presented. These data allow us to define four compositional groups in the ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb versus ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁶Pb and ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb versus ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb diagrams. Group I compositions are intermediate between those previously reported for southeastern and southwestern Iberian ore mineral locations. The compositions of Group II, the largest group, overlap with ore data from southwestern Spain. Groups III and IV have compositions that have never before been identified in this region and are comparable to those from the Sardinian Cu ores, which might explain the previously assumed exotic origin for local Bronze Age artefacts.     

“凡事都有可能”——美国硅谷文化探幽

硅谷文化的中心思想,是一种"凡事都有可能"的态度,硅谷的全部文化归纳为两个字:变化.具体内容包括:创新是美国硅谷的首要战略;平等宽松的理念是硅谷文化的重要组成部分;鼓励冒险、宽容失败的硅谷文化激发了员工勇于探索的创新热情;竞争、开放的环境是硅谷成功的重要因素;相互作用、相互影响的经济生态系统是硅谷企业成功奥秘之所在.硅谷的发展模式虽然不能完全复制,但可以借鉴.     

PALAEOCLIMATIC IDENTIFICATION BASED ON AN ISOTOPE STUDY OF TRAVERTINE FROM THE COPPER AGE SITE AT LOS MILLARES,SOUTH-EASTERN SPAIN*

Remains of an aqueduct from the Copper Age settlement of Los Millares have been studied. The isotope results (—7‰ < δ¹⁸O — 5.3‰) show that the aqueduct was used to transport fresh water at room temperature. The results are inconsistent with the aqueduct being used for hot water transport or as a container for water exposed to evaporation processes. Both isotopic and mineralogical results were useful in identifying the origin and use of building materials and also in determining climatic conditions during the time of the settlement occupation.     

Watercourses and Discourses: Coalmining in the Upper Hunter Valley,New South Wales

ABSTRACT Water is a resource that both unites and divides people in the Upper Hunter Valley of New South Wales, where many communities are facing the prospect of large‐scale open‐cut coalmining developments on productive mixed use land, or already live in proximity to mines and power stations. This article analyses conflicts over a proposed coal mine at Bickham in the Upper Hunter Valley, by contrasting the various protagonists' discourses of water scarcity, supply, and connectivity. It examines the ways in which the terms of opposition are narrowed to the arena of state and industry supported science and economic development, marginalising other cultural values and environmental ethics that are integral to opponents' discourses. Opponents have achieved some measure of success through contestation of the uncertain science of hydrological modelling, bolstered by the context of drought and increasing public acceptance of climate change science.     

An Ancient Irrigation Canal in the Pampa Tamarugal (Chile)

Southwest of Tarapacá Valley, in the Pampa Tamarugal of northern Chile, the remains of a canal were discovered running south for more than 6 km. Mapping and excavations indicated that this narrow (about 3 m) and shallow (about 0.5 m) construction was intended to divert water from the perennial Tarapacá River, combine this with occasional run-off from the mountains to the east, and irrigate a system of agricultural fields in a depression on the pampa. Several piles of rocks (cairns) and cleared lines (geoglyphs) were seen in the vicinity of the canal. The recovered pottery sherds were identified as belonging to the Pica-Charcollo tradition (800–1500 c.e.), while four radiocarbon dates from excavated wood and charcoal clustered around 1400–1600 c.e. This places the canal around the time of the colonization of the area by the Inka Empire, which made Tarapacá Valley into a regional center for mining and marine resources. The rationale behind its construction is likely a combination of the need to mitigate fluctuations in the availability of water for agriculture and the production of a larger food surplus.     

Geophysical investigation of the Temple of Apollo (Hierapolis,Turkey)

The ruins of Hierapolis are located a few kilometres North of Laodicea in the Lycus Valley (western Turkey). This area is characterised by a large geothermic field that produces several hot water springs along tectonic structures (fractures and faults).     

贺兰口岩画附近典型危岩体稳定性分析

通过前期现场调查,分析了贺兰口岩画的主要病害,提出岩画附近的危岩体是其中威胁较大的一类地质病害。根据现场勘察将贺兰口岩画附近不同状态的危岩体分为坠落式、滑塌式和倾倒式三类失稳模式。经过室内试验得到了岩石矿物组成、密度、气孔率、吸水率、单轴抗压强度等物理性质,并且利用Hoek-Brown准则、贯通率法以及岩石表面回弹值估算了危岩体与主控结构面的强度参数,例如单轴抗拉和抗压强度、变形模量、内摩擦角和黏聚力,然后利用不同失稳模式的计算方法进行稳定性分析。结果表明部分危岩体处于不稳定状态中,需要进行加固。     

Dating the Ascope Canal System: Competition for Water during the Late Intermediate Period in the Chicama Valley,North Coast of Peru

Here we present the first ¹⁴C ages for the Ascope Canal System (ACS), a large prehispanic hydraulic network in the Chicama Valley on the north coast of Peru. Composed of multiple alignments that irrigated areas north of the river, our results indicate that the ACS was constructed and operated in the Late Intermediate Period, ca. a.d. 1000–1400. This overlaps in time with the Chicama-Moche Intervalley Canal that diverted water on the south side of the Chicama River and extended to the city of Chan Chan. Conservative estimates of discharge capacity indicate that the combined flow through the canals would have exceeded stream flow in the Chicama River during half of the year. The ACS appears to have functioned for several centuries and would have been in direct competition with the Intervalley Canal. There was, apparently, insufficient water for both systems and other Chicama Valley canals during most of the year. This study underscores the complexities of understanding the operations and histories of irrigation systems in complex societies.     

The Conservation Programme of the Côa Valley Archaeological Park: Philosophy,Objectives and Action

Abstract

This paper outlines the methodology for the conservation of Côa Valley rock art, as carried out by the Côa Valley Archaeological Park Conservation Programme. It examines the overall conservation environment that has determined this approach, which aims at an understanding of all the factors affecting the survival of the Côa Valley heritage. We stress that although the Programme sets precise guidelines for the examination and testing of conservation work to mitigate the effects of complex weathering dynamics in action, there are no miraculous solutions to ensure the complete longterm in situ preservation of this World Heritage Site. Despite this geological impossibility, we also emphasize that in a human time scale it makes sense to try to conserve significant heritage (such as the Côa Valley rock art) that expounds and explains our history and ourselves.     

The State of Traditional Stone Spouts in Relation to Their Use and Management in Kathmandu Valley,Nepal

ABSTRACT

Water resource management is a major challenge throughout the world. People still use traditional water harvesting and conservation techniques in many long-established societies. However, traditional methods are in decline or have been abandoned in many countries even though they are more efficient and cost effective than modern water harvesting techniques. Nevertheless, traditional approaches continue to be valuable in some countries, including Nepal. This research documents the state of such traditional methods, in this case stone spouts, in relation to their use and management within urban and peri-urban areas of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. This study shows a somewhat surprising outcome that spout condition is better in unprotected areas than in protected areas.     

Made in the Nene Valley? Identifying the origins of mortaria using ICP analysis

The Nene Valley, in eastern central England, was a major pottery production centre in the Roman period. Many kiln sites have been identified in the Lower Nene Valley region and, although comparatively less is known about production in the Upper Nene Valley, substantial amounts of mortaria and other coarse wares have been recovered during excavations at Roman sites in the area, and much of it is thought to be locally made. However mortaria made in the Upper and Lower Nene Valley can be difficult to tell apart, and many also have similar forms and fabrics to mortaria produced in Mancetter–Hartshill, Warwickshire. Therefore ICP analysis was used in an attempt to identify the products of different regions.     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Methoden der Datenerschliessung und mathematisch-statistischen Aufbereitungen in Geographie und Regionalforschung, by Gerhard Schmidt, Otti Margraf, and Erich Bacinski. Organisation spatiale des systèmes de soins, by Jean-Pierre Thouez. Rivers: Environment and Process, edited by Keith Richards. Location, Location, Location, by Ken Jones and Jim Simmons. Energy, Planning and Urban Form, by Susan Owens.     

Desert environment and origins of agriculture in Egypt

Examination of paleoclimatological and archaeological data from the Egyptian Sahara and the Nile Valley strongly suggests that management of animals and supplementary fanning appeared in the southern part of the Western Desert during the early Holocene under subarid conditions. Excessive annual and short‐term variability in rainfall, associated with pronounced temporal and spatial unpredictability of water and food resources, is considered one of the key factors stimulating the initiation of domestication. The onset of marked desertification during the 7th millennium bp motivated an eastward movement into the Nile Valley attested to by an almost simultaneous appearance of ‘Neolithic’ sites from the Delta to the central Sudan.     

The Paradigmatic City: Postindustrial Illusion and the Los Angeles School

In the 1980s a group of geographers known informally as the Los Angeles School proclaimed Los Angeles as the paradigmatic metropolis of the late-twentieth century. The postmodern/flexible specialization model Los Angeles School adherents developed to explain Los Angeles and validate its paradigmatic status is critiqued theoretically and empirically. The unfortunate timing of their claims of Los Angeles' suzerainty over the Pacific Rim is discussed, and the development and status of its propulsive industrial sectors, such as armaments, aerospace, entertainment, finance, and real estate, are examined. The armaments industry receives special attention because of its critical role in postwar Los Angeles' growth and subsequent decline and because the Los Angeles School devoted considerable research and even praise to this particular type of government "warfare" spending as a key constituent of the area's technopole. The entertainment industry is not sufficient to extract Los Angeles from its continuing crisis. At the moment, Los Angeles lacks any credible plan for overcoming the contemporary malaise. The difficulties in the Los Angeles School's analysis are held to stem from their theoretical synthesis of postmodernism and flexible specialization, a natural but unfortunate Ptolemaic perspective expressed in the belief that one's particular locale is paradigmatic and a lack of recognition of the malignant aspects of defense-spurred economic development.     

Paleoclimate,Geology, Geomorphology,and Middle Holocene Settlement Systems in the Delice Valley of North-Central Anatolia

The Delice Valley in north-central Anatolia is one of the regions where Hatti societies lived during the Early Bronze Age. This region has rarely been explored in terms of its geology, geomorphology, and human-environment interactions throughout the Bronze Age. The focus of the Delice Valley Survey is to build a holistic approach to assess complex socio-ecological dynamics in the region from the perspective of the longue durée. This paper examines the paleoclimatic conditions, the settlement systems, the production capacity of agropastoral systems, and the changes in the political economy in the Delice Valley during the Early Bronze Age and the Iron Age. The results of the first season of fieldwork suggest that the Delice Valley was settled intensively only during certain periods. Although paleoclimatically suitable for denser settlement, the area showed significantly lighter settlement patterns during the Middle and Late Bronze ages.