Process,statistics and anthropological theory: An appreciation of harold E. driver

Joseph G. Jorgensen, ed. Comparative Studies by Harold E. Driver and Essays in bis Honor. New Haven: HRAF Press, 1974. 248 pp. Diagrams, tables, figures, maps, appendix, and bibliography. $20.00.     

The Reuse of Vessels as Harbor Structures: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

Ships and boats, both intact and disarticulated, have been reused as port and harbor structures for at least the last two millennia. Based on the many available examples, it is now possible to analyze the reuse of ships within the larger context of harbor structures as a form of vernacular architecture. Fundamental to this analysis is the observation that vessels were not reused in all ports or during all periods; consequently, by examining where, when, and how vessels were reused it is possible to understand some of the environmental, social, and economic factors that led to vessel reuse.     

The Viking Age settlement pattern of Langholt,North Iceland: Results of the Skagafjörður Archaeological Settlement Survey

An archaeological survey of the Viking Age settlement pattern in the Langholt region of North Iceland suggests that being early in this sequence conferred tremendous advantages to the settlers of this previously uninhabited landscape. Many of the farms established during the settlement of Iceland (which began about a.d. 870) are in use today. However, accessing the Viking Age landscape is difficult. In Langholt the earliest layers of most farmsteads are buried under a thousand years of occupational debris, while the abandoned sites have been covered by extensive soil deposition. Here we report on our coring and test excavation results that outline Viking Age farmstead location, establishment date, and maximum size by the end of the Viking Age. There is a strong correlation between farmstead size and establishment date. This correlation suggests that during the rapid settlement of Iceland, the farmsteads established by earlier settlers were wealthier and that wealth endured.     

Bone chemistry and the reconstruction of diet: Strontium discrimination in white-tailed deer

Studies of the relationship between the strontium content of human bone and past diet are still in an experimental stage. Because of the low frequency of carnivore remains at most archaeological sites and the absence of information on local strontium levels, it has been difficult to (1) estimate dietary intake for a prehistoric population, and (2) to compare prehistoric populations from spatially disparate areas. However, examination of strontium/calcium ratios in a modern herbivore may help to alleviate these problems. Bones from modern white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were compared with deer diet in Wisconsin. An observed ratio between deer bone and diet in terms of a strontium/calcium index was calculated at 0204, which compares favourably with observed ratios reported for other mammals. Prehistoric white-tailed deer are used in the analysis of two Late Archaic sites in the midwestern U.S.A. The strontium levels in deer can be used as a baseline for comparison between sites. The prehistoric subsistence patterns are generally comparable, with hunting accounting for the bulk of the diet.