Pub Date : 2016-07-02DOI: 10.1080/19442890.2016.1213972
M. Eren, S. Lycett, Robert J. Patten, Briggs Buchanan, J. Pargeter, M. J. O’Brien
For many years, intuition and common sense often guided the transference of patterning ostensibly evident in experimental flintknapping results to interpretations of the archaeological record, with little emphasis placed on hypothesis testing, experimental variables, experimental design, or statistical analysis of data. Today, archaeologists routinely take steps to address these issues. We build on these modern efforts by reviewing several important uses of replication experiments: (1) as a means of testing a question, hypothesis, or assumption about certain parameters of stone-tool technology; (2) as a model, in which information from empirically documented situations is used to generate predictions; and (3) as a means of validating analytical methods. This review highlights the important strategic role that stone artifact replication experiments must continue to play in further developing a scientific approach to archaeology.
{"title":"Test, Model, and Method Validation: The Role of Experimental Stone Artifact Replication in Hypothesis-driven Archaeology","authors":"M. Eren, S. Lycett, Robert J. Patten, Briggs Buchanan, J. Pargeter, M. J. O’Brien","doi":"10.1080/19442890.2016.1213972","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19442890.2016.1213972","url":null,"abstract":"For many years, intuition and common sense often guided the transference of patterning ostensibly evident in experimental flintknapping results to interpretations of the archaeological record, with little emphasis placed on hypothesis testing, experimental variables, experimental design, or statistical analysis of data. Today, archaeologists routinely take steps to address these issues. We build on these modern efforts by reviewing several important uses of replication experiments: (1) as a means of testing a question, hypothesis, or assumption about certain parameters of stone-tool technology; (2) as a model, in which information from empirically documented situations is used to generate predictions; and (3) as a means of validating analytical methods. This review highlights the important strategic role that stone artifact replication experiments must continue to play in further developing a scientific approach to archaeology.","PeriodicalId":42668,"journal":{"name":"Ethnoarchaeology","volume":"28 1","pages":"103 - 136"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2016-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81868979","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2016-07-02DOI: 10.1080/19442890.2016.1215883
Whitney Goodwin, Kacy L. Hollenback
Firing practices yield insights into the technological skill, knowledge, and behavior of potters. Skill and time, clays, fuels, and intended vessel use are significant for potters' decisions about heating rates, firing temperature and atmosphere. Firing is one stage in ceramic production that, when considered with the vessel's life history, reveals strategies of craftspersons and technological changes, or continuities across space and time. This paper explores methods for estimating firing temperatures. Experiments demonstrate that techniques used in other regions, such as stepwise clay oxidation analysis, are problematic for Plains ceramics and possibly other regions. A revised protocol is developed and paired with magnetic susceptibility to produce better estimates. Results indicate unexpected amounts of low-fired pottery (<500°C), with all temperatures below 750°C. Perhaps Plains Woodland and Northeastern Plains Village potters in North Dakota employed low-firing temperatures, in combination with less desirable, but available organic rich sediments, as a strategy to produce workable vessels.
{"title":"Assessing Techniques for the Estimation of Original Firing Temperatures of Plains Ceramics: Experimental and Archaeological Results","authors":"Whitney Goodwin, Kacy L. Hollenback","doi":"10.1080/19442890.2016.1215883","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19442890.2016.1215883","url":null,"abstract":"Firing practices yield insights into the technological skill, knowledge, and behavior of potters. Skill and time, clays, fuels, and intended vessel use are significant for potters' decisions about heating rates, firing temperature and atmosphere. Firing is one stage in ceramic production that, when considered with the vessel's life history, reveals strategies of craftspersons and technological changes, or continuities across space and time. This paper explores methods for estimating firing temperatures. Experiments demonstrate that techniques used in other regions, such as stepwise clay oxidation analysis, are problematic for Plains ceramics and possibly other regions. A revised protocol is developed and paired with magnetic susceptibility to produce better estimates. Results indicate unexpected amounts of low-fired pottery (<500°C), with all temperatures below 750°C. Perhaps Plains Woodland and Northeastern Plains Village potters in North Dakota employed low-firing temperatures, in combination with less desirable, but available organic rich sediments, as a strategy to produce workable vessels.","PeriodicalId":42668,"journal":{"name":"Ethnoarchaeology","volume":"260 1","pages":"180 - 204"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2016-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77143090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2016-07-02DOI: 10.1080/19442890.2016.1213973
Thusitha Wagalawatta, Wiebke Bebermeier, Kay Kohlmeyer, B. Schütt
Ancient rock quarries in the surroundings of the ancient city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka provide evidence of quarrying by splitting stone blocks. Bedrock outcrops with natural foliations or weathering fractures were preferred starting points for stone quarrying. Additionally, fractures were created artificially, removing bedrock material by channeling or heating the bedrock surface and imposing pressure on the rock through percussion. These quarrying techniques are mainly based on a series of chiselled holes set along the part of the block to be separated. These holes frequently appear as half holes in the separated rock fragments. This investigation explores the working procedure related to the chiselled holes and wedge quarrying technique, and aims to identify the tools used and to estimate the time necessary for the splitting. Investigations are based on observations of a stone craftsman still applying traditional techniques of quarrying.
{"title":"An Ethnoarchaeological Study of Stone Quarrying Techniques in Historical Anuradhapura","authors":"Thusitha Wagalawatta, Wiebke Bebermeier, Kay Kohlmeyer, B. Schütt","doi":"10.1080/19442890.2016.1213973","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19442890.2016.1213973","url":null,"abstract":"Ancient rock quarries in the surroundings of the ancient city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka provide evidence of quarrying by splitting stone blocks. Bedrock outcrops with natural foliations or weathering fractures were preferred starting points for stone quarrying. Additionally, fractures were created artificially, removing bedrock material by channeling or heating the bedrock surface and imposing pressure on the rock through percussion. These quarrying techniques are mainly based on a series of chiselled holes set along the part of the block to be separated. These holes frequently appear as half holes in the separated rock fragments. This investigation explores the working procedure related to the chiselled holes and wedge quarrying technique, and aims to identify the tools used and to estimate the time necessary for the splitting. Investigations are based on observations of a stone craftsman still applying traditional techniques of quarrying.","PeriodicalId":42668,"journal":{"name":"Ethnoarchaeology","volume":"31 2 1","pages":"158 - 179"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2016-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80444545","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2016-07-02DOI: 10.1080/19442890.2016.1215885
E. Wilmsen, A. Griffiths, P. Thebe, D. Killick, G. Molatlhegi
Throughout the history of potting in Botswana, from about CE200 to the present, potters have used a variety of clays. Alluvial clays are favored by most potters today, but petrographic analyses show that prehistoric potters preferred primary clays directly derived from granite and basalt. Fortunately, a few potters in the region today still use granite-derived clays. We trace the processes by which potters of Pilikwe village mine weathered granite from a source at Moijabana and transform it through a series of crushing, pounding, sifting, and wetting actions into a paste that can be used the following day to form pots. These mechanical operations accelerate natural rock weathering processes that form clays and in a single day achieve what in nature takes thousands of years. Successive stages of clay collection and processing were observed, recorded, and filmed; samples from each stage were subsequently analyzed by thin-section optical petrography. Fabrics of pots made from this processed clay were analyzed by identical means and compared with the raw materials.
{"title":"Moijabana Rocks-Pilikwe Pots: The Acceleration of Clay Formation by Potters Employing Simple Mechanical Means","authors":"E. Wilmsen, A. Griffiths, P. Thebe, D. Killick, G. Molatlhegi","doi":"10.1080/19442890.2016.1215885","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19442890.2016.1215885","url":null,"abstract":"Throughout the history of potting in Botswana, from about CE200 to the present, potters have used a variety of clays. Alluvial clays are favored by most potters today, but petrographic analyses show that prehistoric potters preferred primary clays directly derived from granite and basalt. Fortunately, a few potters in the region today still use granite-derived clays. We trace the processes by which potters of Pilikwe village mine weathered granite from a source at Moijabana and transform it through a series of crushing, pounding, sifting, and wetting actions into a paste that can be used the following day to form pots. These mechanical operations accelerate natural rock weathering processes that form clays and in a single day achieve what in nature takes thousands of years. Successive stages of clay collection and processing were observed, recorded, and filmed; samples from each stage were subsequently analyzed by thin-section optical petrography. Fabrics of pots made from this processed clay were analyzed by identical means and compared with the raw materials.","PeriodicalId":42668,"journal":{"name":"Ethnoarchaeology","volume":"26 1","pages":"137 - 157"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2016-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81417304","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2016-01-02DOI: 10.1080/19442890.2016.1150626
Alastair J. M. Key
The functional value of a stone tool is principally in its ability to cut, split, or otherwise deform material. The relative efficiency with which stone tools undertake cutting processes has been a point of interest to lithic archaeologists for decades, with many linking aspects of tool morphology to functional performance. Many of the questions asked by stone tool research are, however, pertinent to other disciplines. This includes mechanical engineering and ergonomic sciences where there is a substantial amount of research dedicated to understanding the mechanics of cutting and the influence exerted by tool-form attributes during use. These investigations therefore have valuable insights for lithic archaeology and our understanding of the variables that would have been influencing stone tool use in past populations. Here, the value of mechanical and ergonomic research to lithic archaeology is analyzed, key morphological and mechanical principles central to the determination of a stone tool's cutting efficiency are reviewed, and the need for future experiments that investigate these principles within archaeological contexts is highlighted.
{"title":"Integrating Mechanical and Ergonomic Research within Functional and Morphological Analyses of Lithic Cutting Technology: Key Principles and Future Experimental Directions","authors":"Alastair J. M. Key","doi":"10.1080/19442890.2016.1150626","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19442890.2016.1150626","url":null,"abstract":"The functional value of a stone tool is principally in its ability to cut, split, or otherwise deform material. The relative efficiency with which stone tools undertake cutting processes has been a point of interest to lithic archaeologists for decades, with many linking aspects of tool morphology to functional performance. Many of the questions asked by stone tool research are, however, pertinent to other disciplines. This includes mechanical engineering and ergonomic sciences where there is a substantial amount of research dedicated to understanding the mechanics of cutting and the influence exerted by tool-form attributes during use. These investigations therefore have valuable insights for lithic archaeology and our understanding of the variables that would have been influencing stone tool use in past populations. Here, the value of mechanical and ergonomic research to lithic archaeology is analyzed, key morphological and mechanical principles central to the determination of a stone tool's cutting efficiency are reviewed, and the need for future experiments that investigate these principles within archaeological contexts is highlighted.","PeriodicalId":42668,"journal":{"name":"Ethnoarchaeology","volume":"39 1","pages":"69 - 89"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2016-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85030130","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2016-01-02DOI: 10.1080/19442890.2016.1150627
Bradley Russell
The modern residents of Yucatán, Mexico blend traditional Maya beliefs in a pantheon of ancient gods and other supernatural forces with more recent Catholic traditions flowing from centuries of Spanish colonial influence. This paper compares and contrasts four modern rituals from the Yucatec Maya village of Telchaquillo, Yucatán. Each rite was associated with a local cenote, limestone sinkholes that along with caves serve as accesses to the Maya underworld and homes to the gods themselves. Our research suggests considerable cultural continuity with the ancient residents of the Postclassic Maya center of Mayapán where cenotes were regularly paired with important ritual architecture and sometimes contain human remains and other indications of ritual activity. The ceremonies documented in this paper provide information about Maya cosmology, gender roles and long held beliefs about cenotes and agricultural fertility.
{"title":"All the Gods of the World: Modern Maya Ritual in Yucatán, Mexico","authors":"Bradley Russell","doi":"10.1080/19442890.2016.1150627","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19442890.2016.1150627","url":null,"abstract":"The modern residents of Yucatán, Mexico blend traditional Maya beliefs in a pantheon of ancient gods and other supernatural forces with more recent Catholic traditions flowing from centuries of Spanish colonial influence. This paper compares and contrasts four modern rituals from the Yucatec Maya village of Telchaquillo, Yucatán. Each rite was associated with a local cenote, limestone sinkholes that along with caves serve as accesses to the Maya underworld and homes to the gods themselves. Our research suggests considerable cultural continuity with the ancient residents of the Postclassic Maya center of Mayapán where cenotes were regularly paired with important ritual architecture and sometimes contain human remains and other indications of ritual activity. The ceremonies documented in this paper provide information about Maya cosmology, gender roles and long held beliefs about cenotes and agricultural fertility.","PeriodicalId":42668,"journal":{"name":"Ethnoarchaeology","volume":"85 1","pages":"29 - 4"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2016-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83472216","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2016-01-02DOI: 10.1080/19442890.2016.1150624
A. Aseffa, B. Wayessa, T. Burka
Since the early twentieth century, the archaeology of dental modification has received significant attention, as modified teeth are especially important for interpreting past human culture in the archaeological record. Despite the existence of the practice in Ethiopia, to date no archaeological or ethnoarchaeological research has been conducted to examine the antiquity of the tradition. This ethnoarchaeological study investigates the procedures, motives and implications of dental modification from a social identity perspective, with special emphasis on the Karrayyu Oromo of central Ethiopia. The study reveals that the skillful local practitioners of dental modification, known as ogeettii ilkee, make modification to individuals’ upper front incisors. The study also shows that, among the Karrayyu Oromo, both adult males and females undergo midline diastema formation for aesthetic purposes, as well as for marking clan identity and rites of passage. This exploration is important to track the history of the Karrayyu Oromo, who have no written language, and to serve as a working model in different Ethiopian regions where the tradition is in place.
{"title":"“I have to Resemble My Ancestors through Modification of Midline Diastema”: An Ethnoarchaeological Study of Dental Modification among Karrayyu Oromo, Central Ethiopia","authors":"A. Aseffa, B. Wayessa, T. Burka","doi":"10.1080/19442890.2016.1150624","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19442890.2016.1150624","url":null,"abstract":"Since the early twentieth century, the archaeology of dental modification has received significant attention, as modified teeth are especially important for interpreting past human culture in the archaeological record. Despite the existence of the practice in Ethiopia, to date no archaeological or ethnoarchaeological research has been conducted to examine the antiquity of the tradition. This ethnoarchaeological study investigates the procedures, motives and implications of dental modification from a social identity perspective, with special emphasis on the Karrayyu Oromo of central Ethiopia. The study reveals that the skillful local practitioners of dental modification, known as ogeettii ilkee, make modification to individuals’ upper front incisors. The study also shows that, among the Karrayyu Oromo, both adult males and females undergo midline diastema formation for aesthetic purposes, as well as for marking clan identity and rites of passage. This exploration is important to track the history of the Karrayyu Oromo, who have no written language, and to serve as a working model in different Ethiopian regions where the tradition is in place.","PeriodicalId":42668,"journal":{"name":"Ethnoarchaeology","volume":"29 1","pages":"57 - 68"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2016-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91325797","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2016-01-02DOI: 10.1080/19442890.2016.1150625
S. Biagetti
The rock carvings of the Valle Camonica (Brescia, Alps, Northern Italy) are one of the largest collections of petroglyphs in the world, spanning from the Epipalaeolithic to the Middle Ages. Notably, they represent the first World Heritage site recognized by UNESCO in Italy. Beside the hundred of thousands rock carvings counted so far, the area hosts a relevant archaeological and ethnographic heritage as well. The book by Ausilio Priuli focuses on the northernmost sector of the area, the High Valle Camonica, which is poorly known when compared to the rest of the region. The volume is the product of a fiveyear long research program carried out by the author with the support of local administrators and presents the first systematic record of archaeological, historical, and ethnographic evidence of the High Valle Camonica. The book is organized in nine chapters and it is characterized by an impressive number of high-quality illustrations. The first two chapters introduce the study and the methods used in the research. The third chapter focuses on the geomorphology of the region and highlights the most relevant elements of the natural landscape. Chapter four overviews the history of research in the High Valle Camonica, followed by a short summary of Holocene occupation. The core of the book appears in the longer chapter five, where the author systematically reports results from his surveys, including discussions and maps of several ancient settlements. Non-domestic sites are described in chapter six, including corrals, pens, metal smelting slags, potsherds, and lithic debitage, which combined define a complex cultural landscape. Chapter seven assesses rock art of the Valle Camonica and adjacent regions, whilst chapter eight deals with rock marks, cups, and kettles found in a variety of archaeological contexts throughout the High Valley Camonica. Detailed drawings are helpful in understanding size and spatial distribution of signs on boulders and rocks. Brandopferplatz (fire worship remains) are the subject of chapter nine, where the author records a number of these features often still recognizable atop of High Valle Camonica peaks. This volume is intended as a preliminary surface study of a part of the Valle Camonica, and it does not include excavations or radiocarbon dates. As a result, precise chronological control cannot be offered for the archaeological evidence. Instead, the author draws on an in-depth knowledge of the archaeological landscape of the Valle Camonica and compares this with ethnoarchaeological perspectives based on a direct historical approach to estimate the age of archaeological finds. Hunters-herders, artisans, and traders have continuously inhabited the Valle Camonica. Without ignoring the radical transformations that occurred in the ethnoarchaeology, Vol. 8 No. 1, April, 2016, 97–99
卡莫尼卡山谷(布雷西亚，阿尔卑斯山，意大利北部)的岩石雕刻是世界上最大的岩石雕刻收藏之一，从上石器时代到中世纪。值得注意的是，它们是联合国教科文组织在意大利认可的第一个世界遗产。到目前为止，除了数以十万计的岩石雕刻外，该地区还拥有相关的考古和民族志遗产。这本由Ausilio Priuli撰写的书聚焦于该地区最北端的高谷卡莫尼卡(High Valle Camonica)，与该地区的其他地区相比，这里鲜为人知。本书是作者在当地管理人员的支持下进行的为期五年的研究计划的产物，并提出了高谷卡莫尼卡考古，历史和人种学证据的第一个系统记录。这本书分为九个章节，其特点是大量高质量的插图。前两章介绍了本文的研究内容和研究方法。第三章重点介绍了该地区的地貌，并强调了自然景观中最相关的元素。第四章概述了高谷卡莫尼卡的研究历史，随后对全新世占领进行了简要总结。本书的核心出现在较长的第五章，作者系统地报告了他的调查结果，包括对几个古代定居点的讨论和地图。第六章描述了非家庭遗址，包括畜栏、围栏、金属冶炼渣、陶器碎片和石器碎片，它们共同构成了一个复杂的文化景观。第七章评估了卡莫尼卡山谷和邻近地区的岩石艺术，而第八章则处理了在卡莫尼卡山谷各种考古背景下发现的岩石标记、杯子和水壶。详细的图纸有助于理解巨石和岩石上的标志的大小和空间分布。Brandopferplatz(火崇拜遗迹)是第九章的主题，在那里作者记录了许多这些特征，这些特征通常仍然可以在高谷卡莫尼卡山峰上辨认出来。本卷旨在作为卡莫尼卡山谷的一部分的初步表面研究，它不包括挖掘或放射性碳年代。因此，不能为考古证据提供精确的时间控制。相反，作者利用了对卡莫尼卡山谷考古景观的深入了解，并将其与基于直接历史方法估计考古发现年龄的民族考古学观点进行了比较。猎人、牧人、工匠和商人一直居住在卡莫尼卡山谷。《民族考古学》第八卷第1期，2016年4月，第97-99页
{"title":"Montane Ethnoarchaeology in Italy: Two Recent Books","authors":"S. Biagetti","doi":"10.1080/19442890.2016.1150625","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19442890.2016.1150625","url":null,"abstract":"The rock carvings of the Valle Camonica (Brescia, Alps, Northern Italy) are one of the largest collections of petroglyphs in the world, spanning from the Epipalaeolithic to the Middle Ages. Notably, they represent the first World Heritage site recognized by UNESCO in Italy. Beside the hundred of thousands rock carvings counted so far, the area hosts a relevant archaeological and ethnographic heritage as well. The book by Ausilio Priuli focuses on the northernmost sector of the area, the High Valle Camonica, which is poorly known when compared to the rest of the region. The volume is the product of a fiveyear long research program carried out by the author with the support of local administrators and presents the first systematic record of archaeological, historical, and ethnographic evidence of the High Valle Camonica. The book is organized in nine chapters and it is characterized by an impressive number of high-quality illustrations. The first two chapters introduce the study and the methods used in the research. The third chapter focuses on the geomorphology of the region and highlights the most relevant elements of the natural landscape. Chapter four overviews the history of research in the High Valle Camonica, followed by a short summary of Holocene occupation. The core of the book appears in the longer chapter five, where the author systematically reports results from his surveys, including discussions and maps of several ancient settlements. Non-domestic sites are described in chapter six, including corrals, pens, metal smelting slags, potsherds, and lithic debitage, which combined define a complex cultural landscape. Chapter seven assesses rock art of the Valle Camonica and adjacent regions, whilst chapter eight deals with rock marks, cups, and kettles found in a variety of archaeological contexts throughout the High Valley Camonica. Detailed drawings are helpful in understanding size and spatial distribution of signs on boulders and rocks. Brandopferplatz (fire worship remains) are the subject of chapter nine, where the author records a number of these features often still recognizable atop of High Valle Camonica peaks. This volume is intended as a preliminary surface study of a part of the Valle Camonica, and it does not include excavations or radiocarbon dates. As a result, precise chronological control cannot be offered for the archaeological evidence. Instead, the author draws on an in-depth knowledge of the archaeological landscape of the Valle Camonica and compares this with ethnoarchaeological perspectives based on a direct historical approach to estimate the age of archaeological finds. Hunters-herders, artisans, and traders have continuously inhabited the Valle Camonica. Without ignoring the radical transformations that occurred in the ethnoarchaeology, Vol. 8 No. 1, April, 2016, 97–99","PeriodicalId":42668,"journal":{"name":"Ethnoarchaeology","volume":"5 1","pages":"97 - 99"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2016-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89446928","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2016-01-02DOI: 10.1080/19442890.2016.1150629
Stephanie L. Schnorr, Alyssa N. Crittenden, A. Henry
Cooking is an important technology for its capacity to increase food digestibility, particularly for plant foods, potentially playing a significant role in human evolution to increase nutritional acquisition. However, the contextual impetus for cooking is less well understood. One mode of cooking used by modern humans is to roast food directly in an open flame fire for very brief durations. This technique may be a behavioral analogue to that of early human ancestors. Here, we provide experimental data on starch gelatinization patterns in domesticated underground storage organs and starchy fruit as a result of brief fire roasting. We employed a count-based method using light-microscopy and a semi-quantitative photometric strategy to observe the kinetic process of gelatinization. We find that brief roasting over an open fire results in low levels of starch gelatinization. These findings suggest that brief roasting may not benefit a consumer through changes to starch structure alone.
{"title":"Impact of Brief Roasting on Starch Gelatinization in Whole Foods and Implications for Plant Food Nutritional Ecology in Human Evolution","authors":"Stephanie L. Schnorr, Alyssa N. Crittenden, A. Henry","doi":"10.1080/19442890.2016.1150629","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19442890.2016.1150629","url":null,"abstract":"Cooking is an important technology for its capacity to increase food digestibility, particularly for plant foods, potentially playing a significant role in human evolution to increase nutritional acquisition. However, the contextual impetus for cooking is less well understood. One mode of cooking used by modern humans is to roast food directly in an open flame fire for very brief durations. This technique may be a behavioral analogue to that of early human ancestors. Here, we provide experimental data on starch gelatinization patterns in domesticated underground storage organs and starchy fruit as a result of brief fire roasting. We employed a count-based method using light-microscopy and a semi-quantitative photometric strategy to observe the kinetic process of gelatinization. We find that brief roasting over an open fire results in low levels of starch gelatinization. These findings suggest that brief roasting may not benefit a consumer through changes to starch structure alone.","PeriodicalId":42668,"journal":{"name":"Ethnoarchaeology","volume":"52 1","pages":"30 - 56"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2016-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77206984","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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